Product Review: Hayward 1 HP Swimming Pool Pump

Our Jacuzzi swimming pool pump went out at the beginning of the 2009 season, when the impeller shaft fitting cracked. As Jacuzzi parts are no longer available (after rather exhaustive searches both locally and web-wide) I decided to go with a Hayward pump/motor assembly based upon a recommendation from a large, well established pool supply company. I purchased the Hayward Self-Priming Super Pump, with a one (1) HP motor.

This unit comes fully assembled in a shipping box that is easy to handle, and is designed for easy removal of the unit. The inlet and outlet ports are both female, sized for standard 1 - inch PVC pipe fittings. The motor is an A.O. Smith, with the capacitor located at the end of the motor, within the motor's end cover, thus the profile of the motor is clean. The end cover is very easy to remove with two screws/hex head fasteners. The ground wire connection is mounted on the motor housing near to the motor/pump joint, which allowed me to utilize the same ground wire installed for the previous motor.

The installation of the system was relatively easy, as the overall dimensions of the unit very closely matched my previous set-up. Fortunately, the addition of one precast concrete paver provided the exact height that I needed to bring the unit to the proper elevation for the inlet fitting, and the outlet fitting location was positioned correctly for the easy connection to the filter side pipe.

I like many of the features of this unit. It is a very quiet running unit, which is important as the unit is installed outside a bedroom window. The strainer basket is very easy to see, with a large window with great visibility. In addition, access to the strainer basket is a simple matter of the release of two hand turned knobs, which drop to the side allowing the removal of the clear plastic lid. This is a much easier to use design than the spin off locking rings that the Jacuzzi and other brands utilize. It is simple to remove the motor assembly (four fasteners) and the inner pump parts may be serviced without disconnecting the pipe fittings. This is a great design concept.

The motor comes from the factory wired for 230 volts. Be Careful! If you do not know the voltage that your system is wired for (230V vs. 115V), make sure you have a licensed electrician do the wiring for you. The one thing I did not like was the difficulty in wiring the motor. The connections were difficult to wire (space constraints) and I had an electrician wire my motor. The paperwork with the unit states to use a licensed electrician, or the warranty is voided. Overall I am very pleased with this unit, and have done research on the Hayward Company. They have been in business for many years, and both suppliers and company representatives assured me that they will be around for years to come. I would recommend a Hayward system both for replacement or new installation.

Sources:

Personal experience
http://www.haywardnet.com/inground/products/