Hayward PowerFlo LX

The PowerFlo LX is Hayward's long-running pump for above-ground pools, a 115-volt pump on a 3-foot cord that sits on the ground beside the pool. It comes in two sizes, 0.85 and 1.1 total horsepower. Hayward also lists versions with a twist-lock plug or a side discharge, and Open Line versions for online sale. It has a black strainer housing with a clear cover, and its discharge points straight up.

It is not self-priming. The manual says it must be installed below the pool's water line, and Hayward Support says it won't prime if it isn't. DOE's database lists both sizes as non-self-priming pumps.

Which model

DOE's database and Hayward's performance chart:

• SP1580: 0.85 total horsepower, WEF 3.8. About 75 GPM against 30 feet of head.
• SP1580X15: 1.1 total horsepower, WEF 3.9. About 80 GPM against 30 feet.

On most above-ground pools the SP1580 is enough. The site's above-ground maintenance guide puts the useful range at 0.75 to 1 total horsepower, and more pump on small plumbing buys noise, not filtration. To check flow against your own pool, the pump and filter sizing calculator works it out from the volume.

Both are single speed. Hayward's chart gives them exactly the same flow figures as the single-speed PowerFlo Matrix models, and DOE rates the LX slightly more efficient: WEF 3.8 and 3.9 against the Matrix's 3.4 and 3.5. For a real cut in running cost, the two-speed Matrix models rate 5.7.

Hayward Support has pointed owners wanting to save power to a variable-speed PowerFlo VS 300, SP1580X15VSP. DOE rates it at WEF 10.7, but it doesn't appear in Hayward's pump listing today.

The pools it's for, and the ones it isn't

Permanently installed pools. The manual says this pump is for pools built in or on the ground so they can't readily be taken apart. It rules out storable pools, the kind made to come down and go back up. A frame or soft-sided pool that gets packed away for the winter isn't one Hayward's manual allows this pump on.

Asked whether it would work on an in-ground pool, Hayward Support said it's designed specifically for above-ground pools, and isn't self-priming.

Where it goes

• Below the pool's water line. The manual says it must be, and Hayward Support told an owner who couldn't get one to pull water up and over the pool wall that it won't prime any other way. On an above-ground pool, a pump on the ground beside the wall already is.
• On a firm, level base, screwed or bolted down to cut vibration, with the inlet as close to the water level as possible and a short, direct suction line.
• Somewhere that drains, so it can't flood in a storm, with air around the motor. The manual advises protecting the electrics from the weather even though the pump is rated for outdoors.
• Near a proper outlet. Hayward Support says it needs a dedicated 20-amp, 120-volt circuit. The manual says the circuit has to be GFCI-protected, and never to use an extension cord.

Use 1½-inch pipe or hose: PVC or reinforced hose on the outlet, and reinforced hose on the suction. Never go smaller than the pump's inlet. On threaded fittings, use Teflon tape, one or two layers, never pipe dope, which the manual says can crack the plastic. Hand-tighten, then give it no more than one and a half turns with a tool: the ports have molded thread stops.

Bond it with a solid copper wire, No. 8 AWG or larger, from the external bonding lug on the motor to the pool structure, per the manual.

Hayward Support says the SP1580X15TL has no on/off switch: you turn it off by unplugging it or at the breaker. There's no timer either.

The cord

Every PowerFlo LX Hayward lists today comes on a 3-foot cord. Asked for a 6-foot one, Hayward Support said the pumps are no longer available with one, to conform to the National Electrical Code. The 2020 manual puts the code's requirement as a twist-lock cord no longer than 3 feet, into a GFCI-protected receptacle, or a hard-wired connection. If your pool needs the twist-lock plug, that's the TL models.

Starting it

1. Fill the strainer housing with water up to the suction pipe. Never run it dry: the water cools and lubricates the seal.
2. Clean the cover's O-ring and lubricate it with Jack's 327, then turn the cover clockwise, by hand, a quarter turn.
3. Open all the valves and bleed the air from the filter.
4. Switch it on. With the water higher than the pump, it primes itself once the valves are open. If it hasn't primed in 10 minutes, stop it and find out why.

Never operate or test the system above 30 psi, the manual says.

When it isn't working

The manual's troubleshooting, condensed:

• Motor won't start: loose wiring, open switches, a tripped breaker or GFCI. Check the shaft turns freely. If there's a timer, bypass it to test.
• Motor shuts off and restarts: the thermal overload is tripping. The manual's usual causes are undersized wiring, low voltage, an extension cord, or a binding shaft. It'll keep cycling until the cause is fixed.
• Hums but won't start: a centrifugal switch stuck open, or a binding shaft.
• Won't prime: a dirty or unseated cover O-ring, closed valves, low pool water, or a stuck skimmer weir. The manual gives 5 to 6 inches of vacuum at the strainer cover as a working pump, which only a dealer's gauge can confirm. Without one, take the skimmer basket out and hold your hand over the skimmer's bottom port, with the skimmer full and the pump running. No suction means a blocked line. After that, check for air leaks, clamps, voltage and a clogged impeller.
• Low flow: a clogged strainer or suction line, a dirty filter, a suction air leak, or a plugged or sheared impeller.
• Noisy: an air leak, cavitation from a restricted suction line or low water, poor mounting, debris in the housing, or worn motor bearings. For cavitation, the manual suggests throttling the returns or fitting a smaller eyeball fitting. For vibration, a rubber pad under the motor's feet.

