Hayward Ecostar “pump stall”

[WhitB08]

I hope everyone had a nice Memorial Day! Just as my family was heading out to the pool yesterday afternoon the pump turned off. I went to the system to see what was going on, because nothing like that has ever happened before. I see the message “pump stall”. Of course, straight to the forum I go, and I found a great thread with Troubleshooting steps. We flipped the breaker and restarted the unit, checked for any impeller blockage, check the ground wire, etc.. Nothing fixed the issue. This pump is almost 9 years old. There is a chance that it could be almost 13 years old, because the week before we bought this house it actually went out and I don’t know if they replaced the entire thing or just the control drive. Anyway, I have several pool service companies in my area that open shortly and I’m going to begin making calls. I’m just looking for some suggestions. After lots of reading yesterday, I see that the ecostar is notorious for these early failures and we are probably lucky we’ve made it this far. With that said, would you suggest that I get a quote for an entire new TriStar Pump? I do have the Hayward aqua plus automation unit and want to make sure everything is compatible. Is it worth it to pay for a service call to see if anything else is going on that’s easily fixed or should I just move forward with planning to replace the pump? Any advice is appreciated!
Current pump: Hayward Ecostar VSP SP3400

 

[setsailsoon]

Whit,

Sorry to hear about your pump. Yep there are lots of reports about Ecostar failures and sounds like you're well out of warranty. If you're using a repair service make sure they configure your new pump with the automation and that's in their scope of work that's priced. If you want best compatibility a Tri-star is probably your best bet. Can you please post a few pictures showing the total equipment pad and a close up of the pump and motor info plates?

Thank you.

Chris

 

[ajw22]

It is not worth throwing money into the old pump. Start fresh with a TriStar Vs pump.

Hayward EcoStar Pumps - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

Hayward TriStar VS Pumps - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[WhitB08]

Whit,

Sorry to hear about your pump. Yep there are lots of reports about Ecostar failures and sounds like you're well out of warranty. If you're using a repair service make sure they configure your new pump with the automation and that's in their scope of work that's priced. If you want best compatibility a Tri-star is probably your best bet. Can you please post a few pictures showing the total equipment pad and a close up of the pump and motor info plates?

Thank you.

Chris

Sure. If you’re looking for anything specific not included in the pictures, just let me know. Also, I should’ve asked about self install. My father-in-law could possibly help us and he’s extremely handy. I need to quickly search around for some tutorials. I also really don’t know what my chlorine demand is because we use a salt cell. I guess I plan to move the water around on my own as much as possible and dose with 10% sodium hypochlorite. Our highs are supposed to hover around 80 to 82° this week with sun on the pool from about 9 AM to 4 PM. Any suggestions on how much to add?

 

[mknauss]

Add 5 ppm FC worth of liquid chlorine each day until your pump is back operating.

Only issue with a DIY install of a Hayward pump will be the loss of the warranty.

 

[WhitB08]

Add 5 ppm FC worth of liquid chlorine each day until your pump is back operating.

Only issue with a DIY install of a Hayward pump will be the loss of the warranty.

Thanks for that. Loss of warranty is a serious concern.

 

[mknauss]

Thanks for that. Loss of warranty is a serious concern.

Sort of. You will get a short 60 day warranty. Most failures are infant mortality. After that, you are much more secure in survival. Depends on the cost difference.

Hayward TriStar VS Variable Speed Pump 2.7 THP

 

[setsailsoon]

Thanks for that. Loss of warranty is a serious concern.

Yep, that's a problem for DIY install of major brands. On the other hand you know there's a high probability the work is done right. If you were to change to a more friendly DIY brand on the pump it's likely you'll have to redo at least some of the plumbing and you'll need to be sure whoever does the work is familiar with 240 vac power, safety, and code requirements.

Chris

 

[WhitB08]

Well, I called 5 service places in my area first thing Tuesday and all but 1 who is several weeks out from any availability) were supposed to work up a quote and get back to me. By yesterday afternoon, I started contacting all those places back and I’ve only gotten a quote for one who can get to it around June 19 and they want $2200 for the 2.7 hp Hayward Tri-Star vsp and roughly $400 for the labor. I’m still crossing my fingers that somebody else can get to me quicker. The pool is still hanging on, but we’re supposed to have an extended period of rain beginning Saturday.

 

[ajw22]

$2200 is not a bad price for the Tristar VS 2.7

Hayward TriStar VS Variable Speed Pump 2.7 THP

 

[setsailsoon]

Well, I called 5 service places in my area first thing Tuesday and all but 1 who is several weeks out from any availability) were supposed to work up a quote and get back to me. By yesterday afternoon, I started contacting all those places back and I’ve only gotten a quote for one who can get to it around June 19 and they want $2200 for the 2.7 hp Hayward Tri-Star vsp and roughly $400 for the labor. I’m still crossing my fingers that somebody else can get to me quicker. The pool is still hanging on, but we’re supposed to have an extended period of rain beginning Saturday.

Quality service/repair is harder than ever to find in most areas. I agree with Allen, this one has a pretty good price. Be sure to confirm he's an authorized installer and fill out your warranty card if needed.

Good luck!

Chris

 

[WhitB08]

I did some additional searching yesterday and found another company that I contacted. The owner actually got back to me last night and is set to come Saturday and install the new pump for $2400 plus tax. He has great reviews online and I checked Hayward‘s website this morning and he is listed as an authorized dealer. Fingers crossed all goes well!