Hayward SP0729 Econoline 2-Way Ball Valve

I originally bought a Chinese knock off of this product and it was terrible, i returned it right away, then I decided to buy the Hayward one which I knew would be worth it, great product so far.

This is a good ball valve for the money. Keep in mind that if you don't deinstall for the winter in cold areas, the casing will crack and leak. You have to either make sure there's no water in the valve when winterizing or remove and plug. That said, the valve moves easily and it very easy to install.

I was having problems opening and closing the valve. It turned out the hose adapter fitting that actually comes with the valve got tightened inadvertently when I was hooking up the hoses. This made the adapter get inserted so far that it interfered with the ball valve.

I have this attached to the bottom of the Hayward Skimmer I have installed on the side of my pool. I use it to cut off the water when I need to service the pool pump. I have had absolutely no issues with it at all. Everything is sturdy and no water gets through when I shut off the water. It's been about 2 months now with no issues at all. I'll update if anything changes after the first season of use.

I've read other reviews that said these were problematic. I had no issues with these and they were easy to install.

If you have a skimmer, this is a must to be able to stop water from entering pumpWhile cleaning out skimmer in pump. Too bad they don’t come automatically included with skimmers.

Sturdy and easy to put on Hayward Extreme pump

Threaded in nicely. I am using it on the bottom of the skimmer to stop flow to allow for filter maintenance when the pump is off. The ball itself leaks-not the threads and it is Not under pressure and was only hand tightened. (haven’t installed the pump yet) So much for genuine Hayward parts. $30 for nothing…PS: says Hayward and underneath says “Made in China”