Hayward Pool Filter Guide: Models, Sizes, and Prices
The short answer
Which Hayward pool filter do you have? Compare the ProSeries sand, SwimClear cartridge, and Pro-Grid DE lineups by size, price, parts, and the upkeep each needs.
In This Guide
Hayward is the most common filter brand on residential pool pads in North America, which means most owners inherit one rather than choose it. That leaves a lot of people standing in front of a tank with a faded label, unsure whether they own a sand filter, a cartridge filter, or a DE filter, and unsure which parts, prices, and routines apply to it. This guide sorts the whole Hayward lineup out: what each family is, how to read your model number, what the units and media cost, and which parts wear out first.
Which Hayward Pool Filter Is Right for Your Pool?
For most residential pools, the Hayward ProSeries sand filter is the right choice. It has the lowest purchase price, the simplest routine, and the cheapest long term ownership cost, because the sand media only gets replaced every 5 to 7 years. Choose a Hayward SwimClear cartridge filter instead if you want finer filtration and no backwashing at all, which matters on a well, a water meter, or anywhere wasted water is expensive. Choose a Hayward Pro-Grid DE filter if water clarity is the priority above everything else, since DE filters catch the smallest particles of the three, but expect the most upkeep because the grids need recharging after every backwash and a full teardown once or twice a season.
That is the short version. The rest of this guide fills in the model numbers, sizes, and prices behind each of those three choices.
The Hayward Filter Lineup
Hayward sells three residential filter families. Each one uses a different media, a different cleaning routine, and a different model prefix, so once you know which family you own, everything else follows.
| Model | Type | Size | Pool Size It Suits |
|---|---|---|---|
| S166T | ProSeries sand | 16 inch tank, 100 lbs sand | Small above ground pools to about 12,000 gallons |
| S180T | ProSeries sand | 18 inch tank, 150 lbs sand | Above ground and small inground to about 18,000 gallons |
| S210T | ProSeries sand | 21 inch tank, 200 lbs sand | Mid size inground pools to about 24,000 gallons |
| S244T | ProSeries sand | 24 inch tank, 300 lbs sand | Standard inground pools to about 30,000 gallons |
| S270T | ProSeries sand | 27 inch tank, 350 lbs sand | Large inground pools over 30,000 gallons |
| C2030 | SwimClear cartridge | 225 sq ft | Pools to about 20,000 gallons |
| C3030 | SwimClear cartridge | 325 sq ft | Pools to about 25,000 gallons |
| C4030 | SwimClear cartridge | 425 sq ft | Pools to about 30,000 gallons |
| C5030 | SwimClear cartridge | 525 sq ft | Large pools and heavy bather loads |
| DE3620 | Pro-Grid DE | 36 sq ft | Pools to about 20,000 gallons |
| DE4820 | Pro-Grid DE | 48 sq ft | Pools to about 25,000 gallons |
| DE6020 | Pro-Grid DE | 60 sq ft | Pools to about 30,000 gallons |
| DE7220 | Pro-Grid DE | 72 sq ft | Large pools and long swim seasons |
The sand loads above are Hayward’s own published figures for the ProSeries tanks, and they are worth treating as exact numbers rather than approximations. Underfilling a sand tank lets water channel down the outside of the bed instead of through it, and overfilling pushes sand up into the multiport valve.
A few notes on how the families differ in practice. ProSeries sand tanks are sold in both top mount and side mount configurations, with the T suffix indicating the top mount version that most residential pads use. SwimClear tanks hold four separate cartridge elements rather than one, which is why a 425 sq ft C4030 can run an entire season on two cleanings while a single element cartridge filter of half that area needs monthly attention. Pro-Grid DE filters use eight fabric covered grids plus a smaller partial grid, and the whole assembly lifts out as one unit.
The gallon figures in the table are guidance, not a rule. Filter sizing should follow your pump flow rate and your turnover target, not just pool volume, and oversizing a filter is almost always the better error. Our guide on what size pool filter you need walks through that math.
If you are shopping rather than diagnosing, it is worth comparing tank sizes and valve options side by side before you commit to a model.
Check Hayward Filter Prices on Amazon
How to Identify Your Hayward Model
Every Hayward filter carries a label plate on the tank shell, typically at mid-height on sand and DE tanks and near the base on SwimClear tanks. The plate lists the model number, the filtration area or sand capacity, and the maximum working pressure. That model number is the single piece of information you need before ordering any part.
The prefix convention is consistent across the lineup:
- S means sand. S166T, S180T, S210T, S244T, S270T.
- C means SwimClear cartridge. C2030, C3030, C4030, C5030.
- DE means Pro-Grid diatomaceous earth. DE3620, DE4820, DE6020, DE7220.
The numbers are equally readable once you know the pattern. On sand models, the first digits are the tank diameter in inches: an S180T is an 18 inch tank, an S244T is a 24 inch tank. On SwimClear models, the first digits approximate the filtration area in square feet, so a C3030 is a 325 sq ft filter. On Pro-Grid models, the first digits are the exact grid area, so a DE4820 carries 48 sq ft of grid surface.
If the label is gone, which is common on tanks that have spent fifteen summers in direct sun, identification is still straightforward. First, the type is obvious from the hardware: a multiport valve with a sight glass and no clamp band means sand, a clamp band with no valve means SwimClear, and a multiport valve combined with a bottom drain and a bulky lower tank means Pro-Grid DE. Second, for sand filters, measure the tank diameter at its widest point with a tape measure and match it to the table above, which gives you both the model and the correct sand load. Our pool sand filter size chart lists the same figures by diameter and by 50 lb bag count if you are ordering media.
