ARDILA VEELA Pool Cover Pump Review: The Non-Electric Solution with a Critical Flaw

There’s a specific kind of dread every pool owner feels after a heavy autumn downpour or the first wet snow of winter. It’s the glance out the back window to see the pool cover, once taut and pristine, now sagging ominously under the weight of hundreds of gallons of accumulated water. I’ve been there. I remember one particularly wet season where I neglected the cover for too long. The sheer weight stretched the material, strained the anchor points, and created a swampy, debris-filled puddle that was an absolute nightmare to deal with come springtime. That pooling water doesn’t just look bad; it’s a direct threat to the lifespan of your expensive cover and can even pose a risk to the pool’s structure itself. Removing that water isn’t just a chore; it’s a critical maintenance task to protect your investment. This is precisely the problem the ARDILA VEELA Pool Cover Pump aims to solve with a simple, powerless approach.

What to Consider Before Buying a Pool Cover Pump

A pool cover pump is more than just an item; it’s a key solution for seasonal pool maintenance. Its primary job is to prevent the destructive accumulation of water and melted snow on your winter cover. This prevents sagging, stretching, and potential tearing, significantly extending the cover’s life. By keeping the cover relatively dry, it also simplifies the pool opening process, ensuring you’re not dealing with a massive, dirty puddle of water that can easily contaminate your clean pool water. It’s an essential tool for preserving your equipment and saving you from costly repairs or premature cover replacement. The core benefit is peace of mind, knowing your pool is protected from the elements even when you’re not actively thinking about it.

The ideal customer for this type of non-electric siphon product is someone with an above-ground pool who values simplicity and doesn’t want to run extension cords across their yard, especially in wet conditions. It’s perfect for the owner who prefers a slow, gentle drain that won’t flood their lawn or overwhelm their drainage systems. However, it might not be suitable for those with massive in-ground pools that collect vast amounts of water quickly, as the passive siphon rate may not keep up with heavy, successive storms. It’s also not for someone who wants a pristine, ready-to-use product without any potential hiccups. Those needing rapid, high-volume water removal would be better served by a powerful submersible electric pump.

Before investing, consider these crucial points in detail:

• Dimensions & Space: The physical footprint of the pump matters. The ARDILA VEELA’s drainer unit is 9.25 x 9.8 inches, a compact size that won’t take up excessive space on the cover. More importantly, the 13-foot hose dictates how far you can drain the water from the pool’s edge. Ensure this length is adequate to reach a suitable drainage area, like a downhill slope or a garden bed away from your foundation.
• Capacity/Performance: This is where electric and non-electric pumps diverge. Electric pumps are rated in gallons per hour (GPH) and work quickly. The ARDILA VEELA Pool Cover Pump operates on siphon principles, meaning it’s slower. This “slow and steady” approach, however, is a feature, not just a bug. It prevents sudden deluges that can turn your yard into a swamp, allowing the ground to absorb the water gradually.
• Materials & Durability: The pump is made from Polypropylene (PP), a common and generally durable plastic. However, the thickness and quality of that plastic are paramount. As we’ll discuss in detail, while the main drainer unit is adequately constructed, other components of this particular product raise significant durability concerns that cannot be ignored.
• Ease of Use & Maintenance: A non-electric siphon promises ultimate ease of use: set it and forget it. Once the flow is established, gravity does all the work, and it even stops automatically. Maintenance is minimal, usually just involving rinsing debris from the drainer unit. The key, however, is getting that siphon started, which is supposed to be the job of the included hand pump.

While the ARDILA VEELA Pool Cover Pump is an intriguing choice, it’s always wise to see how it stacks up against the competition. For a broader look at all the top models, from non-electric siphons to heavy-duty electric pumps, we highly recommend checking out our complete, in-depth guide:

Unboxing the ARDILA VEELA: Simplicity Meets Flimsy Reality

Our first impression upon receiving the ARDILA VEELA Pool Cover Pump was one of stark contrast. The concept is brilliant in its simplicity. Inside the box, you find just three components: the main cylindrical drainer unit, a 13-foot transparent hose, and a small, bulb-style hand pump. There are no wires, no complex instructions, just the raw components needed to create a gravity-fed siphon. The drainer unit itself feels reasonably solid, with enough weight to stay submerged on the pool cover. The hose is standard flexible plastic, perfectly adequate for its job.

