Pump for pool cover?

[seeberger]

Hello,
We had our in-ground pool closed yesterday with a solid cover and water bags. The pool person recommended a pump for removing water from the top of the cover. I looked at some in the pool store and they seem a bit expensive?? Can you use a pond or fountain pump from Home Depot? Is the pump really necessary and do you leave it out there all winter long? Some pumps were automatic and some were not??? I'm just not sure what to do! Thanks for your help!

 

[JasonLion]

There are many ways to deal with cover pumps and different kinds of pumps are preferred in different situations.

You do need to remove any water that accumulates on a solid pool cover. That can be done manually with a syphon, with a pump that you turn on when it is needed, or with an automatic pump. Personally, I like to use an automatic pump, since I can ignore it most of the fall/spring and it just works. Both of the other two approaches are fine if you are available to do a little extra work. A syphon can be as simple as a length of garden hose.

You do need to take the pump out of the pool when it is noticeably below freezing.

Nearly any kind of small water pump will work as long as it is designed for outdoor use. You do need some kind of intake protection, so the pump doesn't draw the cover into the inlet and get clogged. Most pumps have a suitably protected inlet, but there are a few that need an inlet screen or other protection added.

 

[seeberger]

Thanks Jason ... I was also wondering about the weight of the pool pumps. The one I looked at seemed kind of heavy and my vinyl cover seems so thin. Is there ever an issue with the pump weighing too much? The fountain/pond pumps were smaller and didn't weigh much at all, but then maybe they don't work well either? This is my first time to close a pool and everything seems to be stressing me out. Next year I want to look into getting a safety cover. Thanks again.

 

[JasonLion]

The pool cover can hold a fairly large pump, mine is 1/3 HP (larger than you really need). The water holds up the weight. Smaller pumps take longer to get the water off of the cover, but that isn't a problem. I have a cover pump on the large end of the range so I can use it for other tasks where the flow rate matters.