Hayward Perflex Filter Repairs

Today's blog post will cover the five most common Hayward filter repairs made to the Perflex Extended Cycle DE filters, models EC30, EC40, EC50 for above ground pools and EC65/EC75 models used on in ground pools.

Filter Clogs Quickly or Short Cycles

If your Perflex filter runs with good pressure and flow for a short time, and then the water flow slows and pressure rises high (or drops low), first be sure you have done a complete bump and drain of the filter tank, with a full recharge of DE powder.

If your filter clogs up again within hours or days of a bump and drain, or requires frequent pumping to restore flow rates, you've got clogged fingers - plugged up with mineral scale and oily gunk.

Like any DE filter, scale and oils can clog up the filter grids or flex tube 'fingers'. To fix this, you have to get under the hood, and open up the tank for a deep cleaning. To keep your Perflex filter performing well, clean the filter at the close of each season.

1. Open air bleeder and Bump and Drain the filter tank.
2. Remove the clamp or bolts around the top. Bump handle can stay attached.
3. Lift filter lid and pull out the entire filter nest assembly.
4. Fill a 5-gal bucket with DE filter cleaner and water, and soak nest assy.
5. Clean and lubricate diaphragm gasket and sealing surfaces, then reassemble filter.

Bumping is Too Tight

If your bump handle hardly moves when you try to bump it up and down, that can mean that the filter has too much DE powder, or that powder has become caked between the top and bottom plates, or tube sheets. This can also indicate that the filter is not being bumped frequently enough.

It can sometimes also mean that the shaft o-rings, under the lid, are coated in DE powder or other small bits of debris, and not smoothly allowing the shaft to move up and down full travel, which is normally about 1 inch of vertical movement while bumping.

Try a complete Bump and Drain, bumping the handle while the tank is draining. Run water through the filter for 30 seconds, then Bump and Drain again. Continue in this way until water runs nearly clear, and then add a full recharge of DE powder.

Bumping is Too Loose

If your bump handle feels sloppy without much resistance or weight on the handle, that usually means that one of the two retainer clips have come loose inside the filter.

The retainer clips are connected above and below the upper and lower tube sheets, and connect the shaft to the plates and keep the assembly tight. You may also be getting DE powder into the pool, and filter short cycling.

You can order the clips in a 2-Pak, item ECX1014, or they are also included with the shaft O-rings and thrust washer, in the Perflex shaft kit, ECX1014A.

Filter is Leaking Water

There are several places that a Perflex filter can leak water, but the most common are the air bleeder, pressure gauge, lid or cover or bump handle, and the filter drain valve assembly. Fixing a leak is one of the most common Hayward filter repairs.

The air bleeder has a very small o-ring, not sold separately, but included in the directional vent valve with O-Ring. The Pressure Gauge, a back-mount gauge, has O-ring ECX1287 to seal up the gauge adapter, but sometimes a thread sealant is also needed, like Teflon tape or silicone on the adapter threads, and also needed on the pressure gauge threads.

A leaking filter lid relies on the diaphragm gasket to seal the lid to the tank body. Be sure that it is clean on both sides, and lightly lubricated. If your filter lid has a clamp, tighten all the way, and if you have lid screws, tighten in a star pattern, for equal tightness.

A filter leaking water around the bump shaft, you will need to replace the small o-rings that are on the bump shaft, beneath the lid. Remove the bump handle pins, pull off the bump handle, then lift off the lid to expose the (2) bump shaft o-rings.

If your filter leaks around the Perflex tank drain, you can use the Perflex filter drain plug, an SP1022 threaded plug, to seal up the Hayward valve, or replace the SP0723 Drain Valve.

Filter is Leaking DE Powder

If you discover that DE powder is coming back into the pool through the pool returns:

• Holes in the fabric of one or more of the flex tubes
• Diaphragm gasket not seated correctly or damaged
• Missing bump shaft e-clips, allowing plates to separate
• Loose bolts on top/bottom plates, allowing separation

If you find DE powder is flowing backwards through the pump, and coming out of the skimmer or main drain, be sure the tank check valve ECX4077B1 is intact. Air leaks on the tank can allow the tank to drain down when the pump is off.

DE Finger Replacement

If you have a Perflex DE Filter, you don’t have filter grids, you have flex tubes, aka ‘fingers’. Like filter grids, these deteriorate over time. You can replace just a few if needed or buy the entire filter nest assembly.

1. Remove the bolts around the top and bump handle pins.
2. Remove filter lid, then lift out the entire nest assembly.
3. Slide off the tube sheet top, and pull up the damaged flex tubes.
4. Push the new fingers in place snugly, replace tube sheet top.
5. With nest assembly in place, secure the filter top and bump handle.

Tip: If your Perflex filter is mounted on a raised base, it is recommended to loosen the pump union and remove the tank to ground level before attempting repairs.

To make your own Hayward filter repairs, we've got the parts you need, find genuine Hayward replacement parts (and a less expensive, generic options), in our Hayward Pool Filter Parts Department.