How to Fix a leaking Hayward backwash valve

This guide will help you determine which Hayward valve you have and then determine the proper fix for your situation. One of the most common problems pool owners run across when maintaining and serving their swimming pool is a leaking backwash valve. The backwash valve is the valve which is mounted on either the top or  side of your filter tank and are specifically used clean sand filters or DE filters. One of the most popular filter manufactures in the world is Hayward Pool Products who also makes quite a few backwash valves. Based on the Hayward valve you have the fix varies slightly. 

1. The first step you will take when determining how to fix your valve will be to obtain the model # of your valve. Typically this is located on the label on the top of the valve, normally there is a box named model no. and the valve # will be located in this box. The majority of Hayward valve part #’s start with this prefix SP7.

2. If you are having trouble finding the valve # on the label then you may be able to find a SP or SPX part # molded into the plastic of the body of the valve or the handle. Feel free to post a comment at the bottom of this guide with as much information about your filter as possible and we should be able to help identify your valve. Helpful information for us would be any part #’s off of the valve, the filter manufacture name, the filter model name, filter model #, filter square footage, number of positions the valve can be set to, plumbing size going into the valve and filter type (i.e. sand filter or D.E filter). Any or all of this information will help out a lot.

3. If you have one of the following Hayward valves which is leaking then the appropriate fix would be to replace the spider gasket within the valve.The following 1.5" Hayward valves can be fixed by simply replacing the spider gasket. The appropriate spider gasket for the valves below is the SPX0710XD.

SP711-13, SP710XALL, SP7122, SP7121, SPX0710X32, SP0710X62, SP0710XR50

If you have any of the model #'s above then purchase the SPX0710XD or SPX0715XD spider gasket and move on to our How to Replace a spider gasket guide for easy step by step instructions on replacing the gasket.

If you have the SP0714T valve or any other model #'s then move on to step # 4 of this guide.

4. The most common Hayward backwash valve is the SP0714T valve which is used on many of the Hayward top mount sand filters. If you have the SP0714T valve then the spider gasket cannot be replaced as it comes glued into the diverter on the valve. The appropriate fix for a leaking SP0714T valve would be to replace the diverter (part # SPX0714CA) which comes with the spider gasket glued into it. This is an easy enough fix, you would just need to remove the cover and handle assembly from the current valve and swap out with the new diverter.

5. The last style of Hayward valve is called a slide valve or plunger valve. The two most common model #'s for this valve are the SP0410X602S and the SP0410X502S. If you have either of these model #'s then the appropriate fix would be replace the gaskets within the valve using the following valve tune up kit.

If you have any other questions about pool and spa products please do let us know - we are here to help! 

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