Customer Reviews

Rule H53SP-24 Marine Rule 1800 Pool Cover Pump with 24-Foot Cord/Wide Base (110-Volt, Colors may Vary)

5 star:		(47)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(11)
1 star:		(23)

 

 

I've had three Rule 1800 pool cover pumps in the last five years or so. Before that, I've had some others, but none compare. At least when it works.

The Good: Powerful, compact, and automatic. The strainer is well designed to keep working even when leaves fall on the cover. Pumps into a regular garden hose. This is a "set and forget" pool cover pump.

The Bad: The nylon fitting for the hose cracked. I put a hose clamp around it, which worked. One of the prongs holding the strainer on broke, but I used cable ties to hold it. Which worked.

The Ugly: I just bought my third pump in five years. The first one lasted for two, and the second for three. When I took the last one apart, it appeared that the motor brushes were all ground down. By the time I had it that far apart, there was no putting it back together.

Conclusion: I've looked and looked, and I don't believe there is a better pool cover pump. Still, I wish the plastic pieces were a little sturdier, and I certainly wish that the pump motor lasted longer. Still, I recommend it.

We got the pump last year with the installation of our pool and initially it did clear the water off the top of the pool cover quite effectively. Lately, it hasn't been starting - even when freshly plugged in. I took the top off and discovered that there was water in the compartment containing the unit's circuit board. That's probably the root cause of the pump failure. In my humble opinion, the pump's electronics enclosure could have been better designed.

I would smply replaced the unit with one from a different manufacturer but there doesn't seem to be much choice in this regard. Having read another reviewer state his was being replaced by Rule, I got to thinking I'll wait until Monday to call their customer service department to see if the repair/replacement is covered by warranty. (The pump was given to us by the pool cover supplier. Since I didn't purchase it outright, I don't have warranty info)

Until it stopped working, I was pleased with the Rule 1800.

Practical tip: Be aware there's a little screen that needs to be cleaned out periodically to keep the debris from blocking water flow. No tools required for this, just remember it when the pump sounds like it's working but no water flows...

Good luck.

1st year, worked great.
2nd year, I had to keep turning power off and on to reset.
3rd year, stopped working.

Updated - Returned to manufacturer. They replaced with a new unit in one week.

This pump is excellent, removes water quickly and the special wide base allows it to sit on the cover without tipping. It can double as a hot tub pump, with a different base,and can even be thrown into the swimming pool to reduce its level.

I always had problems with water collecting on the pool cover, one season the birds and geese used it as a pond, don't want to explain what that was like.

This pump is light enough to be situated in the middle of the pool cover, and the moment some water starts collecting it turns on automatically and pumps it right out.

It works like a charm, its one of the best purchases I could have made.

Very pleased with this pump. Does not tip over, drains very very fast. This is the first spring I had no water on cover thanks to this pump. I paid $125 through Amazon, so I do not know why the price is double now...
Three years warranty when all other pumps I saw where only one. Set it and forget it, can leave it plugged in all winter (although recommended to unplug if water will be frozen for a while).
Even if it it broke the fourth year, I would buy again in a heartbeat.

This product came perfectly and quickly, as advertised. We had over 10" of rain within a day and this pump performed quite efficiently!

Had one for 3 years Year 1 OK, Year 2 broke the pipe connector.. it is not PVC so had to cludge up a connection... Year 3 it failed to self start when it was in the water...albeit the motor seems to work OK...

Solution.. I am buying another one... because when it worked it was totally mindless... and we will be more careful with the pipe connector ..

Perfect Pool cover pump! It's built strong and pumps at an unbelievable rate. It's alot better than other pumps I've tried. Easy to setup and has a rounded bottom so you can push it to the center of the cover without it hanging up!

We had this pump installed when the cover was put on 2 years ago. It worked reasonably well the first year, but this year the hose attachment cracked and 2 weeks after that was fixed, it stopped working altogether. Each time we had a problem we tried reaching customer service, but they were closed for several days and there were no local numbers to call. Seeing the other reviews and realizing that I am hardly the only person with this experience, I would not recommend this pump to anyone who isn't interested in replacing it on a yearly basis.