What do the letters at the start of a Hayward part number mean?
They tell you which machine it came off, which makes a half legible number much more useful than it looks. Counting across the Hayward parts we carry: SX is sand filter, CX cartridge filter, DEX and ECX are DE filters, AX is a cleaner, CL a chlorinator or feeder, GLX is Gold Line automation and salt, HP a heat pump, and SP is the pump along with the fittings and skimmer hardware around it. So even if the digits are worn off, the first two or three letters put you on the right shelf.
What does the W3 on the front of a Hayward number mean?
It sits on current machines rather than on parts. Of the Hayward products we stock whose number begins W3, the great majority are whole goods, pumps, sand filters and heaters, and almost none are components. So if your number starts W3 you are almost certainly looking at the machine's own number and not a part number, which is the right thing to search when you want a replacement unit. Do not assume you can simply drop the W3 to find a part: across our whole Hayward range exactly one number exists in both forms.
DEX or ECX: which DE filter do I have?
Two different Hayward DE designs, and the prefix is the quickest way to tell them apart. ECX numbers belong to the Perflex family, which uses flex tubes and a bump handle you work to shake the powder loose. DEX numbers belong to the grid style filters, where DE coats a set of fabric covered grids inside the tank. They are not interchangeable in any respect, so the letters in front of the number on any old part you still have are worth more than a guess at the model.
AquaRite, Gold Line or OmniLogic: which do I have?
They are one lineage, which is why the parts share a prefix. Gold Line was the automation and salt company Hayward absorbed, and GLX is still stamped on the boards, cells, sensors and displays across the whole range: on our shelf GLX numbers sit on automation parts, salt system parts and salt generators alike. AquaRite is the salt system, OmniLogic the current automation platform, and a GLX number can belong to either. Read what the box on the wall says, then search the GLX number off the failed board.
