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

Hi -

We just had some landscaping done which involved some sprinkler work, including 2 new valves in the front. They worked fine until the last week or so, where I noticed Zone 1 turns on at the scheduled time (5:45a) but is still on when we wake up. It's only supposed to run for 10 min. I can see that Zone 2 turned on and off (6:00a for 5 min) because of the overspray still present on the driveway. If I turn the water main off for a few seconds, then back on, Zone 1 doesn't turn back on.

Any ideas what it could be? If Zone 1 turned right back on when I reinstated water from the main, it would be obvious that the valve wasn't closing (I think). Since the valve closes once the water main is off though, I know the signal to close came through at the scheduled time. Had I just turned the main off in the middle of the schedule run, and turned back on, the sprinklers turn off and then right back on, meaning the valves stay open as expected.

Is it possible that high water pressure is keeping the valve from closing, and that's why once the main is off, the valve is able to close? But then, why would Zone 2 - which the valve is right next to Zone 1 - work just fine?

Any thoughts are appreciated!

Quoted from "Wet_Boots"

get your service guy back - the valve isn't performing properly

Hi thanks for the reply - I'll do that if necessary, but if it's a quick fix I'd prefer to just do it myself. So I'm looking for some ideas about what the cause might be.

Quoted from "mrfixit"

Adjust the flow control. If it's open all the way the valve might stick on. Turn it down some, clockwise.

That did the trick. Thanks!