How to Remove Standing Water From Your Above Ground Pool Cover This Winter

Written by the Faircovers TeamWe spend most of our time thinking about how above ground pool owners actually protect their pools season after season — this guide reflects patterns we see often from customers closing their pools for winter. 

How much water is actually sitting on your pool cover right now — and do you know what it weighs?

Most pool owners glance at a puddle on their cover and figure it'll evaporate or drain off on its own eventually. The problem is what happens between now and "eventually." Water is heavy, it doesn't stop accumulating on its own, and left alone through a winter of rain and snowmelt, it can do more damage to your pool cover — and your pool — than almost anything else that happens during the off-season.

Why Standing Water Is a Bigger Problem Than It Looks

A little water after a rainstorm looks harmless. The math tells a different story. Water weighs about 8.3 pounds per gallon, and a pool cover depression holding just 2 inches of water across a 16×32-foot cover area holds roughly 265 gallons — about 2,200 pounds. Scale that up, and even a modest accumulation adds serious, concentrated weight to a cover that was never designed to hold it.

That weight causes a few specific problems:

• Sagging and stress on seams. More than an inch of water on a solid cover can begin stressing the seams, and 2 to 4 inches can start pulling the cover down into the pool itself.

• Structural risk to above ground pool walls. For above ground pools specifically, the weight of accumulated water can pull on the pool walls and, in serious cases, contribute to wall collapse — a risk that doesn't exist with in-ground pools in the same way.

• Contaminated water intrusion. If the weight pulls the cover down far enough, standing water — along with whatever algae, debris, and bacteria have collected in it — can spill directly into your pool water, undoing months of careful winterizing chemistry in one event.

• Breeding ground for algae and mosquitoes. Standing water left in place for weeks doesn't just sit there — it turns green, grows algae, and attracts mosquitoes, turning a maintenance issue into a pest and water-quality issue as well.

• Freeze damage. Once temperatures drop below freezing, even an inch of standing water becomes a solid, damaging ice sheet overnight, adding a completely different kind of stress to cover material that wasn't built to hold rigid ice weight.
  
  
  

How Much Standing Water Is Actually Safe?

This is the number most pool owners don't know, and it matters more than almost anything else in this guide: most solid winter cover manufacturers recommend keeping standing water under 2 to 3 inches at any given time. Beyond that threshold, you're risking real strain on both the cover material and the pool structure underneath it.

To put that in perspective with real numbers:

Smaller above ground pools will see proportionally smaller totals, but the underlying rule holds regardless of pool size: the deeper the water gets, the faster the risk compounds, and it compounds in a way that isn't obvious just by looking at a shallow-seeming puddle.

How to Remove Standing Water From Your Pool Cover

Use a cover pump — the most reliable method. A small submersible cover pump, placed at the lowest point where water collects, is the standard solution for a reason: it's inexpensive, it's designed specifically for this job, and automatic models will turn on as soon as water reaches roughly a quarter-inch deep, working continuously without you having to monitor it during every rain event. Manual pumps work too, but require you to plug them in and run them yourself each time water accumulates, which matters if you're not checking on the pool regularly through the winter.

Choose the right pump size for your pool. Cover pumps are typically rated in gallons per hour (GPH), and larger pools or harsher winter climates call for a higher-capacity pump — often in the 1,500 GPH range for heavy-duty use. As a rule of thumb, a properly sized pump should be able to move water at least twice as fast as your area's maximum expected accumulation rate, so it never falls permanently behind during a heavy rain or rapid snowmelt.

Avoid siphoning as your primary method. Siphoning is sometimes mentioned as a backup option if you don't have a pump handy and have a low point nearby to drain toward, but it's genuinely a last resort — it won't remove all the water, it can be difficult to get started, and it's slow enough that it doesn't keep pace with ongoing accumulation the way a pump does.

Never use a large sump pump directly on the cover. It's tempting to reach for whatever pump is available, but oversized sump pumps can actually damage cover fabric through excessive suction or weight. Small, cover-specific submersible pumps are built for this exact surface and job.

Common Mistakes That Make Standing Water Worse

How Often Should You Check Your Pool Cover for Water?

Industry guidance from pool cover pump manufacturers generally recommends pumping off solid pool covers whenever standing water exceeds about 1 inch, which in most climates works out to roughly one to two checks per month during a typical winter. That said, this isn't a fixed schedule — a single heavy storm or a fast snowmelt can add hundreds of gallons in a day, which is exactly why an automatic pump that runs continuously, without you needing to remember a schedule, is worth the modest upfront cost for most above ground pool owners.

A practical rule for freezing climates: treat any standing water as time-sensitive whenever freezing temperatures are forecast within 24 to 48 hours. Waiting until after a freeze to deal with accumulated water means dealing with an ice sheet instead of a pump-friendly puddle — a meaningfully harder and more damage-prone problem.

The Real Cost of Skipping This Step

It's worth being direct about the numbers here, because the cost comparison is lopsided enough that it should settle the decision on its own.

A cover pump costing less than $100 is, in almost every realistic scenario, the cheapest item on this entire list — and it's the one purchase that helps prevent all of the others.

Cover Type Also Matters

Not every above ground pool cover handles standing water the same way, which is worth factoring in if you're choosing or replacing a cover before winter.

