SPRINKLER TALK FORUM - You Got Questions, We've Got Answers

Okay, here goes.

Five years ago we bought a house w/ a 3-zone Richdel system. The analog controller is so old I think it was once used by Moses.

We turned the system off when we bought the place and waited until we could turn our attention to the back yard landscaping (after 5 years of interior refurb...another story).

In first attempts to re-start, 2 of the three zones are fine.

The third is not working. I don't have a tester, but I rigged a cheap-o activator w/ 3 9-volt batteries. Nothing. Just a kind of rushing sound, like water through a nozzle. (Not really an electrical "buzz" as I've heard described elsewhere.) But no water from the sprinklers.

I did notice that the pop-up heads in that zone were leaking a small bit, and I unscrewed the collar a bit to see that there was at least some water pressure. I cleaned and reassembled that head. Still nothing but a tiny leak. Obviously low pressure.

I even swapped the wiring from another valve. Nada. I even changed the solenoid. Still nothing. Just the rushing sound. I've left the zone running for an hour hoping to find a broken line to explain this, but all I have is the dribble from the heads and a few drops of water on the top of the solenoid and the valve. I thought that might suggest a clog in the valve. However, once I'd disassembled, cleaned and re-assembled the valve, I'm having the same results: whooshing noise, dribble at the heads and tiny leak at the solenoid.

Any ideas? Should I just replace the valve? (While I'm at it, should I chuck this antique controller?) Or is this likely an underground broken pipe that I just haven't found yet? Is it time to call a professional?

Thanks y'all.

A break is what my logic is telling me as well. After hours of running, I've yet to find the
location, but the tragedy is that the likely place is under a newly
installed stone patio! (How screwed will I be then!)

One question though: what about the "whooshing" sound at the valve?

None of the others do that. Is that something that would be caused by a break further down the line?

Here's a picture of the valve. Like I said, Richdel 3/4". I don't see a model number anywhere. I don't know if you can see it, but there are a few drops on top of the solenoid that just appeared after start-up. The noise is pretty fierce. Wish I could upload audio.

Thanks for the tip!

So the water is NOT gushing.

So, can I replace the diaphragm on this model? Does anyone know? Should I try swapping out the solenoid again just for kicks?

What's the smartest move here for the long run?

Used the bleed screw test. Other two worked fine. So that's the culprit.

Since I'm on a budget, I need to do this on the cheap. If I can simply buy a new diaphragm and swap it out, that's for me.

Question is, where do I find these parts? Is this a big-box item or a specialty store. I'm in LA, so there's plenty of both.

Finally, if I take this route, am I in any way asking for trouble down the line? (In other words, am I being too cheap?) Would a whole new valve assembly be the way to go?

And thanks to everyone that's helped me figure this out. You guys are the best.