The Little Giant APCP-1700 is a sound choice for a large winter cover when you can give it a 1-inch discharge line and bring it indoors before freezes. That is the short version of this Little Giant APCP-1700 review, and the condition matters: Little Giant rates the pump at about 1,700 GPH through a 1-inch inside-diameter tube, while its own manual says a 50-foot, 3/4-inch garden hose cuts that to roughly 500 GPH.
If a long garden hose is the only practical route, the pump still works, but most of its rated-flow advantage disappears. Owners who want a lower shutoff level, or who cannot plan a 1-inch line, should compare the Wayne WAPC250 before ordering.
Bottom line
The APCP-1700 pairs a 1/3 HP, 115-volt motor with automatic switching, a 25-foot cord, and a 1-inch FNPT discharge that also takes a 3/4-inch garden hose adapter. Its manual answers the questions many product pages skip: how the rating was produced, what a garden hose does to it, where the switch turns on and off, and when the pump has to come off the cover.
Those answers make it easy to decide. Buy it for a big cover, a 1-inch discharge route, and an outlet within cord reach. Skip it if the setup depends on a long garden hose, an extension cord, or leaving the pump out through a freeze.
What to match on the listing
The full identity to search for is the Little Giant APCP-1700 Automatic Pool Cover Pump 577301. These are the lines that should agree on the listing:
| Listing line | What to match | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Model and part number | APCP-1700 and 577301 | Similar 1,700 GPH pool-store pumps carry other names and part numbers |
| Flow claim | 1,700 or 1,745 GPH | Both appear for this pump; the rating assumes 1-inch tubing |
| Motor and voltage | 1/3 HP, 115 V | Confirms the standard household-voltage version |
| Cord | 25 ft | The manual rules out extension cords, so this is your reach |
| Discharge | 1-in. FNPT with 3/4-in. garden hose adapter | Decides which hose you can use |
| Switching | Automatic | Distinguishes it from manual cover pumps |
If the garden hose adapter is ever lost, Little Giant sells a replacement under part number 177343, which retail listings tie to the APCP-1700.
How much flow will the APCP-1700 deliver through your hose?
Plan on the rated flow of about 1,700 GPH only with a 1-inch discharge line; Little Giant’s rating assumes 1-inch inside-diameter tubing with friction losses neglected. Plan on roughly 500 GPH through a 50-foot, 3/4-inch garden hose, the example the manual gives. Other hose setups fall somewhere else, and the manual does not publish a full curve.
Those two anchor points are enough to build a run-time worksheet. First estimate the rain load with gallons = water-surface area (square feet) x inches of rain x 0.623, then divide by the flow and multiply by 60 for minutes:
| Cover over a pool of | Gallons per inch of rain | Minutes at 1,700 GPH (1-in. line) | Minutes at about 500 GPH (50-ft garden hose) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16 x 32 ft | 319 | about 11 | about 38 |
| 18 x 36 ft | 404 | about 14 | about 48 |
| 20 x 40 ft | 499 | about 18 | about 60 |
Through the garden hose, the pump keeps about 29 percent of its rated flow, so each inch of rain takes a little more than three times as long to clear. An automatic pump can absorb that on an ordinary fall day because it cycles on its own. It matters more during long, heavy storms, and during cold spells when you want the cover cleared quickly before the forecast turns.
For perspective, Little Giant rates its small manual PCP550 at 550 GPH with no lift and 400 GPH at 3 feet of lift. The two sets of figures were not produced under identical hose conditions, so this is not a like-for-like comparison, but it shows how much of the APCP-1700’s headline advantage depends on the discharge line. The same principle, that installed flow depends on the plumbing and not only the pump, runs through the site’s pool pump low-pressure guide for filter systems.
Practical hose plan: use the shortest route that reaches a discharge point where water drains away from the pool and the house, choose 1-inch line where you can, avoid kinks and uphill runs, and drain the line whenever the pump comes in.
Automatic on/off levels on a sagging cover
The owner’s manual describes an automatic start when about 2-1/2 inches of water accumulate and a shutoff when the level falls to about 1 inch. Retail descriptions restate those levels differently, with some printing a 2-inch start, so plan around the manual’s figures.
On a winter cover, those numbers describe water depth at the pump, not across the cover. Set the pump in the lowest part of the sag, where water collects first; placed off to one side, it waits until the puddle deepens enough to reach its switch level. When it shuts off, expect roughly an inch of water to remain around it by design.
The manual also carries cold-weather notes, so read them before relying on those levels near freezing. Treat the pump as a fall-and-thaw tool rather than a deep-winter one.
