The 6 Best Pool Cover Pump Options You Can Buy (2024)

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A pool cover pump can be a lifesaver during those off months when your pool is covered up. Without a pool cover pump, all of your hard work closing the pool could be in jeopardy. There are lots of bad things that can happen if your pool cover accumulates too much water. Using a pool pump cover can make sure that your cover and your pool get through an offseason with less damage. We have found some of the best pool cover pump options for inground and above ground pools.

The Best Inground Pool Cover Pump Reviews

1. Best Overall: Little Giant Automatic Swimming Pool Cover Submersible Pump

The Little Giant Automatic Swimming Pool Cover is a great choice for setting it and forgetting its solution. This is a submersible pump that will make it, so you don’t need to worry about checking on your pool cover every day. This Little Giant will work with any 3/4 inch garden hose.

The Little Giant will start working when there are two inches of water on the pool cover. This is a lightweight and compact model that is still capable of working in a larger inground pool.

Pros

• Fair prices for automatic pool cover pump
• Submersible option that you can set and forget
• Automatically activates in two inches of water

Cons

• Automatic pumps are always more expensive

2. Best Value: FibroPool Electric Swimming Pool Winter Cover Drain Pump

The FibroPool Electric Swimming Pool pump is a great manual option that will save you both time and money. With the Fibro Pool, you will be able to drain about 600 gallons of water per hour. Certainly, this will be enough to work on your inground pool cover.

This option also comes with a 22-foot kink-proof hose that makes it so that you won’t need to attach your own garden hose. With a 75 watt motor and a 16-foot power cord, this is a tool that every pool owner should have to get through a winter season with their pool.

Pros

• Very easy to setup
• Comes with its own hose
• Works on both inground and above ground pools

Cons

• Manual pump requires a bit more work/time from a homeowner

3. Best Premium: Wayne Pool Cover Pump

If you want the best of the best, this Wayne Pool Cover Pump is a great choice. The Wayne has an advanced iSwitch technology that will turn the pump on and off depending on the amount of water present. You can leave the pump plugged in and not have to worry about this pump doing its job.

Wayne comes with automatic freeze protection to ensure that the pump will not seize up when it gets cold. When your pool cover has just over 2 inches of water accumulating, the Wayne will turn on, and it won’t turn off until less than 3/4 inches have been discovered in the pool.

Pros

• Premium construction
• Automatically turns on and off
• High flow rate and strainer base to reduce clogs

Cons

• Pricing is higher than others

The Best Above Ground Pool Cover Pump Reviews

4. Best Overall: JANZ Automatic Pool Cover Pump

The JANZ Automatic Pool Cover Pump is a powerful and efficient solution designed to manage and remove excess water from your pool cover, ensuring its longevity and maintaining its condition. This submersible pump boasts a high flow rate of up to 1,600 gallons per hour, making it significantly faster than standard pumps.

With features like an automatic float switch, stable wide base, and built-in temperature control, this pump offers convenience, reliability, and protection against motor damage. The included hose adapters and barrier bag make setup and maintenance easy, providing a comprehensive draining solution for pool owners.

Pros

• Drains up to 1,600 GPH, making it twice as fast as standard pumps.
• Automatic float switch activates and deactivates based on water level.
• Weighted base prevents tipping, ensuring continuous operation.
• Built-in temperature control protects the motor from overheating.

Cons

• Needs more than 2 inches of water to activate.
• May still clog in very dirty conditions despite the barrier bag.
• Primarily designed for pool covers, not versatile for other tasks.

5. Best Value: EDOU 850 GPH Swimming Pool Cover Pump Above Ground, Including 16′ Drainage Hose and 3 Adapters

The EDOU GPH Swimming pool cover for the above-ground pool covers is a manual design, but it is very efficient and easy to setup. You will notice that this pool cover pump kit will easily attach to your 3/4 inch garden hose. Within a matter of minutes, you will be set up and running with your cover pump.

One of our favorite things about this model is that it will pump 850 gallons per hour. If you are in a bad situation with our pool cover and water, the EDOU will make it a very quick fix. You will also get three adapters to make sure you can get this pool cover pump to work with your current setup at home.

Pros

• Easy to setup
• Priced very fairly
• Good water removal features

Cons

• Manual pump, must still check the pool every day

6. Best Premium: WAYNE WWB WaterBUG Submersible Pump with Multi-Flo Technology

If you want a serious but compact submersible pool cover pump, this is a great choice. Although this is still a manual option, it has very fast water removal weights, and you will not need a large area to store it. The Multi Flo Technology also makes this a good pump for general water removal, not just above ground pool covers.

The Wayne WWB Water Bug will pump up to 1257 gallons per hour. If you have a project where your pool needs to be drained, this pump could be a lifesaver. This is one of those products that you will use much more often than you think to take care of water removal.

Pros

• Very efficient and compact design
• Sets up quickly and pumps water very fast
• Can be used for a variety of purposes

Cons

• Still needs to be manually turned on and off

What Is a Pool Cover Pump and What Does It Do?

