Pool pillow vs water tubes
Updated: 16.10.2026
You searched for winter floats and the basket holds two objects that do different jobs. A pool pillow vs water tubes choice is about the middle of the cover or the edge in the wind. A pillow props an above-ground pool so the sheet can rise. Tubes weigh a cover that sits on a deck. Prices stay on the [pool winter floats comparison](/hub/pool-care/pool-winter-floats). The Products Compared editorial team used cover sheets and PWTAG’s note on 16 October 2026. This page does not rank a tube. A purchase through our links can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
You searched for winter floats and the basket holds two objects that do different jobs. A pool pillow vs water tubes choice is about the middle of the cover or the edge in the wind.
You searched for winter floats and the basket holds two objects that do different jobs. A pool pillow vs water tubes choice is about the middle of the cover or the edge in the wind. A pillow props an above-ground pool so the sheet can rise. Tubes weigh a cover that sits on a deck. Prices stay on the pool winter floats comparison. The Products Compared editorial team used cover sheets and PWTAG’s note on 16 October 2026. This page does not rank a tube. A purchase through our links can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Stated size | Inflation on the listing | Pool type on the listing | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  NamcheBarwa NamcheBarwa 4 ft by 15 ft pillow | 4 ft by 15 ft | 70 per cent | Above-ground | 5.2 | about £38.51 | View offer |
 Tefola Tefola 4 ft ice equalizer | 4 ft by 4 ft | About 70 per cent | Above-ground | 5.8 | about £21.88 | View offer | |
| Best value |  Robelle Robelle 4 ft by 4 ft ice equalizer | 4 ft by 4 ft | Do not overfill. No percentage | Above-ground | 3.6 | about £12.88 | View offer |
On this page
Two different jobs
AquaDoc, a US blog, puts the air pillow in the centre of an above-ground pool and the tubes on the edge of an in-ground cover. That map is not a UK standard. The tube is a water bag on the cover at the deck, so wind cannot get under the hem.
Pool Cover Choice uses the pillow and a cable on an above-ground pool, and tubes on an in-ground cover. Robelle’s sheet sells the pillow separately and puts tubes on a walk-around deck. Fill and ice are on how to use a pool pillow.
Above-ground: pillow and cable
If the pool is above-ground and the cover is a debris sheet with a cable, buy the pillow and tension the cable. The pillow is the centre prop. The cable holds the edge, with the sheet overlapping the top rail. Water tubes are optional only when your manual shows them, usually because you have a deck and the sheet still lifts after the cable is set. They do not replace the centre cushion.
A ring of tubes around a kit pool does not lift the middle so ice can push upward. If your cover shows only a cable and a pillow, stop there. Cables are on the above ground pool winter pillow page.
In-ground: tubes, and when a pillow is the wrong search
An in-ground pool whose cover lies on the water and overlaps the deck is a tube search, or a search for the anchors that cover already uses. Pool Cover Choice runs water tubes end to end on that edge. A pillow from this above-ground set is the wrong object if your cover never asked for one. Leave this comparison when the manual specifies tubes or straps. Do not pick a 4 ft by 15 ft pillow to weight the deck. If you have an Aquamatic cover, do not run it on ice.
Buy both only when the sheet draws both
Buy both only when the cover sheet draws both: a pillow under the cover and tubes on a walk-around deck. A kit pool with a cable cover usually needs the pillow and the cable.
Common questions
Do water tubes replace a pillow?
They do not. Tubes weigh the edge so wind stays out. A pillow props the middle so the cover can rise and ice has a direction to push. AquaDoc states that tubes do not relieve ice pressure. On an above-ground debris cover, the pillow remains the centre piece and the cable holds the hem. Replacing the pillow with tubes leaves the sheet flat in the middle.
Do I need both?
You need both only when the cover manual shows a pillow and deck tubes together. Robelle’s cover sheet is one example: pillow sold separately, tubes on a walk-around deck. A kit pool with a cable cover usually needs the pillow and the cable. An in-ground cover that specifies tubes only does not need a pillow from this set. Buying both by default adds weight your sheet may not be designed to carry.
Where do tubes sit, on the water or on the deck?
On the cover at the deck edge, end to end, so they weigh the overlap. They are not a second pillow floating in the middle. The pillow is the one in the water, under the sheet. Pool Cover Choice separates those positions by pool type. Tubes laid in the centre weight the middle and remove the air space the pillow was there to keep.
How full should a water tube be if it might freeze?
Pool Cover Choice says to fill tubes only half full in extreme cold, so the tube can expand. A tube filled to the cap has nowhere to go when the water inside freezes. A pillow stays at about half to three-quarters for the same reason. Follow the tube’s own label if it gives a fill line. This page ranks no tube ASIN, so the half-full line stays a cover-sheet rule.
What holds an above-ground cover if I do not buy tubes?
The cover cable or winch, with the sheet overlapping the top rail, and slack ties on the pillow. That is the above-ground sequence on the sheets used here. Tubes are the extra when a manual shows them for wind on a deck. If the cover flaps, retension the cable before you shop for bags. Hanging bags from the grommets is what those sheets tell you to avoid.
Is an in-ground pool a reason to leave this comparison?
Yes, if the cover manual specifies water tubes or its own anchors and never mentions a centre pillow. The listings here are above-ground ice equalizers. Their sizes and leak notes answer a different close. Use the tube method on that manual, including a partial fill in hard cold. Return to the pillow table only for an above-ground pool with a debris cover.
Will tubes stop ice pushing the wall?
They will not. Tubes hold the cover edge against wind. They do not brace a wall, and AquaDoc says they do not relieve ice pressure in the water. A soft pillow is the object sold for that centre load on an above-ground cover, and even that pillow does not stop the pool freezing. A bowed wall is a dealer job, not a heavier tube.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK sources used for this comparison. Listing prices, stars, and review counts are from the amazon.co.uk files for these ASINs.
- SPATA — Winterise and recommission (retrieved 16.10.2026)
- Water Technics — Swimming pool winterising guide (retrieved 16.10.2026)
- Tanby Pools — Aquamatic UK winter close-down addendum (retrieved 16.10.2026)
- GOV.UK — General Product Safety Regulations 2005 (retrieved 16.10.2026)
- PWTAG — Technical notes (retrieved 16.10.2026)
- World of Pools — Plastica air pillow for a debris cover (retrieved 16.10.2026)
- Discount Leisure Products — Intex winterizing pool pillow 28099 (retrieved 16.10.2026)
- Pool Cover Choice — Installation notes (retrieved 16.10.2026)