Wet Equipment Pad? Leak Signs Around Your Pool Equipment

What a Healthy Equipment Pad Looks Like

In normal operation, your pad might get a little splash when you open the pump lid, clean the filter, or bleed
air from the tank, but it should dry out between visits. The concrete shouldn’t stay dark and damp all week, and
the soil around the pad shouldn’t feel like a sponge.

After rain, it’s normal for the area to be wet. The key is what it looks like once everything else has dried out.
If the pad is still wet a day or two later while the rest of the deck is dry, water is likely coming from your
equipment or plumbing, not the sky.

Common Leak Spots Around Pool Equipment

When you inspect the pad, pay special attention to:

• Pump lid and o-ring — A worn, cracked, or mis-seated lid o-ring can cause a steady drip
  every time the pump runs.
• Unions and threaded fittings — Look for slow weeping where PVC meets pump, filter, heater,
  or chlorinator. Salt and minerals may leave white crusty deposits.
• Filter tank and band — Hairline cracks in the tank or a loose band clamp can let water
  escape under pressure, sometimes as a very fine spray.
• Valves and actuator stems — Check around valve bodies and stems for moisture rings or
  small drip trails running down the pipe.
• Heater manifolds and unions — Corroded or weakened heater fittings can leak only when
  water is circulating through the heater.
• Backwash / waste line — A multiport valve that seeps to waste in “filter” mode
  can quietly dump water all day without you noticing.

Any one drip might not be a disaster, but multiple weeping spots or a pad that never dries is a sign your
system is bleeding treated water 24/7.

Is It Just Splash and Rain, or a Real Leak?

Before you assume the worst, ask a few simple questions:

• Did it recently rain, and has everything else around the yard dried out?
• Is the pad only wet right after you’ve worked on the equipment?
• Is there standing water or a consistently dark, damp patch under specific pipes?

A one-time splash will dry. A small leak will leave a pattern: dark concrete, slippery algae starting on the pad,
or soil that stays soft and muddy near certain lines, even in dry weather.

Testing Loss with the Pump On vs Off

Equipment-area leaks are usually under pressure, so they show up most clearly when the pump is running. To see
how much they’re contributing to your water loss, compare:

• How much water the pool loses in 24 hours with the pump on its normal schedule, versus
• How much it loses in 24 hours with the pump off as much as safely possible (while still
  protecting the equipment).

If loss is much worse with the pump on, and you have a wet pad or damp plumbing, that’s a strong signal that
at least part of your leak is equipment- or plumbing-related.

➜ For a clearer picture, combine this with a
bucket test for pool leaks to see if the pool is dropping faster than
evaporation alone.

➜ Also see:

Pool Loses Water Only When the Pump Is Running – What It Usually Means
.

When a Wet Pad Points to a Bigger Problem

You should take a wet or constantly damp pad seriously if:

• The concrete or soil around the pad never fully dries, even in good weather.
• You see a steady drip or spray whenever the pump is running.
• Your water bill is higher than usual and you’re refilling the pool more often.
• The pool loses water much faster with the pump on vs off.

In that case, the pad is your early-warning system. An equipment-side leak wastes treated water, chemicals, and
heat, and over time it can erode soil under the pad or nearby structures.

A leak detection pro can pressure-test lines, check valves and fittings, and tell you whether the equipment area
is a minor repair or part of a larger plumbing issue.

Bottom Line

A healthy equipment pad dries out between visits. If yours stays wet, has obvious drips, or sits over soft,
soggy soil, it’s worth paying attention. By checking common leak spots, comparing pump-on vs pump-off loss, and
running a quick bucket test, you can decide whether you’re dealing with a small equipment leak or a bigger
circulation problem that needs professional help.

Next:

Do I Really Have a Pool Leak? 7 Checks Before You Call a Leak Company