Hayward PoolVac XL

The PoolVac XL is Hayward's suction cleaner for in-ground pools up to 20 by 40 feet. It runs on the pool's own filter pump through a 40-foot hose, driven by a turbine inside the body. Hayward's AquaPilot programmed steering turns it on a set pattern rather than wherever it happens to point. It rides on two pods with shoes, and there's no bag to empty: what it picks up goes to the skimmer or pump basket and the filter.

It comes in two versions, 2025ADC for concrete pools and 2025ADV for vinyl, and each is also sold online with a W3 prefix.

PoolVac XL or Navigator Pro

Asked the difference between the W3925ADC Navigator Pro and the W32025ADC PoolVac XL, Hayward Support said there's little functional difference, and that it's basically the look.

Hayward's parts lists bear that out. The two lists match part for part, except that the PoolVac XL has its own skirt, handle and cover where the Navigator Pro has a shell assembly, and the screen kit carries a different number. Hayward's 2010 troubleshooting guide says the same of the whole family: the Navigator Pro, the PoolVac XL and the older Navigator and PoolVac Ultra differ in color, shell and name, but most of their major components are interchangeable.

Concrete or vinyl

Hayward's parts list names concrete and vinyl versions of two parts: the shoes and the access cover underneath. Everything else is listed once.

• 2025ADC, concrete: AXV414P shoes and the AXV603 cover. A concrete cover with large skids, AXV603CLO, is also listed.
• 2025ADV, vinyl: AXV413P shoes and the AXV603A cover.

Buy the one that matches the pool. Hayward Support told an owner that the vinyl model wears prematurely in a concrete or gunite pool, and that converting it means changing several components. Asked about fiberglass, Support said the vinyl model works there.

Hayward Support also matches shoes to surfaces: standard or slotted for plaster, gunite and pebble finishes, cork for vinyl and fiberglass, and ceramic for tile. Only the concrete and vinyl shoes appear on Hayward's parts list.

Setting it up

From the manual and the quick start guide:

1. Prepare the pool. Take out large debris, check the water level and chemistry, and clean or backwash the filter. Hayward's troubleshooting guide adds emptying the pump and skimmer baskets.
2. Size the hose. Connect the sections, stretch the hose to the farthest point of the pool, and add two more sections. Make every joint tight, because an air leak costs suction. An optional leaf canister goes between the first and second sections.
3. Fill the hose with water, and fit the flow gauge into the leader hose, under water, clipped to the first section.
4. Connect it to the skimmer with the cone adapter, or push the hose straight into a Hayward VacLock without the cone.
5. Read the gauge. With the pump running, the black disk should sit between MIN and MAX.
6. Remove the gauge, submerge the cleaner to purge the air, fill the hose completely, and connect the leader hose.

If the reading is too high, bring it down with the system's suction valves, the included regulator valve in the skimmer, or an optional skimmer vacuum plate. If it's too low, the manual says that points to a problem with the pool's system, not the cleaner, and neither the regulator nor the vacuum plate can raise it.

Hayward's troubleshooting guide adds a few conditions:

• A dedicated suction line should be at least 1½ inches and have a VacLock fitted for safety.
• On a skimmer with only one port, the main drain may need to be shut off.
• Point the returns down, because returns pointed up can interfere with the hose.

With a variable-speed pump

It works with one, Hayward Support says. Use the flow gauge that comes with the cleaner and set the pump's speed to it: raise the speed if there isn't enough suction, and lower it if there's too much. The manual's warning applies either way: too much vacuum is as bad as too little.

For owners with the older vacuum gauge adapter, a longer Support answer gives the figure as 1 inch of vacuum per hose section. With the newer flow gauge, it says to set the flow at least halfway between the minimum and maximum marks.

Tuning it with the rear flap adjuster

• Getting hung up on steps, the liner or obstacles: turn the rear flap adjuster to Position I.
• Not climbing the walls, or staying on the floor: turn it to Position III.
• Climbing too high and sucking air: set it to Position I, and if it still climbs too far, reduce the flow.

Hayward's troubleshooting guide gives Position II as the starting setting. There's no accessory to make it back away from an obstacle, Hayward Support says. The internal steering turns it.

