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

Station 1 has not been coming on regularly. Sometimes, we can get it to come on by using the manual setting through the control box, but sometimes even that does not work. We have checked the voltage for station 1 at the control box and at the solenoid, both at about 23 volts. The resistance at the solenoid itself is steady for several seconds at about 26 ohlms. The other 8 stations seem to be working fine.

When we manually turn the actual solenoid to open the valve, the only thing that happens is water will begin to leak from the valve after a turn or two. Do we need to have the station turned on AT THE CONTROL BOX to get this test to work? Or should unscrewing the solenoid a quarter turn cause the sprinkler heads to pop up even if we have not requested that station to be running at the control box?

What do you believe could be the problem? Thanks for any advise you can provide!

Did you remove common and test with it for your resistance? Sometimes that can affect your ohms result. It does sound like a bad solenoid. You can also test by disconnecting the solenoid from the common and putting one wire on one side of a 9v battery and the other solenoid wire to the other side of the 9v to see if it opens.
You have to have the solenoid activated to test whether or not it is working. How old is your valve?

CHECKING VOLTAGE/OHMS

Checking for 24 volts AC (power supplied by transformer):

1) Set meter to AC

2) Set range 25-150

3) Measure the volts at the two 24vac screws

4) Activate station (if possible) and put black probe to common, put red to each station, one at a time. (Checking for distribution of power)

**Voltage should be over 22 volts



Checking solenoids and field wires

1) Set meter to OHMs

2) Set range to 200

3) Remove common wire

4) Hold tip of black probe to common wire

5) Touch red probe to each station screw

**Short circuit/Bad solenoid/Wire=0-12 ohms

**12-60 ohms Good solenoid

**High numbers=corroded wire

**200+ common broken