There are typically 3 categories of faults you’ll find with irrigation systems, hydraulic, mechanical and electrical. In this post we’ll be focussing on electrical faults. We’ll detail some typical scenarios, ways to troubleshoot & offer you some tools that can assist.
Common Causes of Electrical Irrigation Faults
Poor Quality Cable Joins
Properly installed wire joiners are vital in a high quality and hassle free irrigation system. A good quality install ensures that you will have as few faults as possible across the life of the system.
No Power to the irrigation controller
Does your irrigation controller have a live display? Commonly caused by a power surge, brownout or trying to operate an electrical component beyond the controllers capabilities. Common signs that this is an issue is that the display is blank and the controller fails to respond when pressing buttons or turning the dial.
Please be aware that all power between the GPO & the transformer of your controller are 240 volt. The product should immidiately be turned off if the cable is damaged. All power coming out of the controller is 24-30 volts and is safe for operating on. It is however advised that the controller remain in the off position whilst troubleshooting. Only switching on as required.
Damaged/Broken cable between irrigation valve & controller
A nick or a cut is all you need to damage the integrity of your irrigation cable, this can be caused by putting too much strain on your cable upon install and having it rub up against something abrasive, such as rocks or bricks in your trench. It is also commonly caused by shovels or other items being pushed into the soil. Your controller puts out 24vac to each one of the solenoid valves in the field, if you have a break or nick the 24vac may not reach the solenoid valve and therefore fail to reliably turn on.
Corroded Irrigation Cable
If you get water ingress into your cable it will eventually fail. Water ingress can be caused by damaged cable sheaths, or poor quality wire joins. A clear sign of corrosion is the greening of the copper cable. Prevention is definitely the best cure, make sure you use cable connectors suitable for irrigation otherwise you a destined to fail from day one.
Solenoid Coil Burn Out/Short
Sometimes the solenoid coil can fail, this is generally due to age and can either cause a short or an incomplete circuit. If you have 24volts coming through the cables at the valve location it is generally a poor wire join or a dead solenoid coil that needs replacing. Manufacturers offer the solenoid coil as a spare parts.
Diagnosing The Most Common Irrigation Electrical Faults
The purpose of the power put out by your irrigation controller is to power your solenoid valves allowing water to pass through and irrigate your garden.
Are you sure the issue with your Irrigation system isn’t Hydraulic?
Before you start to troubleshoot your irrigation system electrics start by confirming the following:
- Is your watersource turned on? Check to confirm your isolation valve for both your irrigation system and your property are turned on.
- Can you manually operate your solenoid valve from the valve itself by turning the internal or external bleed at the valve?
Are you sure the issue with your irrigation system isn’t Mechanical?
Common mechanical problems are:
- Your valves won’t open when turned on from the controller
- Your valves won’t close when turned off from the controller
- Water does not flow through your valves even when you manually open your valves from the internal or external bleed at the valve.
Basic Troubleshooting for Irrigation System Electrical Faults
After you have ticked the above two key items off your list we can start to isolate where your issue may lie. Follow the below steps to help:
Do you have power at the controller?
Is the digital display on?
Does the display change when turning the dial or pressing buttons?
Before you even start, is the GPO turned on?
- You may have a faulty powerpoint or damaged transformer. If you have a “Plug & Play” controller, remove the controller plug from the GPO & plug in another electrical appliance (i.e drill, hair dryer etc.) into the same powerpoint.
- If the electrical appliance also fails to operate, you have an issue with your GPO and you may need an electrician to investigate.
- If the electrical appliance works you have a faulty irrigation controller (most likely the transformer) and it is time for an upgrade.
Is the Fault with your Irrigation Controller, Cable or your Solenoid Coil?
If your faulty solenoid valve is alongside any other valves that are working you can run the following simple test.
For example Zone 1 is working, Zone 2 is not and they reside in the same location in your yard, you can isloate the issue with the following test. (Quick tip: Take a photo of your irrigation cable layout in your controller before you begin!):
- Disconnect the wire from your controllers zone 1 port
- Disconnect the wire from your controllers zone 2 port
- Insert the cable that was in the zone 1 port into the zone 2 port
- Insert the cable that was in the zone 2 port into the zone 1 port
- Does the issue remain with the zone 2 cable? If so your problem is in the field (either a damaged cable, wire join or solenoid)
- Does the issue remain with the zone 2 port in the controller? If so your problem is with the controller
After you have made these initial troubleshooting tests you are ready to either call in a professional for help or alternatively if you are a professional (or a capable DIY’er)get the right tools for the job to help you troubleshoot exactly where your issues lies and get it fixed!
Tools to troubleshoot Irrigation Electrical Faults
Armada Technologies & HR Products have some fantastic products available to help you troubleshoot your system and help Isolate where your problems lie. Read on for details on each as well as a table detailing which item is suitable for which electrical problem you are encountering.
HR Products Rattler
This unit install on the active wire of your solenoid valve and creates a loud rattling noise helping you to find your solenoid valve via the noise and vibration caused by the rattle.
HR Products SS2002 Solenoid Seeker
The Solenoid Seeker helps you find operating solenoid valves in garden beds, mulch and turf areas, whether they are directly buried or in a valve box, the SS2002 will find them. A must for all irrigation maintenance contractors; save time and money by finding your solenoids fast. Will help find active coils up to 500mm in depth
Armada Pro48/Pro48 Kit
The Pro48™ tests all of the critical electrical components and does so in an easy to follow LED system that walks a user through the process component by component. This system can help you test your irrigation controller, field wire integrity and finally the solenoid, which are all of the electric components of a sprinkler system.
The Pro48 Kit includes a soft carry case and a Tone probe to help you sound out your cables and end points.
Armada Pro900
Armada’s #1 full featured digital underground locator for contractors and maintenance personnel. Incorporating three different locating frequencies, the Pro900™tracks metallic cabling, including CATV, electrical, telephone, sprinkler, and lighting.
The Pro900™transmits solid or intermittent signals that are easy to follow. The digital signal reception allows for crystal clear tone reception in most situations with either null or peak reception and features a KOSS stereo headset.
Armada Pro95
The ultimate clamp meter for 2 wire decoder systems troubleshooting and diagnostics. Able to measure 1/1000th of a milliamp, voltage, resistance/solenoid checks the Pro95 has your decoder troubleshooting covered.
A Comparison of Irrigation Electrical Fault Finding Tools
Find a table below detailing the various Aramada Technologies & HR Products have some troubleshooting devices available along with what they can and can’t help you troubleshoot
| Product | Lost Solenoid | Cable Break | Cable Depth | Cable Break/Short ID | Voltage Test | Test Coil | Decoder Milliamp Testing |
| HR Rattler | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| HR SS2002 | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Armada Pro48 | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
| Armada Pro48 Kit | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
| Armada Pro900 | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Armada Pro95 Clamp Meter | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ |
Check out our Solenoid and Cable Seekers page to check out the full range!
Any questions? Please get in touch with us so we can help you make the right decision!
Want to watch the webinar we ran on this topic? Click here to access it on Youtube
Happy Irrigating,
Simon Bando
