Something that will keep coming up when you research how to open your pool, especially when you have a solid winter cover, is a cover pump. If you have a solid cover, a cover pump is practically mandatory.
A cover pump is just like it sounds - a pump to pull water off your cover. Some can be used all winter long to prevent any water from accumulating, others you need to take out and put back onto your pool cover each time you want to pump water off of the cover. Some are manual, so you need to turn it on and off whenever there’s enough water to pump, and some are automatic, meaning that they pump as soon as there’s enough water to pump. In general, the higher the GPH, the better and the faster your cover will drain.
It is important to make sure that you don’t have any debris enter your cover pump - one great way to do this is to either use a leaf skimmer, or protect your pump by running it with either a milk crate or a bucket with small holes drilled in it over the pump.
Here’s a quick comparison of some pumps that we carry at PoolSupplies.com, so you can choose what’s best for you.
The economical option on our list, the Aqua Select® Cover Siphon, pumps the water off your cover without any electricity at all. Simply place the drain on top of your pool cover, and squeeze the siphon pump until water begins to flow. The drain will do all the work and automatically stop when the cover is drained.
Coming in 350 and 500 GPH (Gallons Per Hour) options, this water pump is completely submersible, clog-resistant, uses a standard garden hose fitting and comes with an extra long 25’ power cord. Now might be a good time to mention - you don’t want to use extension cords with cover pumps as it can cause damage to the pump. This is why longer power cords are something to look out for! With only one moving part, The Cover Pump is also easy to maintain. It will move water to within ⅛” of the cover pump.
You might also want to consider the 350 GPH Automatic Pump. This is a version of the pump that automatically switches on when the water level reaches 1 ½” in depth and will remove water as low as ¾”.
Available in either 350 GPH or 800 GPH, and either Manual or Automatic, the Rx Clear® Cover Pump uses just a standard garden hose fitting. The 350 GPH is perfect for small swimming pools, and the 800 GPH is capable of pumping the cover of larger pools.
If you need something that packs a little more punch, there’s always the Rx Clear®1500 GPH Swimming Pool Cover Pump. This small but mighty pump is completely submersible and operates at 1500 GPH, and with a clog resistant filter pad and a 30’ reusable discharge hose to filter water off your winter pool cover. The pump features a large stabilizing base and is simple to set up with it’s 25’ power cord. This pump can be used for inground and above ground swimming pools.
Little Giant's uniquely designed, automatic pool cover pump is ideal for removing water from all types of pool covers. The pump comes equipped with a low energy consumption, permanent split capacitor (PSC) motor. The motor is mounted in a sealed, stainless steel housing and cooled by the flow of the pumping fluid over the motor housing.
Depending on the amount of lift required, the Little Giant can reach up to 1745 GPH!
