Side by Side Comparison of: Hayward vs Blue Wave

Really good pump. IT outlasted my pool, which needs repairs now, but it is an excellent choice if you are looking for a new one. EXTREMELY easy installation you can do yourself with very little plumbing kbowledge, just make sure to use pressure fittings and to primer and blueglue your pvc and you will be very happy with your results. YOU can save a ton of money doing the install yourself thanks to the craftsmanship and ease of installation Hayward has put into this product replaced a Hayward from 1979 with it aND am happy. They make an exceptional product with exceptional quality.

Love this product. Very fast shipping. Exactly what it was supposed to be. Would definitely purchase again. Very easy to put together. Didn't need any help a do it yourself product with a perfect ending.

Good pump - I probably ought to pull if offline in the winters and then I wouldn't be buying one every 4 years...They are semi-"rebuildable" - but the impeller shaft seal hardens and disintegrates and the shaft seizes solid. Has happened to the last 3 I've owned. Pool is AG w/salt generator - pump works/runs fine otherwise (pumps water up to barn roof solar panels, then to pool) - like I said - I'm thinking if I pulled it offline, rinsed it and stored it (like the manual sez) during the winters it'd probably last a few more years...

It came with a locking plug. I had to get an electrician to put a regular 110 cord on it. Other than that I am well pleased. Our electric bill went down $50 mo. Much more efficient than old pump.

I had this exact pump as original equipment for my above ground 33 foot round pool. The pool is (I'm guessing - since I bought the house with it) about 8 years old. Sitting out through the winters and being owned by someone that wasn't a pool expert (based on some other things they did) it lasted that long. Last year a nudge from a hammer got it started, this year - rusted. Taken to a repair place, I was told that it was time for a new one. They even offered to get me one for a great price! We all know the story - pump guy says great price of $250, pool store says it's on sale for $200. Amazon... $160 with free shipping. Hard to say no to an almost $100 savings.

Pump came very fast, but alas I was in LA at the time and the pool sat with no circulation long enough to turn to a green slurry. A week or so of shock, flocculant, and vacuuming and it's crystal clear.

The suggestion I would have is that if you've got a smaller pool (less than 33 feet) consider stepping down to the 1HP from the 1.5 if you do an online calculator and see what it will save you in electricity, you'll be surprised. Unfortunately, my pool needs the extra power.

Thanks Amazon!

Everything good.

It sucks....

I used my new Blue Wave Dredger a few days ago for the first time and it did a great job.I purchased it to drain excess water from my above ground pool cover and it met my needscompletely. It worked like a charm and as long as there is enough water depth to submergethe body of the pump, it turns on automatically and does an excellent job.Good value and preforms well.

I did not use this pump until after the 30 day Amazon replacement period had expired. When I did try and use it it did not work. Amazon could not help so I contacted Blue Wave who then immediately sent out a replacement with no questions asked. They did not even request the bad one to be sent back. The replacement pump is working fine. The 5 stars are for the excellent customer service

I was a little skeptical at first given the price but I have been impressed. Because of a very harsh winter there was a lot of water on the cover of the pool and this took care of it quickly. I like that it shuts off automatically once the water is gone and you don't have to worry about running outside to check it. Just make sure you check for leaves that stick to the filter which can slow things down.

I have personally spent many springs putting hoses in place and to slowly siphon water off of the winter pool cover. This process generally takes days if not weeks. Following an extra snowy winter I was in fear of my pool caving in because of the weight of ice and water deposited by several months of precipitation. I decided that I needed something to quickly remove said wart as soon as it melted. This little pump certainly did the trick. As ice melted it quickly removed the water for me. If it were to break I like it enough that I'd buy another one.

It works as well as the ones I've had before. Very powerful and very quiet. My only complaint was it came with the discharge pointed up (which I missed in the picture). I needed a side-facing discharge to connect to my filter. I went to my local pool supply store to look for an adaptor connector. They informed the pump discharge just needed to be rotated by first undoing the four long screws at the opposite end of the unit and then rotating it to the correct direction and refastening the screws.

I purchased this as a replacement for an Intex above ground pool pump that died. The old pump was a larger Intex pump that moved a sufficient amount of water for our pool, but just. I wanted a larger capacity pump and selected the Hayward SP1580X15 based on its popularity and the reviews I read online. So far, it has proven to be a good choice. It is plenty strong enough for our pool and I expect it to be durable and last a long time, though I'll have to let time tell how that proves out. This pump needs to be mounted on base of some sort as no base is included with it. The base is important to help absorb vibration and preserve the motor. It also needs to be joined to filter of some sort to complete the system. It does have a strainer basket built in, but that only catches large debris. Otherwise, this seems to be a very good pump.

