The perfect stock tank pool pump cover

Ever since putting in our stock tank pool last year, I have been thinking of finding a way to cover the unsightly pool pump. Unfortunately it was the first thing you saw when walking into our yard. Originally I just wanted to build one out of wood but when I came across some faux rocks used to cover well pumps, I was determined to find the right size to use as a pool pump cover.

These faux rocks are mostly made to cover unsightly utility things in your yard that don’t have hoses like the pool pump. I needed to find a way to cut the holes for the hoses without shredding the lightweight plastic that the faux rock is made out of. I’m happy to report that I found a way and it all worked out perfectly.

Last week I shared with you how we opened the pool after winter and what issues we ran into in case you missed it

You can watch our original stock tank pool set-up in the below video. Click on the triangle within the image to watch and if you are on a cellphone then hold the device horizontal for better viewing:

How to hide your stock tank pool pump with the perfect pool pump cover

Last year I hid the pump with our lounge chairs which looked pretty but wasn’t healthy for the grass in the long run. This was the reason why you couldn’t see the pump in my reveal post.

Supplies needed:

Dremel mini saw attachment
Dremel
faux rock
cardboard for making a template
duck tape
sharpie
safety glasses
box cutter knife

How to cut the faux rock pump cover

We have the Intex 26643EG 1200 GPH Above Ground Pool Sand Filter Pump which is a good small size for the small stock tank pool. I measured that pump and didn’t just go by the manufactures specifications. According to those measurements I decided that the faux rock I purchased could possibly fit. You can see the product photo below:

Before starting with the project I shut of the valves and disconnected to hoses to see if the rock would fit well over the pump and yay it sure did.

I had a large cardboard in my garage that I saved from another order or you can just use the cardboard that the rock comes in, to create the template for cutting

I traced the hose inlet and outlet onto the cardboard. Keep in mind that you want to have the bottoms open so you can remove the faux rock pool pump cover without having to disconnect the hoses.

Next, I used the box cutter to cut out those shapes on the cardboard and tried out the template on the pump to make sure I drew them correctly and everything fits.

Then I put the rock in place over the pool pump and transferred the template onto the rock with a sharpie.

You can use the leftover cut out pieces to make sure you traced it right.

Please make sure you use safety glasses since there are definitely little plastic pieces flying around during cutting that can hurt your eyes.

Also make sure that you attach the Dremel mini saw the correct way to avoid injury. If you need assistance with that you can check out this youTube video HERE.
I considered using a jigsaw at first but it vibrates too much and can shred the plastic of the faux rock. The Dremel worked wonderfully for me.

I cut out that shape and moved on to the next one.

In the end, I decided to just cut off the middle part for one big hole since everything is hidden anyways by the fence. It is also good to have nice circulation and air flow to the pump when the weather gets really warm in the summer.

I also added a square hole on the side that is hidden by my potted plants so we are able to easily access the pump’s control panel without having to remove the rock.

Lastly attach all the two hoses again…

Putting the faux rock pump pool pump cover in place

The faux rock comes with plastic stakes that I didn’t need though because I weight the sides down with more rocks.

And voila it looks so much better than before. I still want to add some more plants in front of the faux rock to make it blend in more.

faux rock pool pump cover securely in place

(Check out my DIY outdoor fence wall art if you missed it)

But I do think the color of the faux rock blends in nicely with the rest of our existing real rocks.

Here is a better view of the big rock wall and the colors that the rocks are.

The hoses from the pool to the pump are pretty much hidden by the potted plants. The blue stick hidden behind the plants are the pool net and vacuum that we use to keep the pool clean. It’s also a perfect spot for those items to get hidden now.