Hayward Motor and Pump replacement

[hillyjd]

My 9 year old Hayward Super Flow II 1.5HP in-floor cleaning pump is starting to make serious grinding noises, especially on start up and shut down, so I've ordered an identical replacement. Still puts out good pressure, but I figure not for long. I ordered the whole pump and motor, not just the motor, because as you can see from the picture (it's the middle pump), the housing has a great deal of calcium build up. About the same time, my Jandy Aquapure 1400 salt chlorinator has given up the ghost as well, so I'm going to replace that as well at the same time.

1. I'm pretty handy, but it looks to me like replacing the plumbing for the intake and out flow looks very challenging. Any suggestions?

2. A good friend of mine had the almost identical pool built by the same builder (the late unlamented Tucson [attachment=0:1mm8sp8m]pool_equipment.jpg[/attachment:1mm8sp8m]Blue Haven). His was a complete mess from the start, and this year he decided to bite the bullet and replace all his plumbing as well as his liner, deck and just about everything else (cost ~$25K). His contractor told him it's ridiculous to use a cartridge filter in a 16K gal pool and insisted he go to a large sand filter. Should I do that as well (we have the same sized pool)? I'd have to add some level ground to the equipment area to fit the sand filter, but it would make the pump replacement a lot easier.

 

[jblizzle]

You can use whatever type of filter you want ... if it is sized correctly. Add the model numbers for your equipment in your signature ... that filter does look too small.
What are all the pumps for? If the one you are planning to replace is just for circulation and filtration, you should have gone much smaller and to a 2-speed to save yourself some money on electricity.

Given you likely have the pool "open" year round, like I do, here are the minimum sizes we would generally recommend for a 16k pool:
240 sqft cartridge ; 3 sqft sand (24"+) ; 44 sqft DE

You will likely have to change the plumbing to replace the pump, that is the downside to those pumps that require a screw-in fitting and not a union connect. While you are at it, you should add unions on both sides of the pump.

 

[hillyjd]

Jason - Thanks for the response. Besides the circulation pump, I have separate pumps for the solar panels (2HP) and rock waterfall feature (0.5 HP). The filter cartridge is 190 sq ft. so I should consider replacing it based on your recommendation (the pool and/or spa is in use most of the year). That should make the re-plumbing more routine.

 

[jblizzle]

How tall is your roof for the solar?

So failed pump is for circulation and spa jets? If so, then likely you should not go smaller, but could go with a 2-speed and only use high when you need it for the jets.

I am surprised you need such a giant pump for the solar. My little 1HP runs my large solar setup just fine ... is there a separate drain and return for the solar?

I would personally be tempted to replace all three pumps with a single 2-speed or maybe variable speed, but not knowing all the details of the plumbing might be harder than I think.

 

[hillyjd]

I'm guessing 16 ft of rise to the roof plus about 125 ft of horizontal run from the pool to the house. There is a separate drain and return for the solar. Blue Haven refused to integrate the solar into their plumbing during construction. I'll double check the HP of the solar pump tonight when I get home - I was doing that from memory and mine's not all that great. I did a quick check on line and the Hayward sand filter size you recommended got rave reviews, so I'm really tempted. Less than $300 on line. If I go that route, do I get a top mount or a side mount filter based on the set up I have now?

 

[jblizzle]

You do realize that with a sand or DE filter you have to backwash, which means pumping water out of the pool. Do you have a place to pump the water too? I know most HOAs do not want you pumping the DE into the street or into a common area ... maybe there is not as much problem with a sand filter.
We get a lot of dust, so also realize that sand filters do not filter quite as well as cartridge or DE ... just something else to keep in mind.

Ugh, I can only imagine how fast your meter is spinning when all 3 pumps are on ... I can understand the waterfall one so that you can have the waterfall and the spa on at the same time, (At previous house I opted to not have the separate pump), but not sure about that solar pump. Likely with some plumbing you could combine things if you wanted.

Side vs. Top mount really does not matter much. Accessing the sand is easier with the side mount though.

 

[hillyjd]

Jason - what you can't see from my picture is what's immediately behind me - a massive dry wash about 25 feet deep and 200 feet across that goes for miles - perfect for back wash.

I had heard sand is not quite as good as cartridge; my friend who revamped his pool is very happy with his sand filter, and he switched from cartridge. Personally, not having to clean those cartridges is worth a lot to me.

And yes - all three pumps running can be painful. The good news is that once the heat hits, I almost never need the solar.

One last question - all the sand filters I see have 1 1/2" plumbing. All of mine are 2" I think. Any problem? Thanks again for all your help.

 

[jblizzle]

Just wanted to be sure you knew about the backwashing ... (I may or may not have backwashed a DE filter into a desert common area within an HOA under the cover of darkness :batman: )

Some of the sand filters have the option of 2" multi-ports I thought, maybe not the smaller 24". Does not make much difference either way. Just use 2" plumbing everywhere and reduce to 1.5" at the valve if required.

BTW, you can not really go too big on the sand filter ... if there was a good deal on a 27", that would delay the frequency of backwashing even further.

 

[hillyjd]

Outstanding - thank you.

 

[hillyjd]

Update - I finally had a free weekend to put in the new pump / motor and filter. Picture attached. Like most things, took a lot longer than I expected, but got everything going except for one nagging problem. I can't stop the pump output connector from leaking, actually more like a slight weep. When I first connected it, I used one wrap of Teflon tape. When it leaked, I tightened it as much as I could, but only slowed it. The pool guy at Leslie's said not to use tape, so I took his advice and removed the tape, still a slight leak. Tonight I tried a double wrap of tape, better, but still a slight weep where the male fitting goes into the pump housing. Should I try to replace the connector or try more wraps of tape?

 

[jblizzle]

Seems to work better to use a non hardening pipe dope on pipes larger than 1".