Troubleshooting Your Irrigation System

Valves operate in three different ways - Mechanically, Hydraulically and Electrically.  In this lecture we'll look at what mechanical issues may prevent a valve from operating properly. 

Let's have a quick review of what we've covered in this Section.

Electricity is one of the most misunderstood components of the irrigation system, yet oftentimes it is electrical issues that are the culprit of the valves not operating properly.   Before we start the electrical troubleshooting process, Lectures 8 & 9 will cover the definitions, terms and operating procedures for actually conducting the troubleshooting itself.  This lecture is an overview of Section 3 of the course.

Before we start discussing electrical components in the irrigation system, we need to cover the basic terms we'll be using throughout this section. 

In this lecture I'll discuss and demonstrate how to use a digital multimeter to measure resistance, voltage and amps (current).  By the end of this lecture, you will have the knowledge to test for these same values when troubleshooting your electrical system. Be sure to download the information sheet in resources and refer to it to test your knowledge in the following quiz!

To properly troubleshoot the electrical system, you must have a thorough understanding of a valve circuit operates.  This will make it possible for you to troubleshoot and correct problems caused by improper installation or poor troubleshooting and repairs by others.  At the end of the next five lessons, you will have a complete understanding of valve wiring within the irrigation system. 

In this lecture we'll look at the wiring circuit for valves using a single common wire.

Depending on the size of the property and the available water flow and pressure, there may be times when having 2 or more valves activated at once is desired.  In this lecture we'll look at how this can be done and how the Resistance (ohm) measurement changes when more than one valve comes on at a time.

Different kinds of faults may occur within an irrigation electrical system. The 4 most common faults are: Open, Short, Ground and Partial Faults.  At the end of this lesson, you will have a better understanding of these 4 common electrical faults that you may encounter.  In a later lecture we'll look at testing for these issues.

There are only three electrical components to be considered when troubleshooting the irrigation system.  In this lecture I'll discuss each component, show examples of each and what the electrical issues you may find with each of them. 

Follow a systematic approach to doing your troubleshooting. By consistently following a logical step-by-step procedure you are less likely to miss a problem.  90% of electrical testing will be performed at the controller. After checking the obvious, which I will discuss in this lesson, it is best to begin at the controller itself.  Be sure to download the Step-by-Step procedure I've put together as a PDF for you.

Starting at the controller you are able to detect issues within the irrigation electrical circuits.  In this lesson I'll demonstrate multimeter readings you will encounter with both a closed and open circuit and discuss what the ohm readings would be for a short circuit.  Be sure to download the PDF in resources that will give you the range of ohm readings you may encounter.

Sometimes readings can be misleading - what may appear abnormal is actually correct for that particular circuit.  In this lecture we'll look at ohm readings for multiple valve wiring.