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

Absolutely...Depending on how you installed the wire. Generally, when we install systems, we leave a 1' coil of extra wire per valve. This lets us strip the casing and cut just the wires we need. If you left no extra wire in the valve box, you may find it difficult to connect the ends of your wires, but it is possible. Simply run a short "jumper wire".



Remember: Both ends of your common wire must be connected to a selenoid wire. With the exception of your valves on the end of the wire, which will only have one common wire.



As for your other question, it is not neccessary to reconnect all wires after a wire splice, but it is a good idea. You only need to splice the colors that will operate a valve. However, if a zone wire ever goes bad, and they do, had you wired them all, you would have a replacement wire to use.

I'm wondering if you mean the following:
Each solenoid has two wires, one of them is a ground wire. This can be wired into the ground wire of the next valve and on to the next with one finally returning to the ground location in the control box.
The other wire should be a unique wire that goes right to the control box. Using separate colors would help to identify them.
BTW - I just watched a This Old House video on fixing broken valves and they said there are waterproof wirenuts for typing the wires together. My system (inherited and old) has electric tape but hasn't had an electrical problem yet - even though one of my valves is often flooded during rainstorms.