Homeowners love to talk about tiles, water features and the moment when, on that first shimmering afternoon, the pool finally looks like the brochure. Fewer still talk about the small, humming structure that makes all that possible: the pump shed, equipment room or ‘pool house’ in its most utilitarian sense. Yet this modest enclosure is what transforms a pool that constantly needs attention into one that behaves. So, if you’re planning a new shed or reworking an old one, don’t start with cute cladding or a Pinterest-worthy door. Start with a simple question: what has to happen inside this box to ensure the pool runs smoothly with the least friction for years to come?
Start with the workflow, not the walls.
Imagine a typical service visit, whether yours or a technician’s. You arrive carrying a test kit, a tote bag full of chemicals, a hose and perhaps a replacement O-ring. You need to unlock the door, switch off the power, open the valves, check the pump basket, remove air from the filter, prime the pump, read the pressure gauge and check the salt chlorinator. If your shed forces you to juggle any of these steps, you will start cutting corners, and these shortcuts will lead to problems. A well-designed pump shed optimises the workflow: power isolation is at shoulder height, valves are labelled and easily accessible, the filter’s air bleed isn’t obstructed by a shelf and the chlorinator display can be read in daylight. Good pool maintenance feels almost inevitable when the room cooperates.
Use space as a tool: allow yourself service clearances.
Most sheds are too small. Manufacturers publish minimum clearance numbers, and these are not optional. You’ll need enough space to swing the filter’s clamp band, remove a multiport valve and pull off a pump lid without twisting your wrist. As a rule of thumb, leave at least the device’s footprint again as free space in front of it. It’s tempting to hide everything in a low, compact space, but try to resist. Filters need vertical clearance to lift the lid and access the internal components. Pumps require straight pipe runs on the suction side to prevent cavitation. Even a salt cell needs space to be removed for cleaning without banging elbows. Think of the room as a service bay, not a cupboard.
Moisture is your invisible enemy.
The air inside a pump shed is warm and humid. Condensation can creep into control boards, swell MDF shelves and cause fasteners to rust. Plan for vapour from the outset. Use non-absorbent wall linings or thoroughly seal timber. Slightly slope the floor towards a drain to avoid problems the first time a union decides to mist. Ventilation should be balanced: high and low vents create a chimney effect, ensuring the pump does not get cold in winter. If you are housing a heat pump, make sure you follow the specified clearances and airflow paths; otherwise, the unit will short-cycle constantly. Mount electronics away from splash zones and above the “flood line”. When in doubt, choose stainless steel fixings, PVC trim and marine-grade latches. Moisture will always find a way in; your job is to make it work harder.
Prioritise clarity and safety over cleverness when it comes to electricity.
Many equipment rooms become a puzzle of mystery spurs, unlabelled breakers and junction boxes under a drip line. You can do better. Start by installing a dedicated circuit sized for the appliances you intend to use: a pump, a chlorinator, lights, a robot charger and possibly a future booster or UV unit. Install a clearly labelled isolation switch at the entry point and keep a laminated circuit diagram on the inside of the door. In damp environments, tidy conduit runs and generous drip loops are more important than attractive cable ties. Keep low-voltage control lines away from mains runs to avoid interference and mount displays at eye level so that you don’t need a headlamp to read error codes. The payoff is peace of mind: when something trips or needs replacing, you’ll know exactly what to do.
Reliable plumbing
The plumbing of the equipment should resemble a sentence with punctuation. The skimmer and main drain should feed into a tee with a decent straight run into the pump. The pump should discharge into the filter, which should then flow into the heater (if present), the chlorinator cell and finally the return manifold. Each branch should have a reachable, labelled valve. Avoid creating tight clusters of 90-degree elbows purely to save space — those elbows reduce the head pressure and make the pump work harder (and be louder). Use unions near every serviceable item so that components can be removed without cutting the pipe. If you ever decide to add solar panels, water features or a bypass, your future self will thank you for leaving a stub-out or a spare valve.
Treat noise like a neighbour and treat it respectfully.
Pumps hum, heaters whoosh and chlorinators buzz. If the shed is next to a bedroom, a few design choices can make the difference between contented neighbours and nightly WhatsApp messages. A rubber isolation pad under the pump base dampens vibration. Flexible couplings reduce resonance. Line the inside of the door with humidity-tolerant acoustic foam. Most importantly, make sure that any sound-deadening measures don’t restrict ventilation – quiet and cool must coexist. As machines age, noise is often the first symptom you notice; a shed that reduces background noise helps you to spot the change early.
Chemical storage without turning into chemistry.
People tend to store pool chemicals wherever they can. It’s safer to treat them as a system. Keep acids and chlorines separate, and ensure that everything is kept off the floor and away from electronics. Ventilate the storage area to prevent fumes from accumulating. Secondary containment, such as a simple tray, will capture any spills before they can etch the concrete or corrode the feet of the container. Labels fade, so keep a waterproof marker handy to rewrite them when necessary. A small eye wash bottle and a pair of gloves on a hook cost very little and can prevent serious problems. You don’t need to build a hazmat locker; you just need to acknowledge that liquids eventually spill.
