Astralpool Pinnacle Heat Pump iHP SD 217

COP is coefficient of performance, the ratio of heat output to electricity consumed. A COP of 22 means the unit delivers 22 units of heat for one unit of power under favourable conditions. Real world COP varies with air temperature and target water temperature, so treat 22 as a best case rather than an average. Even at more typical conditions, the Pinnacle is one of the most efficient ways to heat a pool in Auckland.

The range runs SD 107, SD 125, SD 153, SD 217, SD 250 and SD 315 (product codes 78581 through 78586). Six capacity steps means you can size closely to your pool rather than rounding up to the next available unit, which saves both purchase cost and running cost. We size against pool volume, site exposure, cover use and your target temperature.

Yes. The Pinnacle operates in outdoor temperatures down to minus 15 degrees C, which is far below anything Auckland experiences. Efficiency does reduce in colder air, so winter running costs are higher than summer, but the unit will continue to heat rather than shutting down. Pairing it with a thermal blanket makes winter swimming genuinely practical.

Side discharge units exhaust air horizontally, so they need clear space in front of the discharge face and around the unit for airflow. They suit open plant areas well. If your plant space is tight against a fence or wall, the top discharge IHPT range is usually the better fit. We check clearances during the site visit.

Multilayer acoustic insulation surrounds the compressor, and because it is a full inverter unit it spends most of its time running at reduced output rather than full noise. On Auckland sections where the plant area sits close to a neighbour's boundary or an outdoor living space, this is a meaningful difference over a conventional heat pump.

From cold, expect a few days to bring a typical Auckland pool to swimming temperature, depending on model and weather. After that the unit only replaces daily heat loss, which is far less work. Correct sizing matters here: an undersized unit will struggle to reach target on cool, windy days and will run constantly trying.

Yes. A Wi-Fi module is included, and the Pinnacle integrates with AstralPool Halo and Connect 10 automation systems. That means you can lift the temperature the day before you have people over, or drop it when you are away, without walking out to the plant area. We set the connectivity up as part of commissioning.

We strongly recommend one. Surface evaporation is where most pool heat is lost, especially overnight. A thermal blanket cuts that loss substantially, which means the heat pump runs fewer hours and your power bill drops. It is the cheapest improvement you can make to a heated pool.

Sizing depends on pool volume, exposure to wind and shade, target temperature and whether you use a cover. A sheltered, covered pool needs considerably less capacity than an exposed one on a windy site. We assess this on site rather than working from volume alone, because getting it wrong is expensive in both directions.

Many of our customers do. A correctly sized heat pump paired with a cover makes year round swimming practical in Auckland, though winter running costs are higher because the unit works harder against colder air. If year round use is the goal, tell us at sizing stage because it changes the capacity we recommend.