A better pool cover pump

[Quickstep192]

My pool has a solid cover. It really keeps the pool clean until spring startup. The downside is that a pool cover pump is needed to pump the rain off the cover.

I have the Little Giant pool cover pump. They should really have just called it “giant”.
It’s large and it heavy. It’s a workhorse, but It really makes the cover sag and, the water has to get really deep before the pump comes on. It also doesn’t pump the level very low when it does run.

Is there something lighter and maybe smaller that keeps the water level lower?

 

[Rocket J Squirrel]

I think you're asking for the impossible. The weight of the pump indeed causes cover sag, which causes the water to flow to the pump. Unless the pump is the low spot, how would you imagine the water would get to it?

 

[Quickstep192]

I think you're asking for the impossible. The weight of the pump indeed causes cover sag, which causes the water to flow to the pump. Unless the pump is the low spot, how would you imagine the water would get to it?

Just the weight of the cover itself creates a low spot in the middle. The water pools there without any weight from the pump. The heavy pump just deepens the low spot unnecessarily, causing there to be standing water.

 

[Rocket J Squirrel]

Does not your pool cover lie flat on the pool water surface? My auto-cover does, and that keeps it flat. The only time I have a dip in the middle is when the pump is sitting on it. Do you think you maybe need a higher pool water level to better and more uniformly support the cover?

My auto-cover drains by overflow into its spool vault at the deep end, which has a sewer drain at the bottom. I use the cover pump to relieve pressure on the vinyl cover mostly.

If your cover is not a typical motorized auto-cover, please describe it in detail.

 

[Quickstep192]

My cover looks like the one in this picture. (This isn’t mine, but mine is the same thing)

Mostly, I’m hoping to find a pump that gets the water level lower so there’s not a big puddle on the cover.

 

[Mdragger88]

I have this one, it pumps until water is down to 3/8 of an inch without the strainer attached and 3/4 of an inch with it attached. I sit it in a frisbee to prevent it pulling water through the cover.

1/4 HP Worry-Free Automatic Submersible Utility Pump

Amazing deals on this 1/4Hp Automatic Submersible Utility Pump at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.

www.harborfreight.com

The wayne cover pump operates similarly.

Looks like the little giant starts at 2in & stops at 1 in.

When I know there will be no precipitation for a while I remove it and the cover becomes bone dry in about a day.

 

[Quickstep192]

I have this one, it pumps until water is down to 3/8 of an inch without the strainer attached and 3/4 of an inch with it attached. I sit it in a frisbee to prevent it pulling water through the cover.

1/4 HP Worry-Free Automatic Submersible Utility Pump

Amazing deals on this 1/4Hp Automatic Submersible Utility Pump at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.

www.harborfreight.com

The wayne cover pump operates similarly.

Looks like the little giant starts at 2in & stops at 1 in.

When I know there will be no precipitation for a while I remove it and the cover becomes bone dry in about a day.

Thanks for the lead!!