Best Pool Cover Pumps
The best pool cover pump for most people is the Little Giant APCP-1700, an automatic submersible pump that switches itself on when about two inches of water pools on the cover and shuts off once the cover is drained, so you can leave it out all season and never think about it. The one decision that actually matters is automatic versus manual: an automatic pump has a float switch and babysits itself, while a cheaper manual pump usually moves water faster but has to be plugged in, watched, and unplugged before it runs dry, because running a submersible pump dry is what burns out the motor. If your cover collects water after every rain, an automatic pump is worth it; if you drain a cover only a few times a season, a manual utility pump does the job for less. Clearing standing water matters because a puddle sags the cover, drowns it under the next storm, breeds mosquitoes, and dumps dirty water into the pool when you pull the cover, which is exactly the mess you are trying to avoid when you open the pool in spring. Here are the picks, sorted by how you plan to use them.
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Little Giant APCP-1700 Automatic Pool Cover Pump
Who it is for: Any winter or solar cover that collects water regularly and that you want to drain itself without you touching it.
- +The built-in float switch turns the pump on when roughly two inches of water collects and off once the cover is drained, so it runs only when it needs to and cannot burn out from running dry.
- +It is purpose-built for covers: a 1/3 HP motor moves around 1,700 gallons an hour at low lift, enough to keep up with heavy rain on a normal residential cover.
- +The legs and screened base hold the intake up off the cover so it pulls water, not the leaves and grit that settle into the low spot.
Watch out: It leaves a thin film of water because the intake sits slightly above the cover, which is normal for an automatic pump and not a defect. Run the discharge hose well away from the pool so the water cannot drain back and re-trigger it.
Wayne WaterBUG (WWB) Submersible Water Removal Pump
Who it is for: Draining a cover quickly a few times a season, and anyone who wants a pump that also works as a household utility pump.
- +Top-and-bottom suction lets it pump water down to about 1/16 inch, so it leaves the cover nearly dry instead of the half inch a bottom-intake utility pump leaves behind.
- +It moves water fast, well over 1,000 gallons an hour, so a flooded cover clears in one session while you watch it.
- +The multi-discharge fitting and compact body mean the same pump empties a clogged sink, a flooded window well, or a hot tub when it is not on cover duty.
Watch out: This is a manual pump. You have to plug it in, stay nearby, and unplug it before it runs the cover dry, because letting a submersible pump run dry cooks the motor. If you want hands-off, buy the automatic pick.
Superior Pump 91250 1/4 HP Thermoplastic Utility Pump
Who it is for: A tight budget, and covers that only need draining occasionally after a big storm.
- +A 1/4 HP thermoplastic submersible moves around 1,200 gallons an hour for a fraction of the price of a purpose-built cover pump.
- +It handles cover duty, basement seepage, and draining a hot tub or window well, so it earns its keep as a general utility pump.
- +The thermoplastic housing shrugs off pool chemicals and will not rust sitting in standing water.
Watch out: It is a bottom-intake manual pump, so it leaves more water behind than a top-suction cover pump and has to be watched and unplugged before it runs dry. Add a garden hose long enough to carry the water away from the pool.
Wayne WAPC250 Automatic Oil-Free Pool Cover Pump
Who it is for: Large covers, mesh safety covers, and rainy climates where a small automatic pump cannot keep up with the volume.
- +It is automatic like the Little Giant, sensing when water collects and shutting off when the cover is clear, but it moves a lot more water per hour so it keeps up on a big cover during a downpour.
- +The oil-free motor means there is no oil to leak onto your cover or into the pool if the housing is ever compromised.
- +It sits low and pulls water down close to the cover, so it clears the puddle instead of leaving a standing pond.
Watch out: It is overkill and a waste of money on a small above-ground cover; the standard automatic pick moves plenty for those. Like any automatic pump, pull it and store it indoors before a hard freeze so trapped water cannot freeze and crack the housing.
What actually matters when buying
Automatic or manual is the real decision. An automatic pump has a float or sensor switch that starts it when water pools and stops it when the cover is clear, so you leave it out and forget it, which is what you want on a winter cover that collects water all season. A manual pump is cheaper and usually moves water faster, but you have to plug it in, watch it, and unplug it before the cover runs dry, because running a submersible pump dry is the fastest way to burn out the motor. Buy automatic if your cover collects water often; buy manual if you drain it only a few times a year and do not mind babysitting it.
