Little Giant APCP-1700 Automatic Pool Cover Pump
The one that runs when you are not there — A purpose-built automatic pool cover pump with an integrated float switch: it starts itself in 2 inches of water and shuts off at 1 inch. That is the whole requirement for a cover pump, because the job is to sit on a cover for five months and handle rain you are not watching. Deepest owner base of any cover pump we found, and its reviewers are actually pool owners.
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⚔️ Matchup — Little Giant APCP-1700 Automatic Pool Cover Pump vs WAYNE WAPC250 Automatic Pool Cover Pump
Specs
| Switch | Integrated float — on at 2 in., off below 1 in. |
| Flow at 1 ft | 1,700 GPH |
| Flow at 5 ft | 1,400 GPH |
| Max head | 26 ft |
| Leaves behind | Under 1 in. |
| Motor | 1/3 HP, 115V, 2.2 A |
| Cord | 25 ft |
| Warranty | 3 years |
| Owner rating | 4.5★ / 5,628 |
Pros
- Automatic by design — the float switch means it handles a rainstorm at 3 a.m., which is the entire point of a cover pump and is exactly what a manual utility pump cannot do
- Deepest owner base in the category at 5,623 ratings, and unlike most deep bases in adjacent categories these really are pool-cover owners
- A 25 ft cord, which is usually the difference between reaching an outlet and buying an extension cord you did not plan for
- Legacy US pump brand (Little Giant, Franklin Electric) on a first-party listing rather than a marketplace rebadge
Cons
- Shuts off at 1 inch, so it never gets the cover dry — that is true of every automatic cover pump and is the trade for unattended operation
- At about $148 it is roughly double the generic 1 HP pumps, which buy more flow and no float switch
- 115V US pump — the visible one-star reviews include a European buyer who found that out the hard way
It dies around the warranty line. Owners report failures at one to two seasons — one pumped fine in December 2024 and was dead by December 2025 — and a separate thread has it losing prime or air-locking mid-winter, which is exactly when nobody is watching the cover. Several also confirm the caveat this guide already publishes: it stops with about an inch of water left, because that inch is what keeps the float from cycling dry.
5 of the 10 visible critical cards (of 495, against a 5,623 base) are failure inside a season or two, 2 are priming or air-lock, and 2 independently confirm the inch of standing water we already warn about · critical reviews read August 2026
“This Little Giant pool cover pump works great and has yet to clog (which, unfortunately, cannot be said about a cheaper one I tried).”— SSH, Amazon · Verified owner
Pro review “When you’re dealing with frequent storms or a high volume of rain, the Little Giant is a pump you can count on.”Hands-on: 7 pumps, 2 wks, on an inground cover after rain (tester Paul Rankin). Award heading printed 'Bet For Heavy Rainfall' (sic). Subscores Ease 4.5/5, Perf 5/5, Durability 5/5, Value 4.8/5; no overall. ~13 mo old; only credentialed hands-on test found.— Paul Rankin, Tony Carrick, Bob Vila
FAQ
Who is the Little Giant APCP-1700 Automatic Pool Cover Pump for?
Anyone leaving a cover pump out through the fall and spring rains, which is what a solid winter cover requires.
What do owners say about the Little Giant APCP-1700 Automatic Pool Cover Pump?
4.5★ across 5,628 owner ratings (Amazon, read August 2026 · global base). What owners complain about: It dies around the warranty line. Owners report failures at one to two seasons — one pumped fine in December 2024 and was dead by December 2025 — and a separate thread has it losing prime or air-locking mid-winter, which is exactly when nobody is watching the cover. Several also confirm the caveat this guide already publishes: it stops with about an inch of water left, because that inch is what keeps the float from cycling dry.
What is the warranty on the Little Giant APCP-1700 Automatic Pool Cover Pump?
3 years
✓ Safety: no active recall — No active CPSC recall found (checked August 2026).
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Data last verified: August 2026. Ratings are real, dated reads — never scraped or invented. Full methodology and monetization disclosure: how we test.