By comparison, Wayne publishes a 3/4-inch shutoff for its WAPC250, so it leaves a shallower residual puddle. That difference matters more to owners who want the cover as dry as possible between storms than to those who just need the bulk of the water gone.
The 25-foot cord is a hard limit
Little Giant’s manual says not to use an extension cord and to provide a properly located outlet instead, on a circuit with ground-fault (GFCI) protection. That turns the 25-foot cord into a measurement you must pass before buying:
Cord path = outlet to pool edge + climb over the wall or coping + edge to the cover’s low spot + a little slack
On an above-ground pool, the wall climb can take several feet of cord before the cord even reaches the cover. The pool cover pump comparison works through two illustrative layouts, one of which comes up short of 25 feet. If yours does, have a qualified electrician add a properly located outlet; do not improvise with extension cords or move the pump away from the low spot to make the cord reach.
Freeze season: when it has to come inside
The manual’s winter guidance is conservative, and it should be followed as written:
- Remove the pump when conditions will cause water to freeze.
- Below 32°F, water left in the discharge hose can freeze and prevent the pump from expelling water.
Taken together, the safe reading is to bring it indoors before a freeze rather than letting it ride out the winter. Unplug it at the outlet, lift it off the cover without stepping onto the cover, drain the hose, and store both somewhere dry. If that space also holds pool chemicals, keep the pump and hose off their shelf and follow the chemical storage and separation guide .
A cover pump cannot move snow or ice. Put it back when the forecast returns above freezing and liquid water collects again.
Ownership details worth planning for
Debris: leaves that pile up around the pump can keep water from reaching it, so check the pump after windy days. Cleaning the pool before the cover goes on also keeps debris from sitting under the cover all winter; a deep leaf rake like the one in the ProTuff pool net review handles leaves, and a cordless vacuum like the one in the Pool Blaster Max Li CG review handles settled floor debris.
Discharge placement: move the hose end if water starts pooling where it drains. A discharge that runs back toward the pool undoes the pump’s work.
Cover fit: the pump can only reach water that gathers inside the pool footprint. A properly sized cover, checked with the overhang method in the above-ground winter cover guide , keeps that water where the pump sits.
Who should buy it
Buy the APCP-1700 if the cover is large enough that rain arrives in hundreds of gallons, a 1-inch discharge line can reach a good drain point, a GFCI-protected outlet sits within 25 feet of the low spot along the real cord path, and someone will bring it indoors before freezes.
Who should skip it
Skip it if a long garden hose is the only practical discharge route, because the manual’s own example shows most of the rated flow disappearing. Skip it if the cord path needs an extension cord, or if the pump would sit on the cover through freezing weeks. A small cover that someone watches during storms may not need an automatic pump at all.
Alternatives worth comparing
- Wayne WAPC250: an automatic pump with a sensor switch that Wayne says starts at 2-1/8 inches and stops at 3/4 inch, a 25-foot cord and pull-to-shore rope, and a 3,000 GPH maximum rated on a 1-1/4-inch drain hose. Its manual also says to remove it from service below freezing.
- Superior Pump 92395: a float-switch automatic that Superior says starts in about 1-1/2 inches of water, with a 25-foot cord and a 2,100 GPH maximum.
- Little Giant PCP550: a manual pump for small covers when someone will stay with it.
The pool cover pump comparison sets all four side by side with a rain-load table and the cord-reach check.
Sources consulted
- Little Giant APCP-1700 series page
- Little Giant APCP-1700 owner’s manual (ManualsLib copy)
- Little Giant APCP-1700 water pump manual (second ManualsLib copy)
- Little Giant PCP550 product page
- Wayne WAPC250 product page
Specifications and product identities were compiled through web search on September 29, 2026 and should be confirmed on the seller’s page for your exact size, color, and version. This is researched buyer analysis without hands-on testing.
FAQ
Is the Little Giant APCP-1700 automatic?
Yes. Its owner’s manual describes an automatic start at about 2-1/2 inches of water and a shutoff near 1 inch, and it includes cold-weather notes.
Can the APCP-1700 use a garden hose?
Yes, through its 3/4-inch garden hose adapter, but the manual’s example shows a 50-foot garden hose cutting flow to about 500 GPH, compared with about 1,700 GPH through 1-inch tubing.
Is the APCP-1700 the same pump as Little Giant 577301?
Yes. 577301 is the part number listings pair with the APCP-1700. Similar pumps are sold under other names and part numbers, so match both identifiers.
Can the APCP-1700 stay on the cover all winter?
Not through freezing weather. The manual says to remove the pump when conditions will cause water to freeze, noting that water left in the hose can freeze and block the outflow.