A pool cover pump is a submersible pump that will drain water from the cover of your swimming pool in the offseason; the cover is put on the pool to protect it from leaves and debris. The pool cover does a great job of keeping your pool clean; however, it also blocks water from entering your pool. With nowhere for this water to go, you will need to have a pump to remove the water.

Reasons You Need a Pool Cover Pump

There are three fundamental reasons that you need a pool cover pump. We will explain each of these in detail so that you can understand why this is a justified expense for your pool.

Remove Water From the Pool Top

The most basic reason to own a pool pump cover is to remove water from the top of the pool. The removal of the water is a big benefit when you consider the trouble that standing water can cause in your yard. Not only is this water dangerous from a drowning perspective, but it can attract mosquitos and other bugs to breed in the standing water.

Lower Overall Weight on Cover

Water is really heavy. In fact, a square foot of water weighs about five pounds. If you think about a small above-ground pool with a square foot of water covering the entire top, you will be looking at close to 1500 pounds of water. Although our pool covers are meant to be able to hold some weight, certainly 1500 pounds or more is a bit excessive. Getting the water off the top of the pool will keep your cover and pool walls in much better condition.

Make Opening Easier

Eventually, you are going to have to remove water from your pool top when it comes time to open the pool. If you don’t have a pool cover pump, you will spend quite a bit of time trying to remove all of the water and get your cover to the point that you can remove it. If you think that opening is the only time you will need a pump, go for one of the manual lower-priced pumps.

Considerations for Buying a Pool Cover Pump

Overall, pool cover pumps are a rather simple purchase. Considering all of the products you need for a pool, it’s nice to have something that will not require all that much research to find a great option. Here are the things we recommend you consider before purchasing a winter pool cover pump.

Manual vs. Automatic

There are two basic types of pool cover pumps. One that will remove water on its own and the other that will need to be turned on and off manually. The manual pool pumps tend to be less money, yet they require you to check on your pool often and making sure that you remove water when you see it start to accumulate.

Automatic pumps will turn on when the water reaches a certain height. These are a better choice for those who often forget to check on their pool or travel out of town. Automatic pumps will typically turn on when there are about 2 inches of water in the pool and turn off when there is less than 3/4 inch left.

Hose Connection

Some pool cover pumps will come with their own hose, and others will need you to connect your current garden house. If you don’t want to use your current hose or are worried about finding the proper connection, choose something with its own hose.

Most pumps will have a filter that will keep leaves and other debris from being sucked into the pump. You should not have to worry about any issues coming up with your current hose getting clogged.

Water Removal Rate

Pool cover pumps work at different rates. Depending on the type of pump you purchase, it may pump water very slowly. For a manual pool pump, we recommend something that is quite fast. Let’s remember that it’s probably going to be winter, and you will be standing outside in the cold, monitoring the water removal on the pool cover. Chances are, you will want this to happen rather quickly!

Pricing

Pool cover pumps tend to vary in price from under $40 to over $150. The most common reason for a price difference is going to be between the manual and automatic pumps. The automatic pumps tend to cost about double the price of a manual.

How to Pump Water off Pool Cover

If you are using an automatic pool cover pump, you will not need to do much to pump the water off the pool. Simply set up your unit and then make sure that it is plugged in and ready to work when needed. If you have a manual pool pump, there are going to be a few more steps involved.

Step 1: Inspect Pool Cover

The first step is to inspect your pool cover and determine if it needs to have water pumped off. You will want to pump water when about one or more inches have accumulated on the top of the cover. This amount of water needs to be removed before too much weight accumulates.

Step 2: Insert Pump

Once you have determined that the pool cover pump will be necessary, move it to the pool area where the water has accumulated. You will want to ensure that your hoses are all in place before putting the pump in the center.

Step 3: Turn Pump on and Monitor

Turn your pump on and watch that the water is being drained to a good spot in your yard. Remember that you will not be able to pump snow from your pool cover. You have to shovel the snow off and then pump out any remaining water. It is essential that you monitor your pool pump cover as it is working; if you walk away and all the water is gone, you will quickly burn up your pump.

Step 4: Turn Pump off, Put Away

Once there is hardly any water on your pool cover, you can turn the pump off and store it away. Some people leave their pump in the center of the pool for the winter. If you do this, make sure that your pump has some antifreeze capabilities to not ruin your pump by leaving it out. We typically like to bring ours in and out when it is necessary.

Pool Cover Pump FAQ

Recap: The Best Pool Cover Pumps

Pool cover pumps help you keep your pool in great shape during the offseason. Without a pool cover pump, you risk your entire pool cover collapsing. You can also save quite a bit of money monitoring this process yourself and making pool opening much easier. Having to hire a pool services company to handle this process will likely cost much more than the price of a single pool cover pump.

Pricing on this page was last updated on 2024-08-31