Built Right Pool Heaters
Built Right Pool Heaters manufactures electric pool heat pumps in Punta Gorda, Florida, about an hour south of Sarasota. The current XW Series is short and focused: BR115XW, BR135XW and a heat-and-cool BR135XW H/C, from 117,000 to 135,000 BTU/hr, all with titanium heat exchangers in corrosion-free polymer cabinets. The warranty is the headline — five years of parts and on-site labor — and the company says most Florida service work is handled by its own factory technicians.
Built Right is a regional manufacturer in the most literal sense: the heat pumps are made at 28110 Challenger Blvd in Punta Gorda, they are sold through licensed contractors in Florida, and the company says most warranty service in this state is performed by its own factory technicians with a 24-48 hour response target. For a Charlotte, Sarasota or Manatee County pool, that is a materially different ownership proposition than a national brand whose nearest depot is in another time zone.
The product line is deliberately narrow. The XW Series covers BR115XW at 117,000 BTU/hr with a published COP of 6.5 at the 80/80/80 test point, BR135XW at 135,000 BTU/hr and 6.0 COP, and BR135XW H/C — the heat and cool version — at 130,000 BTU/hr and 5.8 COP. The older owner's manuals Built Right still hosts show where the line came from: BR80, BR105, BR115 and BR135 units in XW and S7 variants, which is useful history if you are being asked to repair or replace an existing unit rather than buy a new one.
Construction is aimed squarely at this climate. The heat exchanger is titanium, the housing is a corrosion-free, UV-resistant polymer, and the manual's maintenance section tells owners near the ocean or the Gulf to rinse salt and sand off the evaporator coil — advice written by people who have seen what barrier-island air does to equipment. The install requirements are equally practical: four feet of clearance above the unit, six inches on all sides, 24 inches of access to the control panel, 2 inch PVC unions, a recommended 45 gpm through the heater, and a plumbing order that puts any chlorination device last before the pool.
The warranty is why this brand appears in a national comparison at all. Built Right's current warranty page covers parts and on-site labor for the same five years. The conditions are real, and they sit in two different documents: the current warranty page requires a licensed and qualified contractor and maintained chemistry and excludes bonding failures, while the warranty sheet bound into the 2017-2018 owner's manual adds registration within thirty days, prior authorization for every claim and a Factory Authorized Service Agent. The coverage story outside Florida deserves a direct question, because Built Right's own documents are not consistent on whether the warranty follows the unit beyond the state.
At a glance
- Headquarters
- Punta Gorda, Florida (Built Right Pool Heaters, LLC, 28110 Challenger Blvd)
- Model pages here
- 1
- Lines
- XW Series (heat only), XW Series H/C (heat and cool)
What Built Right builds
XW Series (heat only)
Electric heat pumpBR115XW — 117,000 BTU/hr and 6.5 COP at 80/80/80, 70,000 BTU/hr at the 50°F air test point — and BR135XW — 135,000 BTU/hr and 6.0 COP, 82,000 BTU/hr at 50°F air. Titanium heat exchanger, polymer cabinet, AHRI certified (Standard 1160) and ETL (Intertek) listed.
XW Series H/C (heat and cool)
Electric heat pumpBR135XW H/C — 130,000 BTU/hr and 5.8 COP at 80/80/80 — adds a reversing valve so the same unit can chill the pool. Same warranty, same construction, and the model to specify up front if cooling matters.
Built Right models we have researched
Every figure below is verified against the manufacturer's own documents, with the sources listed on each model page.
Built Right · XW Series
Built Right XW Series Pool Heat Pumps
Model BR135XW
- Heating capacity
- 135,000 BTU/hr
- Efficiency (COP)
- COP 6.0
- Heat exchanger
- Titanium
- Warranty
- 5-Year Parts & Labor
- Wi-Fi / automation
- Automation Compatible (Relay)
A Sarasota, Charlotte or Manatee County pool owner who wants five years of parts and on-site labor on one warranty term from a factory an hour down the road, and does not need app control.
What we like
- Five years of parts and on-site labor on a single term: one of the strongest straightforward parts-and-labor warranty programs in the category.
- Manufactured and serviced in Punta Gorda, roughly an hour from Sarasota, with factory technicians handling most Florida warranty work and a stated 24-48 hour response target.
- Titanium heat exchanger and a corrosion-free, UV-resistant polymer housing: the correct construction for salt pools, salt air and screened enclosures that hold humidity.
- Published efficiency is competitive for fixed-speed equipment — 6.5 COP on the BR115XW and 6.0 on the BR135XW at the 80/80/80 test point — and the line is AHRI certified and ETL listed.
- Heat and cool is available inside the same short line, so an owner who wants to chill an unscreened pool does not have to change brands.
- The documentation is practical and public: Built Right still hosts owner's manuals back to pre-2012 units, which is genuinely useful when deciding whether to repair an older heat pump or replace it.
