Good choices. Only thing I would change is the Whisperflo. Take a look at their new Intelliflo VS-3050, 4 x 160, 3 HP pump. It adjusts itself within its 4 speed capability and saves you an enormous amount on your electric bill. Huge difference! Heat pumps cost about 3x the cost of a natural gas heater, but that may be the norm in your part of the country.

the only thing i would change is the heat pump
i would go with AQUACAL SQ120 110000 BTU or the JANDY AE2500 118000 BTU

REASONS?

PENTAIR has very low COP
higher COP is better(lower electric bill)

Thank you for the responses. I am all electric and very efficient in my home and would like to stay that way.

Whisperflo vs. Intelliflo - I will consider that. The Intelliflo is about twice the initial price as the Whisperflo. Is the utility pay off signifigant enough to be worth the extra initial cost.

Heat Pump - The Thermalflo is rated at 4.4, the Aquacal SQ120 is 5.8, the Jandy AE2500 is 5.4. If we just consider COP, what about the Heat Siphon DX5.0 with a COP of 7.2? And do I need to be concerned all about mixing these other manufactures with my EasyTouch control?

My PB did express a concern about being able to heat the Spa with a heat pump. I realize the lower BTU's will be slower, but is it really a negative factor?

the heat siphon is a very good choice to
the heat pump will heat your spa up to 104 degrees but it will heat very slowly(inicialy)and it will keep it there but it will pretty much run all the time
if u want spa heat on demand u can install a small gas heater for the spa only
if i was going to install a new pump i would go with the Intelliflo .as soon as my pool needs a new pump that what i;ll get.also when it comes to heat pumps bigger is better.
if u need the name of some good online retailers to purchase your heat pump let me know

good luck

Pentair now has the ultra temp heat pump which has a scroll compresser and a COP more in line with others. What the others don't have are the R-410a refrigerant.

That's the first I've heard of the Pentair UltraTemp, but I do see them on Pentair's website. 125,000 BTU at 5.5 COP. Looks like price is about $1k more than the Thermalflo. Anyone have experience with the UltraTemp?

We installed 9 of them on 1 project. No problems to report.

the aquacal SQ155 uses R-410A

Thanks you. Is there anyway to get a list of heat pumps that have the R-410A?

"My PB did express a concern about being able to heat the Spa with a heat pump. I realize the lower BTU's will be slower, but is it really a negative factor?"

You do understand what "slower" is really going to mean, right? I understand you don't have gas available, but did you ever consider a stand alone hot tub?

Actually we have been going back and forth on the attached spa or a stand alone fiberglass hot tub. We really prefer the look on the built in, but we have thought about trying to "sink" a stand alone hot tub into the concrete deck to make it appear to be more built in.

Any comments on this approach?

And btw, adgpoolman,

No, I really don't understand what "slower" is really going to mean. Are we talking hours?

What is the heat source of a stand alone hot tub? I'm assuming electric heat strips of some kind that probably aren't very efficient either, but I do see the big their advantage of being insulated and retaining their water opposed to a recycling cold pool water.

Stand alone spas use element similar to a standard electric hot water heater.

They are very well insulated and typically have the equipment located directly underneath the spa, so there is very little heat loss in the piping system.

Has anyone created a sunkin stand alone spa or have pictures of a stand alone spa that is sunkin or built into a pool deck? The only picture I have been able to find have been where they've basically built a wooden deck around a stand alone figerglass spa, but I'd like to know if it would be possible with a concrete type pool deck.

I don't have any pictures but I have worked on many of them.

You have 2 options to get a shell with remote equipment, and drop it in.

Or, build a big box, drop in a portable spa, and then fill in the gaps around it. (typically done w/ wood decking, or grating.).