Purchased from "In The Swim Pool Supplies" and received OVERNIGHT! I have purchased 3 items from them and I received 2 items overnight and 1 within 48 hours of ordering. This was with FREE SHIPPING! 5 STARS for this seller on this product.

I coupled this pump with a Hayward EC50AC Perflex DE filter (review pending inquiry response back from "In The Swim Pool Supplies".

I have a 24' above ground pool approx 14,000 gals. I inquired with Hayward if this pump/filter combination would suffice for my pool and I received a reply back from "Eric" - ***Yes, that is a typical set up we see for a lot of above-ground pools.
I don't see any problems with the gallons of your pool***

Setup was very easy I just needed to purchase an additional connector (at a local pool store) to connect the pump to the filter. I had the same setup as another reviewer where I had to rotate the horizontal discharge to connect to my filter. I was concerned at first because the strainer basket housing would not tighten snugly and I was fearful it would leak. It has not initially. Time will tell if it holds

The pump is very quiet, Quieter than my 3 year old 1hp pump (Proline - which had the same motor manufacturer - Century - as this pump).

Overall, great quality for the $$$. Would have had to pay $200 more for a 1hp Hayward pump from a local pool store.

The only slight negative is that the motor does NOT come with a twist lock connector which is required by code in most places. I will be removing the twist lock cord from my old pump and use for this one.

My only issue was with the pre ehtry container. The opening was smaller that the previous one I had from this manufacturer. It works great but to me there seemed to be more noise from the water pump before the motor. Nothing that should be an issue, but I felt it was worth mentioning.

I also use a timer (Intermatic P1121 Heavy Duty Outdoor Timer 15 Amp ) so it has short run times. Remember keep water level high enough & run times short as you need to do the job.

Reason is if you forget or lose suction you could burn out the motor. It is also important th be sure to check the skimmer for clog situations & also the basket by the motor.

Last but not least be certian that you have to plugged into a 'GFI' box.

I bought this pump to replace a 1 h.p. Hayward that was over 10 years old. The old one still worked but started leaking. Seemed easier to just get a new one. The extra 1/2 H.P. is helpful for our 28 foot pool. A couple of draw backs;
1. the output goes up but the old one goes out to the side. Nothing in the directions about changing it. I called Hayward. On hold for 15 minutes. They said it could be changed. I had to take all the bolts out and a couple other things apart, but I managed to get it done. Should have been covered in the owners manual.
2. No on / off switch. My old one had it. Seems pretty basic to have that.
3. The plug is a standard 3 prong but different from the old one. Had to run it to a different outlet. Doesn't seem too easy to remove the old one and attach it to the new one but I may attempt it someday.
Otherwise, it's a good pump at a great price

This product does work. it is a little slow but does get the water off the cover. good product for the price.

Does the job for the money

Have been using all week & it's working great. Does seem a little cheaply made but it's exactly what i needed to drain a hole so i could repair a pool line & it has worked like a champ so far.

They work, but the they quit turning themselves off automatically within a short time of receiving them. My husband still uses them, since it is better than siphoning the water off the pool top. But we were hoping he would not have to go up and down the steps all the time to do that.

Great little pump. Easy to use and runs very well. The only weak spot is where the hose screws onto the pump. Be ginger in attaching and removing the hose. That's easy to do though so this is a go ahead and purchase item.......

Hasn't broke on us yet. We bought this because last years pump (different brand, but same style) broke. We think the freezing cold might have something to do with it breaking. If this one holds up to the weather this winter, then it's perfect! If not, at least it's not too expensive and we'll just buy a new each season.

Been working well and silent so far, but watch out, you have to prime the motor every time you open it up.
I didnt have to do that with my last motor.

Lasted 2 seasons, started making a screeching noise, when I carefully tried to open it to lubricate , the case screws snapped, the new one I replaced it with is plastic casing and way better designed

Just bought this (with the extra 4 year warranty) to replace my old pump. They really should've put an on/off switch on this. It was not fun trying to get the fittings on (even with repeated teflon tape trials) because small leaks still happen. The pump seems to be working okay for now. It does get warmer than my old pump, and it makes a quiet ticking noise (I hope that's normal). This pump has great power.

