Between Hayward and Jandy, go Jandy. Better gear.

The Polaris 280 or 3900 are far superior. The 360 doesn't use a booster. The 380 does.

Toss up on the salt cells but since Jandy offers an extended warranty when you purchase a complete system....no brainer.

Cartridges and DE filter cleaning cycles are environment dependent. Cartridges usually last about 4 years before they need replacing.

Chemistry needs are different for every pool. I suggest you read the Pool School at www.troublefreepools.com (aka TFP) for how to care for the pool. DE is about $1 a lb. Baking soda, Washing soda for balancing, about the same, $1/lb. Muriatic acid is about $15/gal but if you used more that a gallon a year after the 1st year, I would be surprised. Test kit is about $100 with shipping for a quality kit that tests what is important.

Scott

As always thank you Scott for the feedback!
Why do feel Jandy is better...is it more reliable? I only ask because it seems a lot of PBs use Hayward.

Regarding the cartridge filters, do you know about how much the cartridges run?

Also with the DE filter how often would i have to backwash? Is this a large waste of water?

Thanks again...you and many others who post often are providing a great service to us newbies!

Reliability is 1, Engineering is 2, Local support is pretty darned good too for #3.

Hayward is, for the most part, just cheaply built gear. They have a few good items, but as a total system goes, they have never been able to impress me with a desire to make things better, just cheaper and cheaper isn't usually a good sign of quality.

To this day, I still love the Super Pump. I use them for my own needs as they are cheap, easy to work on, and parts are easy to find when I need them. I beat on them pretty hard. But anything else, I can live without.

Scott

I am not alone in that.