Underground Sprinkler System

[Kate]

This newsgroup has helped me before, with good results, so I am back.

Today I turned on my sprinkler system, with five zones.

The problem I am having is that zones four and five both ran at the same time. To top it all off, I could not get the water to turn off. I unplugged the electrical cord from the outlet, removed the battery in the sprinkler control box, and the water still ran. The only way I could get the water turned off was to crawl back underneath the house, and turn the sprinkler system faucet off. This is the main faucet I turn off every fall when the sprinkler system gets blown out.

Can anyone help me?

Many thanks.

Kate

[Tony Hwang]

Hi, Start checking control power going to the bad zones and see of the solenoid valve is stuck. Little two zones acting same way at once. Long shot but it could be controller problem too.

[mm]

Was it your system last year too? Maybe the previous owner, or your yard guy, or you and you forgot, connected the two zones to one controller zone. Maybe there was some problem with the other controller zone. Check the wires.

Valve doesn't shut. Stone stuck in the valve?

Turning off the electricity doesn't close the valve, a spring or gravity does that. The electricity tries to open it, and turning off the electricity makes it stop trying, but that doesn't guarantee it will shut.

I ended up putting old pieces of T1-11 where I had to crawl around, so I didn't get so dirty.

[James]

You say that "zones 4 and 5 ran at the same time. "

Most likely , your zone 4 valve is stuck, for whatever reason. When your controller sent electricity to zone 5 it ran fine, but zone 4 was still running because even after that valve power was cut off, the valve itself is stuck and that is why you had to shut the water off.

Some folks can fix bad valves. Some valves have a replaceable diaphram, some don't.

good luck !!

James