For SwimClear and Pro-Grid tanks with no label, open the tank. The square footage is usually printed on the cartridge end caps or stamped into the grid frames, and that number identifies the model.
Hayward Filter Prices
Hayward pricing splits cleanly along the three families, and the cheapest unit to buy is also the cheapest to run.
- ProSeries sand filters: roughly 300 to 700 dollars for the tank with a multiport valve, with the S166T at the bottom of that range and the S270T at the top. Media is the cheap part: a full sand change costs 40 to 150 dollars depending on tank size, using #20 silica sand at roughly 10 to 15 dollars per 50 lb bag, and it happens every 5 to 7 years.
- SwimClear cartridge filters: roughly 400 to 900 dollars for the tank, from the C2030 up to the C5030. The ongoing cost is higher than sand because a full set of four replacement elements runs 200 to 400 dollars and gets replaced every 3 to 5 years.
- Pro-Grid DE filters: roughly 500 to 1,000 dollars for the tank with valve, from the DE3620 to the DE7220. DE powder adds 20 to 40 dollars a season, and a full grid set replacement is 200 to 350 dollars every 5 to 10 years.
Add installation if you are not doing the swap yourself, which typically runs 150 to 400 dollars for a like for like replacement on an existing pad. Prices move with the season and with supply, so treat these as planning ranges rather than quotes. Our full breakdown of pool filter cost covers unit prices, media, install, and annual ownership across all three filter types.
One cost note specific to Hayward: because the brand is so widely installed, aftermarket parts and cartridges are plentiful and usually 30 to 50 percent cheaper than OEM. Aftermarket elements are a reasonable buy for cartridges, less so for DE grids, where the fabric quality difference shows up in torn grids after two seasons.
Hayward Parts That Wear Out
Hayward tanks outlast their internals by a wide margin. These are the parts that actually fail, in rough order of how often they need replacing:
- Spider gasket. The star shaped gasket inside the multiport valve on sand and DE filters. It tears when the valve handle gets moved with the pump running, and the symptom is water running out the waste line while the valve sits in FILTER. Typically a 2 to 3 year part.
- Tank and lid O-rings. The clamp band O-ring on SwimClear tanks and the lid O-ring on sand tanks dry out, flatten, and start weeping. Lubricate them with a Teflon based pool lubricant at every opening and replace every 2 to 3 years.
- Laterals. The slotted fingers at the bottom of a sand tank that collect filtered water. When one cracks, sand blows back into the pool through the returns. They are only accessible with the sand removed.
- Pressure gauge. The 1/4 inch NPT gauge fogs, sticks, or freezes at a fixed reading. It is a cheap part and the most important one on the tank, since every cleaning decision depends on it.
- Cartridge elements and DE grids. These are consumables, not repairs. Replace SwimClear elements as a matched set of four, and Pro-Grid grids as a full set including the partial grid.
Part numbers differ between models that look nearly identical on the pad, so check your model label before ordering anything. Our pool filter parts guide names every component by filter type with typical replacement costs, and for element sizing specifically, see our page on Hayward pool filter cartridges.
For a spare set, search current Hayward replacement filter cartridge listings on Amazon using your exact model number rather than tank height.
Maintaining a Hayward Filter
Hayward maintenance splits into two routines, and which one applies depends on the family you own rather than on the brand.
Cleaning. SwimClear cartridge filters are cleaned by opening the tank and rinsing all four elements, with a chemical soak once or twice a season to release oils and scale. Pro-Grid DE filters get a full teardown clean of the grid assembly at least once a season on top of their backwashes. The model by model procedure, including where the Hayward tanks differ from other brands, is in our guide on cleaning a Hayward pool filter.
Backwashing. ProSeries sand and Pro-Grid DE filters both backwash through a multiport valve, and both do it when the pressure gauge climbs 8 to 10 PSI above the clean baseline you recorded at startup. DE filters need their powder recharged through the skimmer after every backwash, sand filters do not. The valve positions, timing, and sight glass checks are covered step by step in our guide on how to backwash a Hayward pool filter.
SwimClear filters have no backwash port at all. If your tank has a clamp band and no multiport valve, cleaning is the only routine you have.
Hayward vs the Alternatives
Hayward’s closest competitor on most quotes is Pentair, and on sand filters the two lines are genuinely close on price and performance. The real differences come down to lateral design, the valve that ships with the tank, and warranty terms, which we break down in Hayward vs Pentair sand filters.
The bigger decision is usually filter type rather than brand. A Hayward ProSeries sand filter and a Hayward SwimClear cartridge filter differ far more from each other than either differs from its Pentair equivalent. If you are still choosing between media types, start with our comparison of DE vs sand vs cartridge filters, then pick the Hayward model in that family using the lineup table above.
Whichever you land on, log the clean startup pressure on the tank with a paint pen once the new filter is running. That single number turns every future cleaning decision into a glance at the gauge.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Which Hayward pool filter do I have?
Which Hayward filter is best for most pools?
How many square feet is a Hayward SwimClear filter?
How much sand does a Hayward sand filter take?
How long does a Hayward pool filter last?
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