Everyone knows that you need to keep a pool cover clear of water and how this is accomplished is up to each individual. I have used a siphon method for years but this year that option was just not working for me for some odd reason beyond my control. Out of frustration and a need to remove the water as a pair of wild ducks had taken to using my pool cover as their own personal pond for daily swims, it was a need to get it done NOW that pushed me to find a solution to the problem.

In searching the web for a portable water pump I came across this Attwood Waterbuster Portable Power Pump which was sold at a local big box store. According to the web site of the store there were two pumps available at my local store. So off I went to pick up the pump for $37.74 and three D sized batteries as an additional purchase. All told the initial investment for the pump and six batteries including tax was roughly $52.00.

I came home took the pump out of the box and wow is it tiny! The pump is only 5 inches across, stands 7 inches tall and weighs just a few pounds, about the size of a small coffee can. To install the batteries you need to twist the cap handle off counter-clock wise and pull out the battery housing, being careful not to yank it out which would break the wiring harness. Follow the diagram to install batteries with the correct plus and minus signs facing the right direction. Turn the cap handle back clock wise and push the small black rubber on/off switch to see if it turns on. You should hear a little humming sound of the motor running if it turned on; push the rubber switch again to shut off.

Now that I had it all ready to go it was time to put this little pump to work. I used a short length of rope and long pole to suspend this pump over the water that I needed to pump off the pool cover. I attached a length of garden hose that ran from the pool to the front curb for discharge (approximately 100 feet). I switched the pump on and lowered it in to the water being sure not to submerge it as this pump is NOT waterproof. The pump pulled the water off the cover and down the length of hosing discharging it out at the curb for the sewer.

It only took about an hour and a half for this pump to clear off the cover of approximately a foot and a half of water. I have used it since then to keep the cover empty of water from the rainstorms we’ve had in the past two weeks. I put the pump in the pool net and slide it to the water and let it do the job. Today I noticed the batteries must be getting a little weak but once I got it siphoning and attached the hose to it, it kept pulling the water off the cover. I’m pretty sure I should change out these batteries should I have more than just a couple of gallons of water on the cover.

While this is not a super powerful pump for big jobs, it handled getting water off of a pool cover without the use of electricity. That alone is a big plus for me as I do not want to mix water and electricity plus it was only a small job that needed to be accomplished.

Recommended: Yes