The chemicals used to treat swimming pool water (i.e. chlorine and hydrochloric acid) can be extremely corrosive. The heat exchangers on all Aquatemp® swimming pool heat pumps are manufactured from pure titanium tubing which will not be corroded by swimming pool water. Most other heaters use copper or cupro-nickel heat exchangers, both which will rapidly corrode in pool water.
In the case of heat pumps (a sealed refrigeration system) if water enters the water heat exchanger (usually due to corrosion), the entire heat pump is ruined. Once a leak has allowed all of the freon to bleed out (even if the heat pump is not running), the pool pump will produce enough pressure to force enough water into the heat exchanger and eventually into the compressor. Once water enters the system the copper tubing in the evaporator and the internal parts of the compressor will begin to corrode.
Only heat exchangers made from commercially pure titanium tubing are virtually immune to all chemical corrosion.
