First, you need to prepare the discharge hose, either the one supplied with the pump or another tube that’s compatible with the pump’s connection. Some pumps come with adapters for regular ¾ garden hoses.
Unwind the hose and hook it up to the pump’s connection. Place the other end into a container or hook it up to a drainage system.
Dry your hands well and plug the pump’s power cord into the closest outlet, or use an extension cord if the pump’s cord is too short to reach the outlet.
Place the pump as close as you can to the puddle on your pool cover. Usually, they work just fine even if they are only slightly touching the water source, but sometimes you might want to gently push down on the pump so it slightly dents the cover and gets the water moving towards it. This way automatic pumps detect the required water amount and begin pumping.
Make sure the water is being drained and if so, leave the pump to it. It’s recommended to check on it from time to time to inspect the progress or make sure the pump isn’t clogged by debris.
Once the water is removed from your pool cover, turn off the pump and unplug it from the power source. Automatic pumps will shut off without any intervention.
Unhook the hose from the pump and shake out any remaining water.
Check the pump’s filtration screen and clean it from any debris that might have stuck in the strainer.