Solid covers — the most common choice for above ground poolsclosing for winter — block 100% of debris and sunlight, but by design, they also hold water on the surface rather than letting it pass through. This makes a cover pump close to essential for solid covers in any climate that sees regular winter rain or snow.

Mesh covers let water and snowmelt pass directly through into the pool, which means no pump management is required for water weight — a genuine convenience. The trade-off is that fine debris and sediment can pass through along with the water, meaning spring opening typically involves clearer starting water with a solid cover (paired with a pump) versus a slightly murkier start with a mesh cover, even though the mesh option required less winter maintenance.

For above ground pool owners prioritizing the clearest possible spring startup, a solid, UV-resistant cover — like a ratchet-strap-secured cover built from heavier fabric — paired with a basic cover pump plan generally delivers the best combination of protection and water clarity, without asking for much more than an occasional pump check through the season.

Stats Worth Knowing

• Just 6 inches of water on a pool cover can weigh up to 6 tons (12,000 pounds), creating significant structural risk if left in place. (Source: Pool Parts To Go)

• Most solid winter cover manufacturers recommend keeping standing water under 2 inches at any given time. (Source: Pool Parts To Go)

• Even an inch of standing water can become a damaging ice sheet overnight once temperatures drop below freezing, making prompt removal ahead of forecasted freezes especially important. (Source: Pool Parts To Go)

• The Pool & Hot Tub Alliance (PHTA) notes that standing water on a pool cover represents both a structural risk to the cover system and a safety hazard, and recommends regular removal as part of standard winterization. (Source: PHTA winterization guidance, via Pool Parts To Go)
  
  

Our Take

Faircovers Team

"The number one thing we tell customers closing their pool for the season is: don't treat the cover as 'set it and forget it.' A cover does its job all winter, but it still needs a few minutes of attention now and then — checking for standing water is the single easiest way to make sure the cover you invested in actually makes it to spring in good shape."

Frequently Asked Questions

How much standing water is too much on an above ground pool cover?
Most manufacturers recommend keeping standing water under 2 to 3 inches. Beyond that, the weight begins meaningfully stressing seams and, for above ground pools, can put pressure on the pool walls themselves.

Do I need a cover pump if I have a mesh cover?
No — mesh covers are designed to let water pass through rather than collect on the surface, which is one of their main advantages. The trade-off is that fine debris can pass through with the water, which may mean a less clear pool at spring opening compared to a solid cover paired with a pump.

How often should I check my pool cover for standing water?
As a general rule, check whenever more than an inch of water has accumulated, which in most climates works out to roughly one to two checks per month. Heavy storms or rapid snowmelt can accumulate water much faster, which is why an automatic pump is worth considering for hands-off protection.

Can I just let the water freeze and deal with it in spring?
This is one of the more damaging choices you can make. Frozen water adds rigid, concentrated weight that's harder to remove and more likely to stress or tear cover fabric than water that's pumped off while still liquid.

What size cover pump do I actually need?
Pump capacity is measured in gallons per hour (GPH), and the right size depends on your cover's surface area and your local rainfall or snowmelt patterns. As a rule of thumb, choose a pump rated to move water at roughly twice your area's maximum expected accumulation rate so it doesn't fall behind during heavy weather.

Addressing Common Objections

Some pool owners skip a cover pump, reasoning that a small amount of standing water "isn't a big deal" or that they'll deal with it when they open the pool in spring. The weight math tells a different story — even a shallow puddle adds hundreds of pounds quickly, and that weight doesn't stay constant; it accumulates with every rain event across an entire winter. A $35–$90 pump is a small, one-time cost against the very real possibility of a damaged cover, contaminated water, or pool wall stress that costs many times more to fix.

Limitations to Consider

• A pump doesn't eliminate the need for periodic checks. Even automatic pumps benefit from an occasional visual inspection to confirm they're running properly and haven't been affected by debris or freezing temperatures.

• Mesh covers shift the trade-off rather than eliminating it. Skipping pump management with a mesh cover generally means accepting a less clear pool at spring opening.

• Extremely heavy, sustained snowfall can outpace even a well-sized pump temporarily. In areas with severe winter weather, periodic manual checks remain a useful backup even with an automatic pump in place.
  
  
  

What Customers Are Saying

"Covered my pool last summer and opened it in March to crystal-clear water — barely needed any chemicals." — Dylan, Faircovers customer

"I live in Nebraska, and everyone knows how windy it gets here. This cover stays locked on my pool — it hasn't budged for days." — Olivia Turner, Faircovers customer

Ready to Close Your Pool for the Season?

A solid, well-fitted above ground pool cover is the first line of defense for winter — pairing it with basic water management is what gets it through the season in good shape. Browse our full range, sized for round, oval, and rectangular pools.

SHOP ALL POOL COVERS

For the full closing process, see our complete guide to winterizing an above ground pool. Not sure whether solid or mesh is the better fit for your climate? Check out solid vs. mesh above ground pool covers.

Final Thoughts

Standing water is one of the most common — and most preventable — causes of pool cover damage each winter. A few inches doesn't look like much, but the weight adds up fast, and left unchecked, it can strain seams, pull on your pool's walls, and undo your winterizing work in a single bad storm. A cover pump costing less than $100 handles nearly all of this risk automatically, making it one of the highest-value accessories you can pair with a quality winter pool cover.