What to know before buying
- Coverage outside Florida needs a direct answer, and the document you are handed matters. Built Right's published warranty page is issued in Fluidra's name — it opens "Zodiac Pool Systems LLC, a Fluidra company, warrants all Built Right branded heat pump pool heaters" — and its exclusion list, the 50-United-States sentence and the commercial-application definition are the same template language Jandy's limited warranty uses, which is itself a reason to get the governing document in writing. The warranty sheet bound into the 2017-2018 owner's manual instead applies to models installed within the State of Florida. Ask which document governs the unit you are quoted.
- You cannot buy one directly: Built Right sells to licensed contractors only, with no direct sales to the public or to property managers, so the brand reaches you through your installer's preference.
- Warranty conditions are specific, and they come from two places. The current warranty page requires a licensed and qualified contractor and maintained water chemistry, excludes damage from improper bonding, and gives commercial installations one year rather than five. The manual's Florida warranty sheet adds a registration form within thirty days of purchase, prior claim authorization and repairs by a Factory Authorized Service Agent, and the manual states plainly that the warranty is void if the system is not properly bonded.
- There is no app, no Wi-Fi and no published automation integration. An external controller connects through two remote wires for pool/spa remote or remote thermostat operation, which is fine for switching but will not put the heater on your phone.
- Published specifications are thin compared with the national brands: the website gives capacity and COP, and the manual tells the installer to take breaker sizing from the unit's data label rather than from a spec table.
Built Right questions
Where are Built Right heat pumps made?
In Punta Gorda, Florida. The company's own language is that Built Right pool heat pumps are manufactured locally in Punta Gorda, and that most service work in the state of Florida is provided by factory technicians.
What does the five-year warranty actually cover?
Five years from the date of retail purchase, covering parts and on-site labor, for the first retail purchaser only. The conditions are split between two documents. The current warranty page: a licensed and qualified contractor, maintained chemistry, bonding failures excluded, refrigerant and other expendables excluded, freezing and corrosion related to weather, climate, equipment placement, roof run-off or sprinklers excluded, negligence excluded, and one year on commercial installations. The warranty sheet bound into the 2017-2018 owner's manual: a warranty form submitted within thirty days, prior authorization for every claim, and repairs performed by a Factory Authorized Service Agent.
Which XW model should I be quoted?
There are three: BR115XW at 117,000 BTU/hr, BR135XW at 135,000, and BR135XW H/C at 130,000 with cooling. The size decision should come from the pool's surface area, exposure and the temperature you want in January — output on the BR135XW falls to 82,000 BTU/hr when the air is 50°F, and that is the condition that sets the size.
Can I buy a Built Right heat pump directly?
No. Built Right states that its heat pumps are sold directly to licensed contractors only, with no direct sales to the public or to property managers, so you buy it through the contractor who installs it.
Do you install Built Right heat pumps in Sarasota?
We install and service pool heaters throughout Sarasota, Manatee, Charlotte & Pinellas County, Florida. We are not claiming dealer status for Built Right or any other manufacturer, but we will give you an honest comparison against the national brands and a straight answer about whether it fits your pool.
Built Right on the Gulf Coast
Modern Pool Heating installs and services pool heaters across Sarasota, Manatee, Charlotte & Pinellas County, Florida, and Built Right's factory in Punta Gorda sits inside that same service area — which is the practical reason the brand comes up in local quotes. We are not claiming authorized-dealer status for any manufacturer on this site; we are happy to tell you honestly whether a Built Right fits your pool, and to compare it against the national brands on warranty, exchanger material and service access. The comparison content on this page is written for pool owners anywhere; the installation offer is local.
Thinking about Built Right? Ask us first.
We install and service pool heating in Sarasota, Manatee, Charlotte & Pinellas County, Florida. If you are outside that area, the comparison above is still yours to use — ask your local contractor the same questions.
Licensed & insured · Florida Certified Pool/Spa Contractor #CPC1460367 · Mon-Sat, 8am-6pm
Last verified September 17, 2026
Specifications and warranty terms are taken from the manufacturer documents below. Manufacturers revise these without notice, so confirm the current terms before you buy. If you spot something out of date, email us and we will fix it.
Sources
- Built Right Pool Heaters — XW Pool Heaters page (BTU and COP by test condition, titanium exchanger, AHRI)
- Built Right Pool Heaters — warranty page (5 years parts and on-site labor, conditions and exclusions)
- Built Right Pool Heaters — about page (Punta Gorda manufacturing, factory service, contractor-only sales)
- Built Right Pool Heaters — owner's manual for models produced after October 1, 2017 (clearances, flow, plumbing order, bonding, defrost, Florida warranty sheet)
- Built Right Pool Heaters — downloadable resources (owner's manuals by production period)
Ratings on this site are the editorial opinion of Affordable Solar & Pool Heating, LLC, trading as Modern Pool Heating. How we rate heaters. Corrections: modernpoolheating@icloud.com.
Other brands
Ready to warm up your pool?
Get a free, no-pressure quote for solar, heat pump, or gas pool heating. Fast, friendly, and local.
Mon-Sat, 8am-6pm · Licensed & insured · Florida Certified Pool/Spa Contractor CPC1460367