I am using with a Hayward S180 pro series sand filter on a 24ft round and 4ft high above ground pool. It recirculates the water so well the solar cover spins all day. Very good power.

Inexpensive replacement pump works fine. My only concern is that I bought this same model last year and the bearings went out after the warranty was out. Luckily I can change the bearings but the pump was inexpensive enough that I just bought another one while I work on getting the old one fixed. No one/off switch as expected for the price range this pump is in.

I purchased to replace the Hayward pump on my cartridge system. The old one had a side discharge and this new one has a top discharge. I did a little research and it looked to be an easy fix. Just unscrew some screws and rotate it to a side discharge. When I received the pump, it was not the same as the one pictured and was unable to be rotated. My star rating does not speak to the quality of the pump. I gave it a 3 based on the fact that it was not the same as the picture and did not meet our needs (1 star), yet Amazon's customer service was fantastic (5 star). I was able to easily return it and receive a full refund. Hope this helps someone avoid the same issues I had. Check where the discharge is before you buy, as you may not receive one that can be rotated.

do not use one of those pocket hoses....restricts the flow to almost nothing

Low power , clogs easily.Not for more than the most basic draining job.

The pump works well enough and surprisingly the auto on/off hasn't caused it to burn out as with other brands. Unfortunately, the included filter tends to slow throughput (which isn't great to start with) with the least bit of debris.

Have had this product for a couple of months now, while it does get the water off the cover it moves slow and leaves a little water on the cover all the time. For the cost it does a decent job. Would be better if it had auto shut off.

It pumps water but leaves you with a decent puddle every time. I suspect this is entirely the fault of the auto on/off sensor being poorly placed. The concept is great but the sensor for automatically turning on is up way to high on the device. . It's very frustrating because that was what appealed to me the most about this. In the picture it is right above the hose/level with the the hose The cut off is directly below the hose but not quite at the bottom.... If I could choose to turn the pump to manual on/off vs auto on/off at my discretion that would probably solve everything. If I know I'm going to be able to tend to it regularly I'd just run it manual and if I knew I was going to be busy I'd let it run on auto and just adjust it as I went.

I am rating this product as okay. However, it was okay but after two uses it does not work anymore. Any suggestion? Can this be returned? Is there any guarantee? Please advise.Thank you.

This item is not positioned correctly for a DE filter. It is rotated 90 degrees and the feeder to the filter is on top, instead of to the side. From what I've read, this is more appropriate with a sand filter. This was not clearly explained in the description. Found some instructions online for rotating it to the side, but did not want to risk it. I returned it and had to pay for my own return shipping, unfortunately, which was around $30 to ship back. Luckily, I was able to get my old 1HP pump working.

Sent it back. Who builds a pump with no on and off switch???

Lasted less than 2 seasons. I previously had the same pump and it lasted 9 years. Shaft seal broke on this one after very limited use. Very disappointed in the quality. I paid more for the name brand and expected it to be a quality product. I don't think I am willing to try again for the price.

Pump worked good for almost two months. Now it makes a loud humming noise when plugged in and won't turn. Past amazon return period so we'll see how hayward warranty process goes. A hi/low power switch would be nice addition.

I'm really challenged with this pump. We have 2" pipes and it was very difficult finding a reducer but I finally found them at an irrigation supplier. I got all the PVC fitted and put it together nicely. The reason I'm giving it a 2 star is for a couple of reasons:
- I cannot get this thing to prime without doing a process that is too hard to explain. Once it's primed, it works fine and is quiet. My other pump was 1.5 hp but it was 220, this is only 110 and maybe that's why it won't prime without assistance.
- Getting the lid off is extremely difficult. I have to use a stick as leverage to do the small turn and then popping off. I've tried varying amounts of silicone to none but it's just a bitch to get off. Also, the rubber ring was too big so I had to buy another that actually fit the lid.

I backwash once a week and loathe it because of the two reasons above. I really don't want to redo everything but I know I will have to eventually. Likely get a pump that is set for 2" and is 220.

description says it will remove water to 1/8 inch. It doesn't say you have to start with an inch 1/2 of water before it will start, and I'm pretty sure it stops before it gets to 1/8 inch.

Leaves 1 inch of water on cover of pool.

Didn't realize this product was all plastic. Disappointing. Removes water very slow. I guess I expected too much.

Very poor pump quality, does not stay running. filter clogs very quickly and shuts it down. had to constantly re-start it

Would pump water fine, but would automatically shut off way to early when there was plenty of water still in the pool.