Match the flow rate to your cover and your rain. Flow is measured in gallons per hour, and it drops as the pump has to lift water higher or push it through a longer hose. For a cover you have almost no lift, so a pump rated around 1,200 to 1,700 gallons an hour clears a normal residential cover fine. If you have a large cover or you get heavy, frequent rain, step up to a high-capacity pump so the water does not pile up faster than the pump can move it and sink the cover under the weight.
How low it drains decides whether you get mosquitoes. A pump that leaves half an inch of water leaves a breeding pond and a sagging cover. Top-suction designs like the WaterBUG pull water down to about 1/16 inch and leave the cover nearly dry, while bottom-intake utility pumps leave more behind. Automatic cover pumps sit slightly above the cover so they always leave a thin film, which is normal; the goal is no standing puddle, not a bone-dry cover.
You need a long enough discharge hose. Most cover pumps take a standard garden hose on the discharge, and a few include a short one, but you almost always want your own. Run the hose far enough that the water drains away from the pool and cannot flow back onto the cover, or an automatic pump will just cycle on the same water forever. Downhill and away from the foundation is the rule, and a longer hose is cheap insurance against a pump that never shuts off.
Keep it off the silt and out of the freeze. A cover collects leaves and grit that settle into the low spot along with the water, so keep the pump up on its base or legs and rinse the intake screen when flow drops. And pull the pump before a hard freeze, because water left inside the housing can freeze and crack it, which is the most common way these pumps die after the motor. Drain it, rinse it, and store it dry indoors over deep winter and it lasts years longer. A cover pump is part of the same routine as the rest of your seasonal maintenance.
How we picked
This is a research-based guide. We compare pool cover pumps on the factors that change the buy, automatic versus manual operation, flow rate, how low the pump drains the cover, and clog resistance, weighed against a broad set of owner reviews across the established brands. We do not bench-test pumps, and we take no payment for placement. Every product here is a real, currently sold model, and a commission never changes a pick. Follow the manufacturer's instructions, and never let a submersible pump run dry.
Keep your water right, too
Gear handles the cleaning; chemistry is the other half. Useful next: how to winterize a pool, best solar pool covers, how to open a pool, pool maintenance schedule.
Frequently asked questions
Who makes the best pool cover pump?
The established makers are Little Giant, Wayne, and Superior Pump, and our overall pick is the Little Giant APCP-1700 because it is a true automatic cover pump that turns itself on and off and is built to sit on a cover all season. Wayne makes the best manual option, the WaterBUG, which drains a cover nearly dry and doubles as a household utility pump, plus a high-capacity automatic, the WAPC250, for large covers. Superior Pump is the budget choice. Pick by how hands-off you want to be: automatic if the cover collects water often, manual if you drain it only a few times a year.
What is the best way to pump water off a pool cover?
A submersible pump made for the job is the best way, set on top of the cover in the low spot where the water collects, with a garden hose running the water well away from the pool. An automatic pump with a float switch is the least effort because it starts and stops itself; a manual pump is faster and cheaper but you have to watch it and unplug it before it runs dry. Skip the shop vac and the siphon: a wet-dry vac fills up fast, and a siphon needs the water to sit higher than the drain point and often will not start. Never scoop or push the standing water into the pool, because that dumps dirty, unbalanced water straight into your chemistry.
What is the life expectancy of a pool cover pump?
A pool cover pump typically lasts about three to five years, and how you treat it decides where you land in that range. The two things that kill these pumps early are running the motor dry, which overheats it, and leaving water inside the housing to freeze and crack it over winter. Use an automatic pump so it never runs dry, or watch a manual one closely, and pull the pump out and store it dry indoors before a hard freeze. A pump that is drained, rinsed, and stored between seasons routinely outlasts the five-year mark.
Is a pool cover pump the same as a regular pool pump?
No. A pool cover pump is a small submersible pump whose only job is removing rainwater and snowmelt off the top of a pool cover; it does not filter or circulate the pool. A regular pool pump is the main circulation pump that pushes water through the filter and heater all season, and it is a larger, permanently plumbed machine. If you are shopping for the pump that runs your filter, see our best pool pumps guide instead. This guide is only about clearing water off the cover.
Should I get an automatic or manual pool cover pump?
Get an automatic pump if your cover collects water regularly, which is most winter covers and any cover in a rainy climate, because it switches on and off by itself and you never have to remember to drain the cover or worry about the pump running dry. Get a manual pump if you only need to drain the cover a handful of times a season, you want the water gone faster, or you want one pump that also handles household jobs. Manual pumps cost less and usually move more water per hour, but the tradeoff is that you have to plug them in, watch them, and unplug them before they run dry.