How to Connect a Hayward Inground Pool Filter System

Set the Hayward inground pool filter on a flat surface next to the pump, near the pool piping connections. The filter should be no more than 6 feet above the water's surface.

Wrap plumber's tape around the supplied pressure gauge. Screw the pressure gauge to the Hayward filter's body, in the hole in the side. Use a wrench to make the final turns to secure the pressure gauge in place. Give the drain cap a twist to make sure it is tight.

Run a garden hose to the Hayward filter and fill the tank halfway with water. Look over the lateral pieces -- the small pipes forming a circle -- to ensure none are cracked or broken. Insert the lateral pieces, and the pipe they are connected to, into the Hayward filter. Reach inside the filter and lower each lateral piece so it sticks straight out from the pipe. Center the pipe in the Hayward filter's opening.

Cover the pipe with masking tape, or a piece of cardboard from the packaging, and pour sand into the filter. The amount of sand you use depends on the model of your Hayward filter, so read the manufacturer's directions. Give the filter a gentle shake occasionally to level the sand's surface. Do not move the pipe.

Rub a silicone lubricant on the supplied O-ring (the rubber circle). Slide it over the valve and position it in the groove. Remove the tape or cardboard covering the pipe and push the valve on, with the two large holes facing the pump.

Lay the supplied tightening clamp over the valve. Tighten the clamp, using a Phillips screwdriver to turn the clamp's screw, just enough to hold the valve in place.

Wrap plumber's tape around four straight thread adapters' threads. Screw one adapter into the Hayward filter's pump port (the large hole located near the top of the valve), another in the return port (the large hole under the pump port) and a third into the Hayward filter's waste hole. Use a wrench to turn the adapters another half turn, to secure them in place. Screw the final adapter into the filter's discharge hole.

Cut two 3-inch pieces of straight PVC pipe using a hacksaw. Apply PVC pipe cement around the pipes' outside edges and insert them into the filter's adapters. Apply PVC pipe cement around the outside edges of the pipes' opposite ends and attach the union pieces.

Measure the distance from the union piece you just installed to the pump's discharge adapter, which you installed in Step 7. Transfer this measurement to a straight piece of PVC pipe. Cut the pipe with a hacksaw and glue it to the union. If the pump sits lower than the filter, glue a 90-degree elbow to the other end of the straight piece, then measure from the elbow down to the pump's discharge adapter. Transfer this measurement to another straight piece of PVC pipe. Glue one end to the elbow and the other end to the filter's adapter.

Measure the distance from the Hayward filter's return union to the pool's return port. Use elbows and straight pieces, like you did in Step 9, to reach the pool's port. Glue all the pieces together with PVC cement.

Insert PVC pipe into the Hayward filter's waste port and attach the waste water hose. Tighten the screw on the valve's tightening clamp to hold the valve in place. Do an initial flush of your system, according to your Hayward filter system's instructions.