Weatherproofing for the shoulder seasons.
Most pools are heavily used for a few months and then ‘coast’. Your shed should help the system transition smoothly. In autumn, fallen leaves fill the baskets and the rain raises the water levels. Having a gutter over the door prevents water from pouring in when you open it. In winter, a draft-free enclosure will keep seals supple and electronics functioning well. If you experience freezing temperatures, insulating exposed pipes and installing a frost-stat heater set just above freezing can prevent the need for complex repairs in spring. In spring, the first backwash of the season is easier if the waste line hasn’t become a conduit for rodents; a proper termination or flap valve can help with this.
The human factor: labels, lighting and small acts of kindness.
One day, you’ll step into the shed at night, holding a torch in your mouth. Install a bright, sealed LED light with a pull cord so that you can find it by feel. Use printed, weatherproof labels on valves and circuits – tired people can’t read handwriting properly. Keep a clipboard with a month-by-month log of pressure readings, salt levels and unusual noises. These tiny rituals aren’t fussy; they’re how you turn reactive fixes into preventive care. The phrase ‘pool maintenance’ often conjures up images of scrubbing and testing, but it is in the equipment room that maintenance becomes a way of life. A neat room encourages neat habits.
Siting, foundations and the outside world.
The location of your shed on your property determines how often you’ll visit it. If there is a short, dry path, it will be used more often. Place the door so that it isn’t blocked by bins or garden tools. If the ground slopes, build steps into the base or pour a small plinth to ensure that the floor is level and higher than the surrounding ground. This will keep stormwater out and make aligning equipment easier. Provide a small apron in front of the door to allow you to set down a tote or a chemical drum without it tipping into the mud. Integrate the structure into the landscape using the same cladding or paint as nearby sheds, but prioritise practicality over decoration. Hardware ages better than paint.
Smart controls that don’t trap you in a dependency cycle.
Automation can be a blessing: timers that activate during off-peak periods, quiet variable-speed pumps, and notifications that alert you when salt levels are low. However, it can also lead to a dependency on apps, passwords and firmware updates. If you opt for a ‘smart’ system, make sure you have a manual override option for every essential operation, such as circulation, sanitisation, and heating. Mount a simple laminated card: ‘When the app fails, set the valve here, switch this breaker and press this button to change the mode.’ The best technology is only one failure away from analogue.
Future-proofing: leave clues and allow for extra capacity.
Pools don’t get much simpler than this. Someone might add a heater, a water feature or a robot dock. Leave space on the equipment pad and capacity in the conduit for one or two future cables. Cap a couple of tees for any future projects. Make a note of the model numbers and installation dates on the inside of the door. When a seal kit is needed in three years’ time, you won’t be left guessing. Small foresight multiplies. A shed built with the future in mind makes the present more peaceful.
Security and access: who gets in and how?
Lock the door, but don’t make it too difficult to open. A keyed latch is fine, but a keypad lock is better if multiple people are responsible for servicing the pool. If children play nearby, install a self-closing hinge and keep chemicals out of reach. Consider installing a simple weather strip at the threshold to keep out pests. If service people visit when you’re out, a key safe will prevent the need to hide a key under the mat and the risks that come with it.
The quiet economics of a well-equipped room.
It’s easy to treat the shed as an afterthought because it’s not something you show guests. However, the return on investment (ROI) is steady and real: fewer leaks because joints are accessible, fewer electronic failures because moisture has somewhere to go, faster seasonal openings because tools and chemicals are stored properly, and fewer noise complaints because vibrations are reduced. Most importantly, issues are spotted early. If someone is there to read it, a pressure gauge that creeps up two PSI month-on-month tells a story — and the story is even clearer if the gauge isn’t hidden behind a shelf. Good design doesn’t eliminate pool maintenance; it makes maintenance light, regular and almost invisible.
Bringing it all together
If you’re starting from scratch, sketch the layout before choosing the cladding. Include doors, clearances, vents, the drain and conduit paths, as well as where you’ll stand to work. If you’ve inherited a cramped or chaotic space, address one issue at a time: raise the chlorinator to eye level, add a labelled valve set, move the chemical shelf off the floor, replace rusty screws with stainless steel ones and fit a rubber pad under the pump. Each small change will make the next one easier. Over time, the room will begin to feel intentional, and the pool will seem to appreciate the attention.
Ultimately, a pool is a promise — a promise of lazy afternoons. The pump shed is where that promise is fulfilled. Build it like a workshop, treat it like a cockpit and let it support you, turning pool maintenance into a rhythm rather than a chore. It won’t be the prettiest spot in your garden, but it might be the most satisfying: a small building that works so well that you almost forget it’s there until you open the door, breathe in the dry air, see the clear labels, hear the steady hum and feel the low, confident pulse of the water doing what it should.