SprinklerNewbie
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SprinklerNewbie
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This post has been edited 1 times, last edit by "mrfixit" (Jul 24th 2013, 12:54pm)
SprinklerNewbie
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Well guys, it appears that it was a bad wire after all. Luckily for me, I only have 5 stations and the wire set had six run to that box, so there was a spare. I swapped over the wire on both ends, and the station now works correctly. Thanks for the tip on unscrewing the solenoid to see if it's activated; this was an easy way to test the wire without buying a meter.There are two ways to manually open one of those jar-top valves. One is by the large lever that is on the valves, just below the solenoid. That way is best, because it better simulates what is happening when the solenoid is activated. (the other is by the bleed screw, that releases water and/or air, which gives it its name)
For less money than a new solenoid, you could fit yourself with a new multimeter from the Harbor Freight store. They are even known to give them away on special event days.
About the only thing you haven't done is to activate the zone in question and unscrew the solenoid to see whether or not it is activated. (turn off the water supply first)
It doesn't take long to realize that avoiding the electronics questions involves a lot more work and expense than getting that multimeter and putting it to good use.