How do you change the handle on a top mount Hayward pool filter???

We can not compress the spring enough to get the pin to go into the handle.

PLEASE HELPHow do you change the handle on a top mount Hayward pool filter???
What you need to do is get some longer screws that work with the nuts that come with the valve (they need to have the same thread, and they need to be several inches longer so they can engage the nuts in the bottom of the valve without the spring being compressed. 3 should do it. The longer screws will do the work for you...



The trick is (if you're not already doing it) to reassemble the top half in the body of the valve, not separately...



Reassemble the top half of the valve in the body of the valve itself using the longer screws (An electric screwdriver works easiest for this). Put the rotor in the body of the valve, then the spring on the rotor shaft (don't forget the metal washers if they're there), then the top of the valve so the rotor shaft sticks through it. Use every other screw hole, and tighten each down a little at a time. (So the top stays realtively level as it's being tightened... don't tighten down one side too much at one time.) When you get the 3 tightened all the way down, the pin will be able to be tapped in easily (just a matter of lining it up correctly... Also, make sure the open section of the rotor is facing the same way with regards to the pointer on the handle as it was when you took it out.) Once you get the pin in, replace the original screws back in the valve, and you're all set.



I came up with this method after breaking a few valve tops over the years (I used to try compressing them in a vise... the way I was taught...)