Hayward PowerFlo Matrix

The PowerFlo Matrix is Hayward's 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 four models: two single-speed and two two-speed. Each also comes with a twist-lock plug or as an Open Line version for online sale. Its strainer housing comes off the front with a single clip, and its discharge turns between horizontal and vertical with the press of a button.

It is not self-priming. Hayward Support says so plainly, and DOE's database lists every model as a non-self-priming pump. It's built to sit below the pool's water line, where the water runs into it on its own.

Which model

DOE's database and Hayward's performance chart:

• SP1592: single speed, 0.85 total horsepower, WEF 3.4. About 75 GPM against 30 feet of head.
• SP1593: single speed, 1.1 total horsepower, WEF 3.5. About 80 GPM against 30 feet.
• SP15932S: two speed, 1.0 total horsepower, WEF 5.7. On high, Hayward Support gives about 80 GPM against 30 feet, the SP1593's figure. Low speed is half that.
• SP15922S: also two speed, and DOE rates it exactly as it rates the SP15932S. Hayward publishes nothing that tells the two apart.

The two-speed models are the efficient ones: WEF 5.7 against 3.4 or 3.5. An above-ground pool rarely needs full flow for long, and a pump that can spend most of the day on low uses much less power.

On most above-ground pools the SP1592 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.

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

Permanently installed pools. The manual says Hayward pumps are 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. That means a frame or soft-sided pool that gets packed away for the winter isn't one Hayward's manual allows this pump on.

Where it goes

• Below the pool's water line. The manual puts it there for best performance, and Hayward Support says the Matrix is designed for a flooded plumbing system. 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 18 inches of clearance around it for service.
• 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. The circuit has to be GFCI-protected, and the manual says never to use an extension cord. It also names extension cords among the causes of a motor that keeps shutting off.

Fit unions on both ports, so the pump comes off easily for service and for winter storage indoors. 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.

Bond it with a solid copper No. 8 AWG wire from the lug on the outside of the motor. Hayward Support confirmed it's the external lug, not the ground screw behind the switch.

There's no timer built in. Hayward Support says it doesn't make one, and points to timer makers such as Intermatic.

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 and flowing, it primes itself. If it hasn't primed in 10 minutes, stop it and find out why.

On the two-speed models, the high-low switch is on the back. Hayward Support pointed an owner there, and told another whose pump ran only on high to see a service center.

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 or 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 dry 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. 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. The manual suggests a rubber pad under the motor's feet for vibration.

When an owner asked why the strainer wouldn't fill all the way, Hayward Support's answer started from the same point: the Matrix is designed for a flooded system, with the pump below the pool's water level.

Changing the seal

The manual's steps, for a qualified person:

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 shroud, 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, 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, and fill the strainer before you restart it.

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. Store it somewhere dry, without wrapping it in plastic. If you blow out the lines, use a blower under 5 psi, never compressed air, and use only propylene glycol as antifreeze.

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.

Hayward also sells the Matrix with a filter as a system. For one owner replacing an SP1593 filter system, Hayward Support named the pump alone as the SP1593 and the whole system as the CC15093S.

Where Hayward's documents disagree, or are unclear

• Horsepower in the web addresses. Hayward's product page addresses call the SP1592 "1 hp" and the SP1593 "1.5 hp" with a "6 cord". The pages themselves say 0.85 and 1.1 total horsepower and a 3-foot cord, and so does DOE. This page uses the pages and DOE.
• Speeds. The product pages for both two-speed models list Number of Speeds: Single Speed. DOE rates both as two-speed, and Hayward Support describes the high-low switch.
• The two two-speeds. The SP15922S's page is titled "1.0 HP" while its address says 0.85, and DOE rates it the same as the SP15932S. Hayward's parts lookup returns nothing for the SP15922S.
• Motors and impellers. The manual lists motors by nameplate horsepower, including 2 and 2½ HP units, and leaves the impeller blank. Hayward's parts lookup lists two impellers and five motors. Neither says which model takes which.
• The 1½ HP two-speed motor. The manual calls it SPX1515Z2WS. The parts lookup calls it SPX1515Z2ES.