Re: lawn sprinkler control unit repair

[George Pontis <gpontis@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

In article <thkl61pgek4insfjd21gil4b72idmum50r@xxxxxxx>, eckerpw@xxxxxxxxx says...
> When on turned on control unit in the garage (had been shut down for
> winter) all seemed fine, programed it like I do each spring, except
> when I used the control unit to activate a sprinkler head, the unit
> went dark. So I went outside and opened the box in the ground where
> the wires are hooked to the valves. What I found is somehow the box
> had filled up with wet dirt and covered all the valves and wires.
> Could  the wet dirt have caused the inside unit to short out?  Do you
> think if i dig out the valves and let them dry out the inside unit
> might work again?

One way the box fills up with wet dirt is when a gopher tunnels along your pipe
trench and moves the spoils into the valve box. I have seen them sever the wire
flush with the solenoid body. They could also have created a short circuit, which
would trip a breaker or blow a fuse in your control unit.

Clean out the dirt and verify that the connections are sound. Perhaps also measure
that solenoid at the control box to verify that the resistance is comparable to
the other solenoids, I think in the range of 20-50 ohms. (Put ohmeter between
common and valve when watering is not active.)