Hayward OEM Star-Clear Filter Head Gasket, CX250F

The Hayward CX250F is the gasket that seals the Star-Clear cartridge filter at the joint between the filter head and the tank body. It is the original Hayward part, listed for the Star-Clear filters C-250, C-500, C-750 and C-1000.

One part, two names

Hayward literature calls this piece a filter head gasket in one place and a tank body gasket in another, and some listings describe it as the lid gasket or o-ring. They all refer to the same seal, the one that closes the joint where the head clamps down onto the tank.

When to change it

That joint is where a Star-Clear leaks. The gasket takes a permanent set over years of being compressed and heated, and once the filter has been opened for a cartridge change it often will not reseal. If it looks flat, hard or cracked, or if the filter has started weeping at the seam, replace it. Fit a new one as a matter of course when installing a new Star-Clear filter head.