Hayward Super Pump Repair Guide
By Hayward is very well known in the swimming pool industry for the great quality swimming pool products they make. One of their most popular lines of swimming pool pumps is called the Hayward Super Pump. This pump is offered in both the Super Pump Standard and The Super Pump II. The Super pump is installed in millions of backyards all over the world and is well known for its long lasting life.
Even though the Hayward Super Pump is one of the top pumps in the industry, the daily use of this pump will eventually require troubleshooting and Hayward Super Pump repair. These repair are not that hard to do yourself if you are the hands on kind of repair person. If you are not comfortable working on with basic hand tools you could always bring the pump down to a local repair shop and have them diagnose and fix your pump. Things like the mechanical pump seal, pump bearings, pump gaskets and so on will have top be replaced along the way. Most of these things can be repaired in a few hours with replacement Hayward parts that are generally sold at your local swimming pool supply store.
Below you will find the most common things that will have to be repaired on the Hayward Super Pump swimming pool pump. Most of the repairs on this pump can be preformed with a 9/16″ inch socket or wrench, a Flathead screwdriver and a pair of channel lock pliers.
How To Change The Super Pump Seal
The Hayward Super pump uses a two part mechanical seal to protect the motor from the wet end of the pump. This seal can be replaced in a few small steps and will only take an hour or two if you have a set of wrenches and some other basic hand tools.
The first thing you will want to do is to disconnect the pump and drain it free of any water that may be in the volute. You can do this by removing the two drain plugs on the pump. One will be in the front of the pump and one will be on the side. Once the pump is drained out you will want to remove the four 9/6 bolts that connect the Hayward Pump housing to the motor bracket. Once you do this pump housing will separate from the motor end of the pump and you will now see the impeller. Grab hold of the impeller and turn it counter clockwise until it spins off of the pump motor shaft. You may have to hold the other end of the pump shaft with a pair of pliers. You can do this by removing the back motor cover. Now that the impeller is off of the motor shaft you will able to see both parts of the pump seal. Slide the pump seal spring off of the impeller and place it to the side. You will be replacing this with the new one in a few minutes. The second part of the Hayward mechanical pump seal is located in the pump seal housing. You will now need to take your finger and pull the ceramic seat from the seal housing. This ceramic seal seat will be wrapped with a black rubber washer, make sure you also remove that from the pump seal housing.
Now that you have both parts of the seal removed from the pump you can replace both parts of the seal with the replacement Hayward Super Pump seal. When re-inserting the ceramic seat you may want to put a small amount of silicon on the rubber casing to ensure that you will not have a leak. You can now screw the impeller back onto the pump shaft and re-attach the volute to the motor of the pump. Make sure you prime the Hayward Super Pump before you run it by filling the wet end of the pump with water before turning it on.
How To Prime The Hayward Super Pump:
The Hayward super pump is considered a self-priming swimming pool pump but this does not mean that the pump will actually prime itself if dry. When any type of swimming pool pump is dry you will have to fill the volute of the pump with water. This will allow the pump impeller to create a suction draw and start to pull the water from the swimming pool plumbing.
To prime the Hayward Super Pump you will just need a bucket of water or a garden hose. The first thing you will want to do is to remove the Super Pump Cover or also know as the pump basket cover. This lid will be made from clear plastic and will have two black handles knobs on each side. To remove the pump cover you will have to loosen each knob counter clockwise until the fold to the side. Once the knobs are loose you can remove the pump cover.
Now that the cover is off of the super pump volute also know as the wet end of the pump, you can take your bucket of water and pour it into the pump until the pump basket area is completely full of water. Now that the pump is full of water you can put the cover back onto the volute of the Hayward Super Pump. You swimming pool pump is now considered to be primed and you can now go ahead and turn on the pump. It may take a few minutes for the pump to fully be up to prime once it’s running.