The hand pump, however, was an immediate red flag. Echoing the sentiments of several user experiences we’d reviewed, the plastic felt incredibly thin and brittle. It lacked the pliable, robust feel of a quality priming bulb. It felt less like a durable tool and more like a disposable component. This initial observation was concerning, as the hand pump is presented as the primary mechanism for starting the siphon, making its quality crucial to the out-of-the-box user experience. The promise was simple, effortless water removal, but the feel of this one critical piece cast immediate doubt on the product’s overall longevity and reliability.

A Closer Look: How the ARDILA VEELA Performs in the Real World

A product can look good on paper, but the real test is how it holds up to its promises in the field. We put the ARDILA VEELA Pool Cover Pump to the test on an above-ground pool cover after a significant rainfall, focusing on every aspect of its design, from the core siphon mechanics to its most infamous component, the hand pump.

The Heart of the System: Evaluating the Siphon Drainer

Let’s start with the good news, which is also the most important part: the core siphon system works. The main drainer unit, the cylindrical piece that sits on the pool cover, is designed quite well for its specific purpose. It’s wide enough to be stable and has sufficient intake slots around the base to allow water to flow in while filtering out larger debris like leaves and twigs. We placed it in the deepest part of the sag on the pool cover, ensuring it was fully submerged. The 13-foot hose provided ample length to run over the pool’s edge and down to a flower bed several feet away, ensuring proper elevation drop for the siphon to function.

Once we manually initiated the siphon (more on that in a moment), the system performed exactly as advertised. Water began to flow steadily through the transparent hose, creating a satisfying visual confirmation that the process was underway. The flow rate is gentle, not a torrent, which we see as a significant advantage. Instead of blasting 500 gallons per hour into one spot and creating a mud pit, it releases a controlled stream that the ground can easily absorb. The unit is capable of draining the water down to a very shallow level, living up to its claim of removing up to 90% of the standing water. The fundamental physics and design of the main components are sound, providing an effective, powerless water removal solution. This is a feature that truly sets it apart for those who prioritize lawn care as much as pool care.

The Critical Failure Point: The Hand Pump Debacle

Now we must address the elephant in the room. The included hand pump is, to put it mildly, unfit for purpose. Our experience mirrored the most negative user feedback almost perfectly. The plastic is thin, brittle, and feels incredibly cheap. Upon attempting to use it as intended—squeezing it to draw water up the hose and start the siphon—it cracked after only the third or fourth pump. It didn’t just fail; it broke apart, rendering it completely useless. This isn’t a minor inconvenience; it’s a failure of a core advertised component.

For any user expecting a product that works as described right out of the box, this is an instant deal-breaker and a source of immense frustration. It turns a supposedly simple task into a problem-solving exercise. This flaw is so consistent across user experiences that it appears to be a design or manufacturing defect rather than an isolated quality control issue. However, as one user astutely noted, the failure of the hand pump does not mean the entire product is useless. You can still get the siphon going manually. The easiest method is to fully submerge the entire hose in the pool water until all the air is out, cap the draining end with your thumb, place the drainer unit on the cover, and then release your thumb on the lower end. It’s an old-school trick, but it works perfectly. So, the product remains functional, but only if you know this workaround and are willing to do it. It’s a shame that such an effective siphon system is packaged with a priming pump that’s destined to fail.

Set-It-and-Forget-It: The Automatic Stop and Flow Rate

One of the most brilliant features of any siphon pump, and one the ARDILA VEELA Pool Cover Pump executes flawlessly, is the automatic stop. There are no sensors to fail or switches to break. The process stops based on pure physics. As the water level on the cover drops below the intake vents on the drainer unit, air is sucked into the hose. This air breaks the vacuum, and the siphon effect immediately ceases. This is a truly “set-it-and-forget-it” system.

This feature is a massive advantage over many electric pumps. With an electric pump, you have to worry about it running dry, which can overheat and burn out the motor. This means you have to monitor it, checking on it periodically and unplugging it once the job is done. With the ARDILA VEELA, you can start the siphon and confidently walk away. You can go to work, run errands, or even leave it overnight, knowing it will drain the water and stop itself without any intervention or risk of damage. This passive, worry-free operation is perhaps its greatest strength and the primary reason to consider it, despite its flaws. It turns a recurring chore into a one-time setup, letting gravity handle the rest.

