Hayward XStream w/ Serious Vibration

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B

BurtonRW

Member
May 25, 2020
6
Annapolis, MD
Good morning, all.

I see all over the interwebz (including TFP) that this has come up before, but it's been a couple of years and rather than creating a necro-thread, I figured I'd start a new one.

I just bought & installed a new Hayward XStream system (W3CC15093S) to replace the old EC40 on my MIL's 18' round above-ground. I was (and am) looking forward to the easier operation and maintenance. The water was green on opening, so I let it run for a day (smooth and silent) before going back to clean off the filter figuring that it would be fairly dirty. The pressure had only risen about 3-4 psi, but it was a nice, dark green, as expected, so I hosed it off (using one of those hose-ends designed for getting in the pleats) and got it pretty darn clean. Reassembled and started it up. It was quiet for about 10 minutes before developing a high-pitched buzz. Took me about 2 minutes to figure I hadn't completely purged the air out before starting it up again. Opened the valve and let it out. Vibration gone. Thought it was all good.

About 10 hours later, MIL calls me to say that she had just gotten home and the filter was making a ridiculously loud sound and shaking. Not vibrating - but actually shaking. So she turned it off. I had her turn it on again while I listened and sure enough - crazy loud. Went over first thing this morning, opened it up, cleaned off the filter, reassembled, made sure the filter was FIRMLY seated in the base, and had it running smoothly again. The filter wasn't as dirty as the first time, the water was starting to clear, and the pressure hadn't risen since I left it the day before, si I thought it would be good now. Must have been that the filter was a little loose.

No joy. It's been about 2 hours and she texted me to tell me it got really loud and shaky again, so she shut it down. I've emailed Hayward, but I don't expect a quick response (or necessarily a useful one), so I thought I'd ask here.

Any and all suggestions are appreciated.

Thanks.

-Rob
 
Thanks, Tex. Been here a for some time - mostly lurking & learning. Think I might have posted some years ago when the old EC40 was having trouble.

Using the shiny new 1.5hp PowerFlo Matrix that came with the kit (since Hayward won't sell the filter separately).

I'll take some pics, but until then, it's sitting level on a concrete pad, below the waterline, one hose running from the skimmer to the pump and another running from the filter to the return. The standard Hayward setup (including the base, union connection between pump and filter, etc.) isn't new to me.

Thanks.

-Rob
 
IMG_1822.jpegUpdate: MIL went out around noon and opened the bleed valve while it was running like I asked her to. Said it quieted down after that. So… maybe air trapped in the freshly rinsed filter after reinstall shook loose and made a pocket at the top?

But… now it’s loud again. No captured air this time. Not shaking… yet. Just vibrating a little.

I’m certain that if I go over after work, tear it down, clean the filter, and reseat everything, it will be smooth and silent for the first couple of hours.

-Rob
 
Interesting discussion here.

Hayward XStream cartridge filter SERIOUSLY vibrating

Let me start off by saying hello, and it looks like you folks have a nice place here. I recently married into a very neglected pool. It had lived for a few years on nothing but pucks and super shock'n'swim. Last off season it was really let go. The filter had been on a timer. There was a nice...
www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com
 
That's the very thread I thought about resurrecting from the dead. But his problem seemed to be related to an ill-fitting cartridge. That could certainly happen with an OEM part, but less likely. I was thinking about going the sock/tape route to tighten things up if there were no better ideas.

-Rob
 
And another .....

Filter Vibration noise is driving me crazy

I am using a hayward cartridge filter, thought I would try one when my sand filter gave up the ghost. (I like sand MUCH better) The problem - (this also happened last year when the cartridge was new and the pool was sparkling clean) My filter makes this really, really loud vibration noise. I...
www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com
 
Well... sort of. The issue is almost certainly the fit of the filter. We ordered a new OEM filter (no aftermarket for troubleshooting purposes) and I swapped it out as soon as it arrived.

Funny thing - the filter that came with the unit seated snugly on the bottom of the housing and I had no trouble letting it stand on its own while I seated the top of the housing and tightened it down. The new filter, however, does NOT fit well at all on the bottom of the housing. It's slightly too small to slip over the cylindrical holder bit (a technical term, I believe) on the bottom of the housing (and yes, I tried it "upside down" as well). It fit in the top of the housing just fine, but not snug enough that it would hold up its own weight. As a result, I had to seat the top of the housing onto the base while simultaneously holding the filter in place. Never could have done it if I didn't have a second pair of hands to help, but once everything was in place, it tightened down without difficulty.

The new filter has been running 24/7 at a constant 10-11psi, virtually silently - as it should. Return pressure is excellent. I haven't opened it back up yet to see what condition the filter is in (did forcing it onto the base do any damage to the plastic substructure of either the filter or the housing?), but I don't plan to until the pressure increases by 5 psi or so.

My other observation is that the original filter, once it got dirty cleaning up the off-season algae (but even after a thorough cleaning with a hose attachment designed for getting in the pleats), was running 18-20psi. This one has been installed now for twice as long and hasn't moved from 10-11psi.

In the interim, I did get a response from Hayward (cut & pasted below) and they did send me another new filter, gratis, to replace the one that came with the unit (which I haven't even unwrapped yet). It's interesting (if not somewhat bothersome) that this is a known problem they haven't been able to figure out. From Hayward's Technical Service Rep.:

Although a definitive or official cause hasn't been provided, I have encountered this before and I've also run across customers using this filter that have never experience this problem. Those not experiencing this issue were often using two cartridge elements. One was in use and the other, having been thoroughly cleaned, was left to air-dry and wait its turn. When swapped out, the employed cartridge was then thoroughly cleaned, was left to air-dry and wait its turn.

In the past and dealing with other cartridge filter tank, this method of rotation has usually helped each cartridge element to last longer and not present the vibration noise. It's not a very precise explanation, but I'm under the impression that, post cleaning, the air-dry and wait allows the element to return to its original shape and fullness. This means that it would seal better on both the top and bottom inside the tank where the water is trying to bypass the fabric, and escape at the end-caps, thus causing the flutter and vibration.

-Rob
 
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I'm not sure where the sock comes in either, but I was planning on taking electrical tape to the outside of the cylindrical holder bits on the housing to try to tighten things up between housing and filter, which I will try if/when the vibration comes back on mine.

Good luck! I'll be curious to hear how it goes, and if you could maybe post a pic or two - especially if you figure out the sock part?

-Rob
 
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