Dead Pump - Hayward ECOSTAR 3400VSP :(

[ellsian]

We've had this pump for less than 5 1/2 years with very little pool use, and it's giving driver/stall errors now. My technician says it's a common problem with this line of ECOSTAR and says we should just pay $2k for a new Pentair and forgo Hayward products all together. I contacted Hayward twice now and they refused both times to help me out on this, it's very frustrating. I don't think it's right that we should be expected to replace a 2k pump after 5 years. So I'm regretting choosing Hayward as our pool equipment, as this is the 3rd equipment failure I've had since the pool opened, all Hayward (pool light, pool filter, and now the very expensive pump!).

And yes, I tried the method mentioned on here of turning off the power and turning it back on, the driver is just gone. Any suggestions or just commiserating with me in misery is welcomed

 

[BMerrill]

The ECOSTAR pump has a 1 year warranty, since its 4.5 years outside the warranty period, no wonder Hayward is not helping.
Hayward and Pentair are the top pool pump manufacturers.
Unfortunately, the achilles heel of Hayward line of pumps was the ECOSTAR.
If you are using a Hayward Controller, then consider the Hayward Tristar VSP is an exceptional pump and if dealer installed has a 4 year warranty.
If you search the forum, you'll find people have issues with the Pentair pumps as well.
Your pool tech is recommending what he sells and is most comfortable supporting.
At some point in time all pool equipment, regardless of the manufacture will have to be replaced.

 

[NorCal Chillin]

I ran into the dreaded "Drive Error" but my pump had been running for at least 6 years, so I guess were lucky that way. Of course this happened right when I was selling my house, so I was just needing a quick fix. Since the motor turned freely without any noises, I bought the drive controller off Amazon costing $650, and found some very good you tube videos on replacing the drive unit. This fixed the problem and the pump runs fine now with the new controller.

I was able to change it out without even moving the pump. Most people say that you need to disconnect the pump and turn it over, but I've been working on cars my whole life, so screwing and unscrewing bolts I can't see or hardly reach is kinda normal for me. One very important point I will mention that I havent seen anywhere else is that the bolts on the original drive were self-tapping and the bolts that came with teh replacement are just standard. When I trierd to use the "new" replacement bolts, it was almost impossible to seat the bolts on the pump. I believe that the bolts are longer than the pre-tapped portion of the drive unit. So, USE SELF-TAPPING BOLTS with the new drive unit and save yourself some serious frustration.