What Other Users Are Saying

Our findings are strongly corroborated by the spectrum of user reviews. The sentiment is sharply divided, and it all hinges on the hand pump. On one hand, you have users who recognize the core value, with one stating, “Works like a champ. Yes the hand pump doesn’t work at all but it’s not hard to get the siphon going by yourself.” This user praised the slow drain for not flooding their yard and appreciated not having to worry about a pump burning up—perfectly encapsulating the product’s main benefits.

On the other hand, the frustration is palpable from those who received a broken product or had it fail immediately. Comments like, “the pump had a crack in it. Got a replacement, then it broke after 3-4 pumps. This product is absolute junk,” and, “Used this for the first time and this hand pump already broke .What a waist of money,” are common. These reviews highlight the unacceptable quality of the priming pump and the poor first impression it creates, with some even noting damaged packaging on arrival. The consensus is clear: the siphon drainer is effective, but the hand pump is a critical and consistent point of failure.

How Does the ARDILA VEELA Compare to Other Pumps?

It’s important to understand that the ARDILA VEELA occupies a very specific niche. Comparing it to high-powered electric pumps is like comparing a hand trowel to a rototiller—they are different tools for different scales of work. Here’s how it stacks up against some other pump types you might encounter.

1. AR SRMW22G26-EZ Replacement Pump 2600 PSI

This is not a competitor in any functional sense; it’s a high-pressure replacement pump for a gas-powered pressure washer. It operates at 2600 PSI to blast dirt off siding, concrete, and vehicles. Using this to drain a pool cover would be destructive and impossible. The ARDILA VEELA is for the gentle, slow removal of standing water. The AR Annovi Reverberi pump is for aggressive, high-force cleaning. A household might own both, but they would never be used for the same task. This is for heavy-duty cleaning projects, not passive pool maintenance.

2. XtremepowerUS 1.5HP 2-Speed Pool Pump

This XtremepowerUS pump is a primary circulation pump for an above-ground pool’s filtration system. Its job is to continuously pull water from the pool, push it through a filter, and return it, keeping the main body of water clean and clear. It moves thousands of gallons per hour and is the heart of the pool’s ecosystem during the swimming season. The ARDILA VEELA, by contrast, is an off-season tool used exclusively to drain the cover *on top* of the pool. A pool owner would use the XtremepowerUS pump all summer and the ARDILA VEELA pump in the fall and winter.

3. Hayward W3SP1580X15 Power Flo Pool Pump 1.5 HP

Similar to the XtremepowerUS, the Hayward Power Flo is a premium, high-performance circulation pump designed to run a pool’s filtration system. Hayward is a leading name in pool equipment, and this pump is built for power, reliability, and longevity during the swimming season. It is a powerful, essential piece of equipment for keeping pool water sanitary. It has absolutely no function in draining a pool cover. Choosing between the ARDILA VEELA and the Hayward is not a choice; they serve completely separate, non-overlapping functions in the annual cycle of pool ownership.

Our Final Verdict: A Great Idea Hampered by a Fatal Flaw

The ARDILA VEELA Pool Cover Pump is a product of two extremes. The core concept—a simple, non-electric, auto-stopping siphon—is absolutely brilliant for the intended user. It effectively solves the problem of pooling water on a pool cover without electricity, noise, or the risk of flooding your yard. The “set it and walk away” nature of the system is a massive convenience that protects your pool cover investment with minimal effort.

However, this elegant solution is tragically crippled by the abysmal quality of its most crucial accessory: the hand pump. Its tendency to break on first use makes a terrible first impression and renders the product non-functional for anyone not savvy enough to start a siphon manually. We can only recommend this product with a major caveat: buy it for the effective drainer and hose, but assume the hand pump is completely useless and will need to be discarded. If you are comfortable with the manual method of starting a siphon and you value the silent, powerless, and gentle drainage it provides, then this is a very cost-effective tool. For anyone who expects a product to work perfectly out of the box, this is likely to be a frustrating purchase. If you understand its significant limitation and value its unique benefits, you can see its full feature set and decide if it’s right for you.