Changing the seal

The manual's steps, for a qualified person, with the power off:

1. Shut off the water: close the valves, or plug the skimmer and return ports. Disconnect the hoses or pipes.
2. Take off the strainer: remove its cover and basket, lift the C-clip, and slide the housing forward.
3. Remove the eight screws holding the pump cover, which exposes the impeller.
4. Take off the cover at the back of the motor. Hold the shaft by the slot in its end or the flats near it, and unscrew the impeller counterclockwise.
5. Pull the old seal's spring half off the impeller. Loosen the four through bolts at the back of the motor, remove the housing, and press the ceramic half out.
6. Lubricate only with a dilute liquid soap. The manual warns that petroleum or silicone lubricants can make the seal leak.
7. Press the new seal's halves in, graphite face away from the impeller and the ceramic's polished face out. Bolt the motor back, check the shaft turns freely, and screw the impeller back on clockwise, hand-tight.

Replace the housing O-ring if it's damaged, tighten the eight screws evenly, and fill the strainer before you restart it. Hayward's SPXHKIT12 has the seal, five O-rings and gaskets, and a tube of Jack's lubricant.

Turning a top discharge to the side is possible, Hayward Support says, but it's an involved job it leaves to a service center. If you need a side discharge, the H models have one.

Winterizing

A frozen pump voids the warranty. Drain the pool below its inlets, pull the drain plug at the bottom of the strainer housing, and take the pump off its base. Put the lid and plug back and store it somewhere dry. Keep the motor covered, but don't wrap it in plastic, which traps condensation. If you blow out the lines, use a blower under 5 psi, never compressed air, and use only propylene glycol as antifreeze.

In spring, the manual's order is: check the wiring for damage, mount the pump, connect the fittings, refill the pool, then prime it.

Replacing an older pump

Hayward Support's answers to owners with an old pump to replace:

• An older 1½ HP PowerFlo, such as an SP1515Z1BC or SP1514Z2S4EC: Hayward no longer makes a 1½ HP PowerFlo, and Support recommends the PowerFlo Matrix SP1593 instead. For an SP1580Z2 it named the two-speed SP15932S.
• A Waterway SVL56 with a 1 HP motor: the SP1580X15.
• A 1½ HP Pentair Dynamo: the LX "should work fine," though Support also pointed to the SP1593. Hayward's 2025 cross-reference sheet pairs the Dynamo with the Matrix, and Pentair's OptiFlo with the LX.
• A twist-lock SP1580X15TLFP: the SP1580X15TL.

Don't fit a bigger motor on its own. Asked about putting a 2 HP motor on a 1½ HP pump, Hayward Support said the impeller is designed for the original, and a bigger motor could cause cavitation and pump failure.

Warranty and where to buy

The Expert Line models, sold through dealers, carry two years parts and no labor. Hayward's 2026 terms give above-ground equipment three years parts through a dealer offering its extended coverage. The Open Line W3 models get one year parts.

A motor bought on its own carries one year parts. Plastic parts, baskets and pump seals bought on their own get six months.

Where Hayward's documents disagree, or are unclear

• Horsepower. The 2020 manual lists the SP1580X15's motor as 1½ HP (SPX1515Z1E) and the SP1580's as 1 HP (SPX1510Z1XE). The product pages say 1.1 and 0.85 total horsepower, and DOE certifies both figures as the nominal and the total horsepower. Hayward's parts lookup lists no motor. Owners still call the SP1580X15 "1.5 HP". This page uses DOE.
• The cord. Hayward's product page addresses say "6 cord"; the pages themselves and Hayward Support say 3 feet. The manual still lists a 6-foot cord set, SPX1250WA.
• The switch. The manual's diagram shows an on-off or two-speed switch on the motor. Hayward Support says the SP1580X15TL has no on/off switch.
• Warranty. The manual says one year. One Hayward Support answer says three years parts and one year labor for the Expert Line models. The product pages and Hayward's 2026 terms say two years parts, no labor, and this page uses those.
• Housing bolts. The parts lookup sells them as a nut-and-bolt set, SPX1500NY. The manual lists the bolt as SPX1500N2 and the nut as SPX1500Y2, eight of each.
• The C-clip. The manual lists SPX1515C. The parts lookup gives SPX1515C for pumps from 2000 to 2003 and SPX1515CN from 2004 on.
• Impellers and motors. The manual leaves the impeller blank and says to go by the original. The parts lookup lists a ¾ HP and a 1 HP impeller for the SP1580, without saying which current model takes which.