POOLPURE PLF81A Pool Filter Cartridge (Hayward SwimClear C3030, 4-pack)
Best for a SwimClear C3030 — certified, and $57 an element under Guardian — 81 sq ft element, four required, 19 5/8" x 7". Same fitment as Guardian's 719-174-04 at $97.49 an element and Hayward's own at $77.85 — this is $40.00, with the larger owner record of the two aftermarket options.
How to read a Showdown Score™
The only score that counts how often a product breaks, not just how owners feel about it.
- Three parts add up to the score: what owners rate it, how often it fails them, and whether a credentialed tester backed it.
- Bands: Exceptional 8.5 and up, Excellent 7.5, Very good 6.5, Good 5.5, Fair 4, Poor below 4. Every score is dated.
- Price, the warranty and what a link pays us stay out of it.
See what has been read
Specs
| Element | CX580XRE / PA81 / C-7483 / FC-1225 |
| Area | 81 sq ft each |
| Qty required | 4 (Hayward manual ISC2030) |
| Dimensions | 19 5/8" long x 7" OD |
| Fits | SwimClear C3000 / C3020 / C3025 / C3030 |
| Sold by | POOLPURE Store (direct) |
| Warranty | 90 days |
Pros
- Model PLF81A is on an active IAPMO NSF/ANSI 50 certificate (file W-11809)
- 527 ratings, unpooled — the reviews are about this cartridge
- $40.00 per element against $77.85 for the genuine Hayward part and $97.49 for Guardian
Cons
- The certificate is held by the manufacturer, YUNDA H&H Tech of Tianjin, under the brand name Spring Source — POOLPURE is not named on it
- NSF/ANSI 50 covers health effects and validated filtration area only; nothing certifies how well or how long the cartridge filters
No dominant failure mode in the critical tail for this fitment.
10% of 527 ratings are critical (1-3★) · critical reviews read August 2026
FAQ
Who is the POOLPURE PLF81A Pool Filter Cartridge (Hayward SwimClear C3030, 4-pack) for?
Hayward SwimClear C3000, C3020, C3025 and C3030 owners.
What do owners say about the POOLPURE PLF81A Pool Filter Cartridge (Hayward SwimClear C3030, 4-pack)?
4.6★ across 527 owner ratings (Amazon, read August 2026). What owners complain about: No dominant failure mode in the critical tail for this fitment.
What is the warranty on the POOLPURE PLF81A Pool Filter Cartridge (Hayward SwimClear C3030, 4-pack)?
90 days
Warranty — and what changes if you buy it on Amazon
90 days · you are buying this on Amazon
Read it yourself: POOLPURE warranty document · we read it . Terms change without announcement, so treat this as a dated snapshot. How warranty works by buy path →
✓ Safety: no active recall — No CPSC recall found for POOLPURE, PoolPure or PLF-series cartridges (saferproducts.gov recall API, ProductName and RecallTitle, checked 2026-09-23; a Hayward control returned recall 19136 in the same session)
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Data last verified: August 2026. Ratings are real, dated reads — never scraped or invented. Full methodology and monetization disclosure: how we test.