# Sprinkler leaking: puddles or soggy spots in the lawn

Updated: 2026-10-24 · https://pros411.com/en/guides/landscaping/sprinkler-leaking-puddles

## Short answer

Turn the sprinkler controller off and watch the spot. If water keeps coming with everything off, a valve or the main irrigation line is leaking: call a pro. If it only leaks while the zone runs, dig carefully at the wettest spot. Most often the small riser under a head is cracked. Replace the riser, wrap the threads with plumber’s tape, put the head back on and test the zone.

## How to find and fix a sprinkler leak

![Cartoon sprinkler head standing in a puddle, with water leaking from a cracked pipe underground](https://pros411.com/img/guias/sprinkler-leaking-puddles.webp)

1. **A soggy spot or puddle near a head.** Water bubbles up around a head, or a patch of lawn stays soft and squishy. The grass there may grow faster than the rest.
2. **Turn the controller off and watch.** Wait an hour. Still flowing with every zone off? A valve or the main line leaks: call a pro. Stopped? The leak is on that zone.
3. **Dig at the wettest spot.** Dig a small circle around the head with a trowel and set the sod aside. Look for water seeping from the riser, the fitting or the pipe.
4. **Replace the cracked riser.** Unscrew the head and the cracked riser. Wrap the threads of a new riser with plumber’s tape, screw it in by hand and put the head back on.
5. **Run the zone and check.** Turn the zone on and watch for bubbles before you fill the hole. No leak? Pack the soil back, replace the sod and let the spot dry out.

## Where the water comes from

- Only at the lowest head, right after a zone shuts off: low-head drainage. Water left in the pipe drains out there. A head with a built-in check valve fixes it.
- All the time, even with the controller off: a valve that does not close fully, or a crack in the main line, which is always under pressure. Call a pro.
- Only while one zone runs, between heads: a cracked pipe on that zone. A pro can splice in a repair coupling.
- From the top of a head, like a fountain: the head itself is broken. See the guide on a broken sprinkler head.

## Check the water meter

Turn off every faucet and appliance and make sure the sprinklers are off. Open the meter box, usually near the street, and look at the small leak indicator (a little triangle or star). If it spins, water is leaking somewhere on your side of the meter. That is worth a call, because a hidden leak runs day and night.

## When to call a landscaper

- Water keeps flowing with every zone off (a valve or the main line).
- The leak indicator on the water meter spins with everything off.
- The leak is at the valve box or the backflow preventer.
- The crack is in a long stretch of pipe or under a sidewalk or driveway.

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## Frequently asked questions

### Why is there a puddle around my sprinkler head?

Usually a cracked riser or fitting under the head. It can also be low-head drainage: water left in the pipe drains out of the lowest head after the zone stops. Dig carefully to see which one it is.

### Why is my yard soggy when the sprinklers are off?

A valve that does not close all the way, or a leak in the main irrigation line, which stays under pressure all the time. Turn off the water to the sprinklers and call a pro.

### How do I find an underground sprinkler leak?

Look for the softest, wettest spot, or grass that grows faster than the rest. Run the zone and watch for bubbles. Then dig carefully at that spot with a trowel.

### What is low-head drainage?

Water left in the pipe drains out of the lowest head every time a zone shuts off, leaving a puddle at that one head. A replacement head with a built-in check valve stops it.

### Can a sprinkler leak raise my water bill?

Yes. A leak on the main irrigation line runs all day, every day. If your bill jumps for no reason, check the leak indicator on your water meter with everything off.