HaywardW3EC50C93S Perflex1.5 HP Diatomaceous Earth Filter Pump System for Above-Ground Pools

Absolutely the best filter I've seen in its class. This DE filter worked like magic/ removed microscopic particles, cleared the cloudy, messy haze in my pool water that my old filter could not, and is a decent value. Hayward engineers/staff designed and manufactured a superb (American) product; great customer service to back the product too. Purchased home w/ above ground 16'x32' (abt 4ft deep) pool that came with Sta-Rite cartridge filter. Previous owners did not cover pool for the winter - so wildlife and every leaf in the neighborhood took refuge in 'the swamp' - aka our new unusable pool. Opening the pool = a tale of woe...After purchasing an Aquabot, blasting the water with chemicals, evicting a family of toads, running the old filter with a new cartridge for abt THREE WEEKS 24x7 -- and washing/rinsing out the old filter at least a dozen times -- the water was still a cloudy haze (not to mention I lost abt ten pounds and an inordinate amt of time wrestling to repeatedly open/rinse the old pressure sealed filter chamber). Purchased the EC50 kit and in less than 48 hours and ten pounds of DE later (no exaggeration) the water was CRYSTAL clear <first five pounds of DE were back-washed aft approx 24 hrs and bumping/regenerating several times). I read other reviews and thought the 'three days' to clean water were a bit exaggerated -- sure enough, after doing the same exact things I had been doing before, the EC50AC yielded far superior results. The EC50C93S kit comes with all required parts out of the box - this kit was a much better deal/ value than buying the pieces a-la-carte (base, filter, pump, and misc plumbing parts + a pair of hoses w/ clamps). Word of caution -- the filter comes with a roll of plumbing (Teflon) tape --- somehow the brilliant minds that packed this kit shoved the Teflon tape into one of the filter orifices (the roll of tape was not visible) --- the instructions do not mention this detail (the set-up instructions are not very descriptive - Hayward could have done a much better job with the owner's manual) -- be careful -- DO NOT RUN YOUR FILTER until you REMOVE the (hidden) packed Teflon TAPE. *** EXTRA PARTS/ ACCESSORIES *** Purchasing two additional threaded 1.5" PVC ball valves and a few misc plumbing parts to connect your hoses(purchased from local plumbing store at a much cheaper price than equivalent parts avl online) helps tremendously when backwashing/ servicing the filter. You may also want to get a DE scoop (I picked one up at local pool store for abt $5 - also much cheaper than the DE scoops advertised online). Hayward tech support recommends replacing your DE <the white powder that goes into the filter> after 'bumping' or regenerating three times -- so it's a good idea to purchase the unit with a bag of DE that will meet your needs (I purchased a 25 lb bag which I expect will last this entire season). Am also considering purchasing/ hooking up the Hayward CL200 chlorinator; am interested in any comments/ user community feedback on that product...

Love it, works really great

So….4 years ago, we were given an above ground pool that came with a sand filter (which has been a huge headache up until this season). The pool was a 27’ round by 52” height. Before my installer had a chance to finish installing it for us, a bad storm came through and knocked half of it down and damaged the walls to the point where it wasn’t any good anymore. Fortunately, my insurance company covered the pool so we were able to get a new one. Now, back to square one. So my installer comes back out and installs the new pool. We hooked up the original sand filter that came with the used pool only to find that it had a couple leaks and was making an awful noise. Rather than mess with it, i told my installer that we would just order a new one. So out went the sand filter. Not knowing any better, my installer said i can get you a cartridge filter and you’ll be good to go. They’re easy to clean and take care of and you only have to change the filter every season (his recommendation). Now know this, i grew up with an oval above ground pool and my father kept that thing immaculate. He told me when i was having the pool installed to make sure i get a DE filter. Well, unfortunately i didn’t listen and said ok to the cartridge filter. Fast forward, new cartridge filter gets hooked up and we are now rocking and rolling. Not a month into the summer and I’m fighting algae and cloudy water. It wasn’t too bad if i stayed on top of it but if i let it get away from me just a little, it was heck getting the water clean and clear again. Not to mention that any and every time i had to vacuum the pool, it would just blow the dirty water right back in. I finally got to the point where it was just easier for me to let the water run out of the pool while i was vacuuming and then adding new water back to it. More expense right?! Well the following season, i again was fighting a no win battle with this pool. We ended up getting a hole in liner somewhere and i couldn’t find it. I was so aggravated at this point i was ready to tear the whole thing down. I decided to let it go over the winter and worry about it the next spring. Well, last spring came around and i drained what was left in the pool. I tore the old liner out and put a new liner in. Before doing so, i bought enough insulation board to do the entire bottom of the pool and taped up the seams, which worked out great. But once again, i fought for clean water all summer long. My father once again told me, you need to listen to me and get a DE filter. He said, how do you think i was able to keep our pool so clean for all those years. He also told me that our old pool installer was a huge believer in DE filters being the best to keep above ground pools cleaner. So this spring, i finally broke down and bought this DE filter. Best darn thing i ever did. So far this summer my pool has been crystal clear. I’ve vacuumed it twice already and both times i had zero issues with anything blowing back into the pool. Now don’t get me wrong, I’ve had the water tested a few times and had to add a few things here and there, but no where near what i was spending and adding when i had the cartridge filter. As a matter of fact, one of the times i went to get my water tested at the pool store, the employee actually asked me what filter system i had and i told him a DE. He said really? I said yes why you ask like that? He said man you just don’t see too many people using DE filters anymore, but they really are good filters. So if you’re hesitating on this DE filter, or any other DE filter for that matter, i would recommend that you order it!! It’s honestly changed my life when it comes to pool maintenance. Sorry for the long review, just wanted to get the entire back story in.

My Experience: This is my first D E filter and I absolutely love it! I used to have a sand filter, but it took a long time to get the pool clear and keeping it clear. This filter turned my green pool blue a lot faster and it looks great! When my new D E filter was first set up, someone had been running the auto-vac in the pool right away which is a huge no-no. The psi was at 30 and should run between 10-15. I tried bumping it to bring the psi down, but that didn't work. I then had help draining the filter and new D E was added. After that I started getting blow back, dirty water coming out of the jets going back into the pool. I started wondering if I had made the right decision buying a D E filter if it was going to be this much of a hassle and I got a bit edgy. I had previously read through all the instructions, so I turned to the troubleshooting guide. My deduction was that too much D E had been added to the filter when I had help draining it because it hadn't been drained all the way! I found you only have to drain the filter maybe twice a season and you should only need to bump it, but in this case, I had to start over, drain it all the way and add the proper amount of D E, but I got it working correctly! My pool is crystal clear and balanced, however I'm still vacuuming out the blow back as it settles, but the vacuum works better than it ever did! I'm very happy with this purchase and would highly recommend it. I have nothing negative to say about it. After you get the hang of it you won't have any problems. I actually think it's easier to use than the sand filter was. My advice though, make sure the person helping you set it up reads the instructions before starting and never add more D E than you're supposed to if you have to drain it! Also, don't have a family member help you set it up since it only causes a family fight...LOL