How To Install The Hayward Super Pump
There are two fitting connections on the Hayward Super Pump housing. These inlets can be either 1.5″ inches or 2″ inches depending on the horsepower and size of your super pump. You will need to connect both side of the pump to your swimming pool system. On the front of the Hayward Super Pump is the suction side inlet. You will want to connect this side of the pump to the suction side of your swimming pool plumbing. The suction side of the swimming pool system is the side that has the main drain and skimmers hooked up to it. Some pools will not have a main drain, but every pool will have a skimmer or two. The suction side of the Hayward Super Pump will connect to the skimmer and the main drain.
On the top of the Hayward Super Pump is where you will find the discharge fitting connection. The discharge side of the super pump will get connected to the discharge side of your swimming pool system. The discharge side of the swimming pool system powers the swimming pool returns, pool vacuums and sometimes the pool slide or water fall if they are installed on the pool. Usually the discharge side of the Hayward Super Pump will get directly plumbed into the pump side of the multi-port directional valve and then the multi-port will connect to the discharge side of the pool plumbing. Once the both the suction side and the discharge side of the Hayward Pump are connected you can prime the pump and start it up making sure it reaches a full prime.
How To Drain The Hayward Super Pump
Draining the Super pump can be fast and easy to do. You will want to grab a 9/16″ box wrench or adjustable wrench and remove the two drain plugs that are on the bottom of the Hayward pump housing. You will find one drain plug on the from of the pump housing and one on the side. Once the water stops draining from the drain plugs holes your pump will now be drained.
How To Change The Hayward Pump Cover Gasket:
The pump cover gasket is easy and fast to change. This gasket often has to be replaced every few years because of all the opening and closing of the pump cover. The replacement of this gasket is part of the normal maintenance of the super pump. To install a new Hayward pump cover gasket you will need to remove the pump cover from the pump housing of the pump. You can do this by turning the two black hold down knobs counter clockwise until you can fold them to the side, so you can lift and remove the cover.
Once you have the cover off of the pump housing you can take a Flathead screwdriver and pry out the old pump cover gasket. Sometimes they melt or can be stuck, so you may have to do a bit of scraping if your gasket is really old. Most of the time the pump cover gasket will just pull right out. Once you have fully removed the old pump cover gasket you will want to insert the new gasket by firmly pressing the gasket into the groove on the pump housing. Once the gasket is set in place you can re-install the pump lid and re-start your pump, your cover gasket is now changed.
How To Change The Super Pump Motor Bearings:
If your super pump is “screaming” or making lots of noise chances are you will need to replace the motor shaft bearings that are inside of the motor. To do so you will have to remove the motor end from the pump housing. Once you have the motor removed from the pump housing you can remove the impeller and the pump seal housing. Now that the pump seal housing, the impeller and everything has been removed from the motor end you can start to take apart the motor.
You will need to remove the pump motor through bolts and then remove the front and the rear cover from the motor casing. Once the through bolts and the covers are removed you slide the motor armature shaft out from the casing. Once you removed the motor armature you will have to remove the old motor bearings and then press on new ones. Once your new bearings are pressed on to the motor armature shaft you can start to re-assemble the super pump in the reverse order that you took it apart. Take your time and put it back together the correct way. Do not forget to replace the water sling on the motor as well.
Super Pump Troubleshooting and Common Problems:
Problem: “My Hayward Super Pump Will Not Prime”
Solution: You will always want to make sure you have no air leaks in the suction side of the pump or the swimming pool plumbing. This can cause the pump not to prime. Make sure the unions and the pump cover are tight. Also make sure to fill the pump housing with water before starting the motor.
Problem: “I have air inside my pump cover and bubbles in my swimming pool.”
Solution: When you have air coming out of your swimming pool returns this means that your pump is sucking air from somewhere. Check your suction fitting and drain plugs to make sure they are tight and not leaking. You also will want to make sure you pump housing cover lid is good as well.
