Smartbot Pump Review: A Great Pool Cover Pump for 2023
There’s a new Pool Cover Pump in town and it looks like it’s a robot from the future! But it’s not a robot, it’s the Smartbot Submersible Water Pump and I’ll tell you why I think this little guy might be one of the best pool cover pumps on the market for 2023.
What is the Smartbot Submersible Water Pump?
Although it looks like a tiny robotic Igloo Cooler, the Smartbot pump is a powerful and very fast pool cover pump that will save you huge money in the long run. Pool covers are super expensive these days and finding a reliable pump to keep that cover free of standing water will save you from spending $75-$100 every year on a new cover. Smartbot Pumps believes they have the pump that will solve this problem, and I believe they are right!
The Smartbot Water Pump ranks up there powerwise with the best of the pool cover pumps on the market. It’s 2800 GPH (gallons per hour) removal rate is more than most pumps and better than 80% of the pumps we’ve researched. It also boasts a max lift up capacity of 25FT which means you’ll have an easy time pushing that water up a hill if you need to. Now that’s POWER!
And for those of you needing a more robust unit, Smartbot also offers a stronger unit (AKA the SUPER 3600) that has the ability to pump 3600 GPH and has a max lift capacity of 30FT. So for those larger pool covers or places in the world that tend to get much more rain than I do in the Northeast USA, the larger pump might be more to your liking. For our purposes here, I’m reviewing the unit I have which is the 2800 GPH version (aka the ROBUST 2800.)
So what makes the Smartbot a better choice when it comes to choosing a good water pump? Well, there are some features that I think set the Smartbot in a different class than other pumps and put this near the top of the class of Pool Cover Pumps currently on the market.
So What Makes the SmartBot Different?
One difference we found with this Smartbot that differentiated it from other pumps was it’s Knock Over Operation & Dry Run Protection feature. One of the biggest issues with water pumps is burning out the motor because of dry running for an extended period of time.
This happens because some pumps either do not have or have inadequate water level detection features and they never know when to turn on or off. Low end pumps without this feature are doomed to one day burn out so they are unreliable and their longevity is nowhere near pumps like the Smartbot or Wayne pumps on the market.
Also, with the knock over protection, the pump can be accidentally pushed over (yeah, those pesky squirrels are known to do that!) on the pool cover and still maintain operation. Plenty of times my pumps have knocked over for one reason or another and because of the way they’re built, they cease operating because they can’t detect the water.
Some pumps like the Wayne WAPC250 and my past favorite the Rule 1800 have a Strainer Base that attaches to the bottom and that can sometimes hinder the pump from working correctly if tipped over. Not the Smartbot, it keeps on pumping without a clumsy base to stop the pump from working. And trust me, this is a great feature to have in areas that are windy or have little critters that mess with your pump!
I think one of the better features that makes the Smartbot better in my eyes is the ability to use up to SIX different adaptors (2*2”,1-1⁄2”,1-1⁄4”,1”, 3⁄4”) that changes the quickness of the water flow off the cover. Most pool cover pumps these days have a normal universal hose adaptor to fit a garden hose, but you’ll be limited to how many gallons per hour you can pump with a garden hose.
Having the ability to change the adaptor on the Smartbot to a 2” hose gives you the ability to really maximize how quickly you can get standing water removed from the cover. And trust me, living in Northeast PA, this is a GREAT feature to have.
Many times I’ve had standing water turn into ice that totally weighs down my cover and I’ve often feared the cover would break. When we hit that time of year where it thaws and refreezes every day because of the temperature swings, I need to get that water pumped off FAST before it freezes again. Having the ability to attach a 1 ½ “ or 2” hose to the Smartbot ensures I’ll get that water off before the temperature changes. Check out the hose performance…..
The Smartbot Pump is Versatile
So if you know me, I won’t buy something on a whim and if it’s expensive I want to make sure I’m getting my money’s worth. In this case, when it comes to a pump, I want something that does more than just pump water off of my pool cover.
The Smartbot fits the bill when it comes to versatility, which is nice when you’re spending good money for the machine. Not only will the Smartbot take care of my pool cover all year (all by itself no less……..set it and forget it), the pump is also nice to have around during those times when you have other standing water issues.
When you’re closing your pool, the water level should be below the skimmer line and the Smartbot will make that an easy job. For me, closing the pool needs to get done quickly as I don’t normally have much time before the season gets cool. And anyone that has closed a pool knows you just don’t toss a cover on and you’re done (for above ground that is.)
For my pool, you have to keep the water at normal levels while you circulate the closing chemicals and that normally takes a few hours. Once the circulation is complete, you’ll need to quickly get the water line below the skimmer and that could mean pumping out 1,000-2,000 gallons.
The Smartbot will get that pool ready for closing in less than an hour and that is well worth the money for me. Many smaller pumps only do about 500 GPH so that would take roughly 4-hours to pump it down that far!
So it’s nice to have a pump that is versatile. Something that will pump the water off the cover AND pump out water from your pool for whatever reason (closing, new liner install, fixing a liner issue, etc.) The Smartbot has it covered!
So Would I Recommend the Smartbot Pool Pump?
Although the Smartbot is on the higher side when it comes to pricing, you do get what you pay for. My other highly recommended pool pumps are a bit cheaper, but not by much (and one is actually higher) so we’re not talking massive differences in price.
The new design of the pump is far different than what’s out there these days when it comes to pool cover pumps so it’s always nice to see something get improved. And with the versatility the Smartbot offers along with a strong motor and different outlet connection sizes, this little guy should be all you need for water removal.
So based on what I’ve researched and the comparison to other pumps out there (including the ones I’ve owned), I would say the Smartbot is definitely a good BUY.
Now I will say that the nice folks from Smartbot did provide me a unit to review so I wanted you to be aware that I did not purchase the unit myself. However, that will not sway my decision to recommend this product to pool owners. I think it’s a great little unit, very powerful and although the price point is higher than a lot of the other pumps, it appears well made and worthy of a slightly higher price tag. I’m looking forward to testing the unit further in the next few weeks as our thaw from the winter continues. So far it has cleared my pool cover like a charm so it’s so-far-so-good. Look for more updates below as we continue to put the Robust 2800 to the test in our own 52″ pool!
You can check out the two units on Amazon today….see links below:
