Little Giant APCP 1700 Review

As with all other Little Giant pumps we’ve reviewed on this site, the Little Giant APCP-1700 pool cover pump has it’s share of loyal fans and pure haters. This particular model has more haters than fans though and we’ll tell you a little more about that as we move along. In general, this is a Little Giant pump and for a company that has been making good quality pool cover pumps since 1941, you cannot simply discount the brand at all. In this case, Little Giant may have a not-so-popular pump on their hands but it does have some decent features and there is definitely a use here so read on and we’ll tell you about it.

Pros and Cons of the Little Giant APCP-1700 Pool Cover Pump

First off, let’s talk about the pros: the pump is powerful in that it can remove upwards of 1700 gallons per hour. That is not something you can ignore as it would easily crack our Top 5 pumps were it just being graded on pure power. For those with pool covers that are larger, say for 24+ foot above ground pools, this Little Giant can definitely keep the water off during the heaviest of storms. It’s got an extra long electric cord, it’s made of stainless steel and it offers a 3-year warranty which is nice to have for a an electronic device that will spend most of it’s useful life outside braving the elements.

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Beyond that, here are some of the other pros of the Little Giant APCP-1700:

• It has an integrated float switch so this is another in the line of ‘automatic’ pumps which you can plug in, set and forget. The pump can be placed on the cover and once 2″ of water hits, the float will activate the pump and away goes the water. We like anything that is plug-and-play or set-it-and-forget-it so this is a nice feature to have. Just understand, most pumps will have this same feature so it’s not ground breaking technology here.
• The intake screen is easy to remove and clean. Another feature we like on pumps is how easy it is to maintain it. If you have to unscrew things or nearly break the pump just to clean it, we’re not big fans. In this case, removal of the screen is so easy your 5-year old could do it so it’s another nice thing to have.
• It has a built in handle. This is also nice to have when you want to move the pump around on or near the pool cover. As mentioned in previous posts, the Rule 1800 pump is a favorite but this is one feature it lacks. So in order to move it around on the cover you have to push and pull the Rule 1800 with either the power cord or the attached hose. It would be nice to reach with a broom stick and use a handle to move the pump so this is one area where the Little Giant APCP-1700 has the advantage. A small advantage, but one nonetheless.

So here are the cons. Are you ready? Well, for starters it’s REALLY hard to find someone who owned this particular model for more than a year without it breaking. I’ve seen countless people talk about buying the Little Giant APCP-1700 and literally a month later it craps out on them. Now granted it does have a 3-year warranty, but who wants to be dealing with sending back a 13-lb pump every year and being bothered with that? Not me. Could it be because it’s made overseas and things are just not made the way they used to be (ahem, MADE IN THE USA?) Could be but that would be pure speculation as there are other pumps made in other countries that do excel and are extremely popular (see one of our highest rated pumps, the Little Giant PCP550.)

Here are some other cons that people mentioned:

• Some mentioned an issue with “air locking” which is basically when air gets trapped in the lines and the pump can’t get a good ‘prime’ going to pump out the water. If you have air, you can’t get water movement and that’s not a good thing. This could be user error, but it’s worth mentioning that some had the same issue.
• Basically, if it breaks, there are no replacement parts and you’re left to purchase an entirely new unit. From others’ experiences, it’s difficult at best to find parts so that’s never a good thing for the do-it-yourself type of person who can tinker with things and fix them.
• There were instances where internal parts were breaking on the unit and that made it inoperable and beyond repair. If you’re out of warranty, that can be frustrating to say the least.

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This video will give you a good idea on how to hook up the APCP-1700 and get it running. I know the person who did the video recommends this pool cover pump, but I would caution you that he’s a retailer that sells the product and I would be hesitant to place too much confidence in his assessment as our research spans a much wider audience. Regardless, he makes a nice 2-minute video to show you the pump.

Our Overall Conclusion on the Little Giant APCP-1700

Again, as we mentioned before, there are simply not very many folks who could highly recommend buying the Little Giant APCP-1700. There were simply too many stories from VERY frustrated people about the unit breaking and it doesn’t appear to be the most reliable product. In order to make the cut on our list of the best pool cover pumps, you better have these four things: POWER, RELIABILITY, LONGEVITY and WARRANTY. The APCP-1700 has power and warranty, but it severely lacks in reliability and longevity.

>> Read Reviews For This Little Giant Pump – click here! <<

If You Want an Alternative to the Little Giant APCP-1700, Check These Out…

For the price, you can certainly find a few pumps that are way better and rank higher for power, reliability, longevity and warranty. If you want an alternative to the Little Giant APCP-1700, we would highly recommend both the Wayne WAPC250 and the RULE 1800. Both of these pumps are around the same price, with the WAYNE WAPC250 being the most popular and more reliable of the two.

I would definitely not totally throw away Little Giant all together. Overall they make good products. And let’s face it, they’ve been around for over 60-years so they’re doing something right! But in this case, it’s best to look past the Little Giant APCP-1700 and find a better option. There are certainly many more much better pumps on the market to choose from.