If You Have Any More Questions Or Problems Please Ask:
My 1.5 HP Hayward Superpump is running very hot. I’ve checked everything and can’t find the cause. I’ve even spoken to the Hayward rep and a rep from AO Smith and they can’t figure it out. The motor runs freely when disconnected from the pump and seems to run freely when connected to the pump. The amperage readings on the pump when it is running is well within range but the pump heats up so much that it is too hot to touch and it is causing my start capaciter to fail. Funny thing though the motor is not tripping on high temperate although the surface temperature exceeds 50 deg C. Any thoughts on this?
Hi Ken,
Having worked on more than 10,000 super pumps, I would like to venture a guess on the problem here. Your pump is probably more than a few years old would be my first guess. Built into the design of your pump motor are air cooling channels that air is supposed to go through to cool the motor off. The fan blades mounted toward the pump end of the armature is what sends the air to the rear of the motor for cooling purposes.
My guess is that these air holes are clogged up either from grass clippings, lint, dust, or insect deposits. Once clogged, the exterior of the motor will heat up enough to turn drops of water that contact it into steam.
To fix it, the ends of the motor must be removed. Then I would use the motor bolts which are about 10 inches long and 1/8 inch in diameter to clean out those channels. After I pass the long bolts through all the channels, I blow the inside of the motor out with compressed air. Also, clean the air vents on the exterior of the pump motor especially where the fan blades are.
Rick
I just installed a new 1.5 hp hayward pool pump. It started fine and once fully primed worked for about 2 minutes. It than began to run with a noticeable clicking noise and eventually stopped circulating water and then shut itself off. It was very hot at that point. What am I doing wrong?
Your pump came wired for 230 volts. Did you supply 115v or 230v? Low voltage would cause you pump to do what it did until it burns out.
Another possibilty is the centrifugal switch located at the end of the motor is damaged or loose. That would cause a clicking until whatever the switch is hitting is severed. (like one of the wires going to the starting capacitor.)
Rick
Can you please suggest me what to do?
My 2 years old Hayward super pump (Made in Canada) and motor went deep under the water due to flooding while running and ultimately stopped. I drained all the water from the pit and the motor is dried but not starting. Do you think the motor is gone? What shall I do to run it again?
Hello Swapan,
I just had a similar incident on one of our job sites. The running pump was flooded under about three feet of water. The circuit breaker tripped of I imagine when the water got into the motor.
I removed the pump from the water and let it dry out for about 8 hours. After that, I removed the impeller and plugged the pump into an non-gfi protected outlet similar to what you would have in a bedroom or living room, Don’t use a kitchen, bathroom, or outside circuit to do this. I ran the pump for about 10 minutes and the pump is fine now.
P.S: When you plug the pump in, have it resting on the ground and don’t touch the pump until it is thoroughly dried out.
Rick
We replaced our hayward pool pump. when we turn it on it runs for about 30 seconds and then shuts off. Any ideas?
Hi Connie,
Check the wiring connection on the motor. Sounds like you have it wired for 220v which is what the factory sends it out at and you probably supplied it with 110 volts.
Rick
I replaced the bearings and seals on my pump but is it still ‘screaming’ it is only a year old…any thoughts.
Hi Jack,
Two possibilities here. 1) when you replaced the bearings you the armature bearing spring may have dropped out from its location. It actually goes into the wiring end of the motor from the inside of the motor before you insert the armature.
2) The problem may be the steel washer placed on the impeller shaft just before the black rubber slinger washer. Sometimes the tolerance is too tight and it rubs against the shaft when the pump is running. It gets worse when the motor heats up because the shaft expands. You can easily remove the washer by removing the impeller first, the the rubber slinger washer and then insert a small philips screwdriver into the small opening on one side of the washer. Just simply pry out the washer and discard it, the pump will run fine without it and in many cases much quieter.