What it won't do

• Climb every wall. It climbs the walls of concrete and fiberglass pools only where there's at least a 7-inch radius where wall meets floor, and even then, because of the programmed steering, not every time it reaches one.
• Clean steps and loveseats, which Hayward's troubleshooting guide says it won't do. The guide adds that it may not work well under a cover.
• Clear a dirty pool. The manual says not to use it to remove large debris in a new pool, and the guide says it isn't designed for heavy construction or storm debris. It's built to keep a clean pool clean.

Take it out before adding chemicals and before backwashing, and never swim with it in the pool.

When it isn't cleaning properly

Start with Hayward's hang test. With the cleaner connected and the pump running, lift it by the hose and hold it about a foot below the surface. Within five minutes it should turn both ways, with a stop in between.

• Doesn't move at all: check the suction with the flow gauge. Then check the shoes for wear and the pool surface for algae. Hayward Support's next step is the access cover underneath: loosen its one captive screw and look for a rock or twig between the bearings and the turbine.
• Circles one way on the floor, but turns both ways in the hang test: play between the A-frames, turbine and pods. Support's test is to rock the pods by hand; more than ¼ inch of play means parts need replacing.
• Turns one way only in the hang test, or not at all: check the rear screen for debris, then the gearbox and the medium turbine. The troubleshooting guide says to fit a medium turbine kit rather than individual parts. Hayward's PoolVac XL parts list doesn't show a kit number.
• Floats: purge the air from the cleaner, and stop air entering the pool through the returns. If the hose is covered in fine bubbles, a good tug releases them. Return flow lifting the cleaner or hose also counts, so adjust the returns.
• Climbs to the surface and sucks air: check the flow, set the flap to Position I, then check the rear screen and that the clear cone gear turns freely both ways.

For a cleaner with no suction, Hayward Support starts with the pool's system: clear the skimmer and pump baskets, and make sure the filter isn't restricting flow.

Leaves

The sell sheet lists two leaf canisters, a large one with a mesh basket and a small see-through one. Asked which fits, Hayward Support named the W560 and the W530. A canister goes between the first and second hose sections, and the sell sheet says it traps leaves and debris.

Store the hose straight

The manual says to store the hose sections straight, never coiled. A coiled hose takes on a memory that stops the cleaner moving properly, and coiled hoses aren't covered by the warranty. Disconnect the leader hose from the cleaner whenever it's out of the pool, and store the cleaner in the shade.

Warranty and where to buy

• 2025ADC or 2025ADV, from a dealer: two years of parts and one year of in-store labor. Hayward's 2026 terms give dealers offering its extended coverage two years of in-store labor.
• W32025ADC or W32025ADV, Hayward's Open Line: one year of parts, no labor. Hayward Support says warranty and availability are the differences; the cleaner is the same.

Shoes, wings and flaps are wear items, covered for manufacturing defects only. Hayward's warranty applies only to products bought from Hayward or an authorized seller.

Where Hayward's documents disagree, or are unclear

• What it looks like. Hayward's product photos show a white shell with a black handle over a blue base. Its accessory and dimension sheets show a gray and teal cleaner with a PoolVac XL wordmark on the side. The parts list names a PoolVac XL skirt, handle and cover without colors. The size and weight above come from the dimension sheet.
• Warranty. The product pages' feature lists promise "3+ Year Parts and Labor Warranties". Their specifications, and Hayward's 2026 terms, give two years parts and one year in-store labor, and the 2022 sell sheet says two years.
• Hose sections. The accessories sheet says 12 pieces make up the 40 feet. The 2010 troubleshooting guide says 10 sections come in the box, and that a pool may need more.
• Loose pods. The manual says to replace the pod and A-frame connection if needed and not to retighten loose pods. The 2010 guide says to make sure they're tightly connected, and to replace both if they come loose again soon.
• Shoes. Hayward Support names cork and ceramic shoes. Hayward's parts list shows only the concrete and vinyl ones.
• The medium turbine kit. The troubleshooting guide says always to fit the kit rather than individual parts. The PoolVac XL parts list gives the turbine, case and gears individually, and no kit.