Freezing water causes damage. Can't use in winter - duh!

This is THE WORST DESIGN ever for two reasons:

1. Trying to get the lid back onto the pump after you take it off the clean the filter is IMPOSSIBLE unless you have a second person plug the return line with some plastic bags to halt the back-pressure. (previous pump I could do it no problem)

2. NO ON/OFF SWITCH!!!!! Seriously, WTF were they thinking!?!?! To turn it off, you must unplug it. I love plugging in electrical devices while standing in a pool of water!

I know hayward is a good motor my 1hp lasted 17 years . All that went on it was a seal. I thought i would upgrade to a 1 1/2 size. They dropped the ball on this quality control. Motor shaft must be warped hard to spin by hand it would humm then blow circuit. Put a damper on getting pool ready kids upset.me too but stuff happens

This pump is amazing! Pushes the water with about a 100 times more pressure then the cheap piece of junk that came with the pool..
Update: well that lasted about 4 days. The pump stopped working as it was. Couldnt find anything wrong did all the trouble shooting etc. We are being sent a replacement. Sometimes an above ground pool is a pain.
UPDATE june 2016 used from july 2015 to September 2015. Put the pool up, installed the pump, work for 2 days and died. I figured for a $171 it would last more then a couple of months guess not.

I have had 2 of these. One lasted 3 seasons. I figured that it should have lasted longer, but I got another one because the price was good. After one season, the new one is making a very very loud noise and is soon to die. NEVER AGAIN!

I purchased this pump to replace one exactly like it that I had purchased last year. I believe that it has a design flaw in how the leaf canister lid fits into the plastic housing. This one develoed a leak in this area just like the last one did, but this time instead of lasting almost a year, this one developed it within two weeks.

The problem is, if anything gets clogged in the suction side of the pool hoses, (like a few leaves, for example) the leaf basket will stretch and begin to suck air into the pump from the outside. This same area will then also allow the pool water to leak out when your timer shuts off the power.

I was able to temporarily fix it with silicone caulk as an emergency repair to save my pool, by sealing around where the O ring is. I will hopefully get this through the end of the season at least, but I will definitely be replacing it with a different model next year. I will probably go back to a Hayward Matrix pump.

I work 48 hour shifts at the fire department, and my pool cleaner sucked up a few leaves from my neighbor's tree during one of my shifts. That small clog killed the pump. (again, within two weeks of purchase) My timer runs my pool for about 4 hours a day. (2 morning and 2 evening.) This is the same thing that killed my last one of the same model (in less than a year), a few leaves.

I will be sending a copy of this review to In The Swim (the company I purchased through on Amazon) and Hayward (the Manufacturer).

Failed in under 30 days during a rainy period. Poor self prime on 2 ft. rise.Not sure how to return/replace? had a one year warranty, supposedly, but product info included has no service address.Useless.

Tested it by attaching hose, plugging it in and placing in a bucket. Slowly filled bucket and the pump only turned on when I jiggled it. The pump was running but moved no water until I sucked on the hose to prime the pump, then it did work and drained the bucket before shutting off. I slowly re-filled the bucket, the pump switched on (hurray!!) but once again didn't move water until I sucked on the hose. Instead of this POS I purchased a fountain pump from Harbor Freight for about 1/2 the price. The replacement worked right out of the box.

Very cheap construction and filter. The one i received did not even turn on

Absolute junk. Worked for maybe an hour, the first time it was used. This was in 60+ degree weather, literally took the pump out of the box, attached hose and placed it on the pool cover. It did drain a steady stream of water for a while, now it just makes noise & wastes electricity. The auto on/off function still works when it's placed in the shallow water, but it's incapable of moving water. Not freezing or frozen, filter isn't clogged, you can actually see the impeller spinning inside the housing, but no water flow. Never ceases to amaze me how the Chinese can totally screw up everything they manufacture. As other reviewers have pointed out, the flimsy plastic hose fitting & output is an obvious point of failure, but it's irrelevant since the whole thing is useless.

Checked on this three times after I installed it on the pool cover. Shut down and didn't drain all the accumulated water from the top. Defeated the purpose of not having to deal with this issue. Very cheesy construction. The fine print in the booklet also warns you not to leave it outside in the cold. Tried to save a few $$$ and just wasted my time. Ordered the Wayne pump (which is what I should have done to start with) and so far completely satisfied with that purchase.

Mine failed after 4 months. After 1 hour of searching the web, I still could not find contact information for the manufacturer to even call and get it replaced.