Rick
I purchased a New Hayward 1.5 hp Power Flo LX in 2009 then a new Hayward Sand Filter S144T in 2010 all has been working fine until I unplugged it last night, plugged it in the next morning and the pump motor only hums, there is no Capacitor on the back and the shaft turns freely, I haven’t seen any fix it video’s on Hayward but I have on others, maybe there is something clogging something but I will wait for your answer as we have been in the 90’s – 100 over a week.
Rick, you seem to be the resident expert on all things Hayward. I just installed a new 1.5 hp super pump and I keep tripping the breaker. Not immediately but after running for 8+ hours. I have 230v going to the motor and it’s wired on a double pull 20 amp breaker. The pump I replaced was just an older version of this one. Any thoughts as to why I keep popping the breaker?
Hi Ryan,
Your pump problem could be any one of a few things. #1, a faulty GFI breaker, 2) undersized wire for the distance the pump is installed away from the breaker,3) a loose connection where you connected the 3 wires to the pump, 4) if you just installed the motor, and not the whole pump, the pump seal could be leaking very slightly and when enough water gets into the motor, it may trip the breaker. On #3 above, if you used spade connectors on the cord ends, one may be a bit loose and when the motor heats up, the connector may expand and become loose to trip the breaker.
Rick
Just replaced old super pump with new one primed smooth until pressurestarted to build. Then started a cliking noise and never made it to workig pressure. Pulled back cover off and noticed green light flashing aswell. Please help
Hi Jason,
It sounds like you replaced the old SuperPump with a variable speed pump. The new pump must be wired for 230 Volts. Your old one could run on 115 or 230 volts. Make sure you have the correct voltage.
Rick
Where are the suction fitting and drain plug located so I can get to them. I’ve already replaced the seal and still have air in the return lines.
Hi Jan, If you have a SuperPump, there is one 9/16″ drain plug on the right side base of the pump and the other one is on the pump housing at the base of the pump (about 10 inches below the two knobs that you open the lid with) and in the center of the pump housing. The instructions assume the end of the pump with the basket in it is facing you and the motor is away from you.
Rick
It’s a pity you don’t have a donate button! I’d definitely donate
to this excellent blog! I guess for now i’ll settle for book-marking and adding your RSS
feed to my Google account. I look forward to new updates and will talk about this website with my Facebook group.
Chat soon!
I have a 4 year old Hayward pump that has worked fine until I opened the pool this year. All plumbing connections are attached and the pump has water in the pump basket. When I give it power, it just hums. Sounds like the impeller isn’t turning to me. Any suggestions?
same problem here. I wish someone had an answer! What did you end up doing?
Pump bearing frozen. Remove the motor from the pump, pull off the diffuser plate and rotate the impeller by hand or with a big plier if you have to. 90% of the time, you can free up the motor that way. Rotate the impeller many times until it turns freely.
Rick
I have same problem this spring. I can’t rotate impeller by hand. tried using a plier lightly with no luck. How much force can I use without damaging it? Is the motor shot if I can’t free it, or is there anything else I can try?
Qualitу posts is the main tο invite the visitors too pay a quick visit the website, that’s what this
web site is providing.
Yes! Finally something about voulaient.
I have a problem with my Hayward Super Pump. I bought it used from someone who ruined his pool. The motor runs but when we hooked up the whole thing and turned it on for the first time it made a unusual sound. It sounds like the solenoid is turning on and off. Today I had an electrician come check all the wiring and that is fine and runing on 220. My husband took the pump to a shop and they said it was fine. It does sound fine until it gets pressure from pushing the water then it makes that noise. It was primed and water was moving great. After about 5 minutes we turned it off and the housing to to motor was also very warm. What do you think is the problem?
I guess no one knows what is the problem.
Rich Tanguay, you are the best! I was hard headed and didn’t want to believe it but I did exactly what you said and you were right. Thanks! Now I have an extra pool motor.
just wired shut off switch to super pump .when I plug in pump and turn switch on it trips breaker any ideas? thanks