Asked by: Nakor Yahlakov
home and garden smart home

How does an irrigation control valve work?

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A small orifice in the diaphragm allows the water to flow through to the upper chamber between the diaphragm and the bonnet. The water continues to travel on through a port in the bonnet to the solenoid area. The solenoid has a light spring loaded metal piston that, when the valve is closed, covers the inlet port hole.


Just so, what is an irrigation control valve?

Valves control the flow of water to the irrigation system. Each valve is responsible for one area, or zone, of the lawn irrigation system. When the solenoid receives the signal from the controller, it tells the diaphragm to open, allowing water to flow through the pipes, or close, to shut off the flow of water.

One may also ask, how do I know if my sprinkler solenoid is bad? If your solenoid is bad, the water pressure in the sprinkler chamber will not be changed and the valve will fail to open.
  1. Turn off the water supply.
  2. Open the solenoid housing and inspect the plunger.
  3. Reinsert the solenoid plunger into the housing.

Subsequently, question is, what causes a sprinkler valve to stay open?

Air Trapped in the Valve: A small bubble of air becomes trapped in the tiny water ports of the valve, this stops the water from flowing through the port. Since the water flowing through the port is what holds the valve diaphragm closed, the valve stays open.

How do you troubleshoot an irrigation valve?

Replace the valve body if the valve seat is damaged. Check the diaphragm and the valve seat for cracks and wear. Replace them if they show signs of wear or deterioration. Reassemble the valve, turn on the water, and manually operate the irrigation controller to make sure everything is working properly.

Related Question Answers

Blossom Odiaga

Professional

Where is the sprinkler valve located?

Sometimes the valves are located above ground, usually near where the source pipe emerges from the house to split into various irrigation zones. In this case, it's usually quite easy to find the valves. Often the valves are located inside one or more in-ground valve boxes.

Naoual Junke

Professional

Should sprinkler valves be open or closed?

Make sure the sprinkler valve is closed, unless it's the valve farthest from the main water source. You'll want to leave this valve open and remove the sprinkler nozzle to allow air to escape when you turn on the water.

Vianey Frohlinde

Explainer

How do you manually turn on irrigation valves?

To open the valve manually, twist the manual bleed screw counter-clockwise until the valve opens. It usually doesn't need to be more than one-half turn. To close the valve turn the manual bleed screw clockwise until the valve closes.

Steliana Udave

Explainer

Why my sprinkler system is not working?

Go to one of the irrigation valves and turn the solenoid 1/4 to 1/2 a turn counter-clockwise. If the valve opens and sprinklers turn on, your valve is working and you'll need to check the controller and field wiring. If the valve did not turn on any of the sprinklers, the water to the valves is still off.

Baya Belohin

Pundit

Can one sprinkler valve control two zones?

Running multiple zones at once is usually not possible due water-pressure and flow limitations at residential properties. As with any standard irrigation controller, you can wire multiple solenoids/valves to the same zone output if you want.

Evangelos Eberg

Pundit

Why is my sprinkler valve box full of water?

If your valve box is full of water, does it mean your lawn sprinkler system is leaking? It might! Perhaps, it's just been rainy, and your sprinkler valve box is retaining water due to our clay soils. Or maybe, there's a leak upstream that's trickling into the box.

Luanne Laass

Pundit

When should I worry about sprinkler system freezing?

Sprinkler pipes and other components are at risk of freezing and breaking when temperatures drop below 32 degrees Fahrenheit. Immediate damage can occur to exposed pipes and sprinkler equipment with the first freeze of winter.

Luara Kleinesudeik

Pundit

How do I turn on my main sprinkler valve?

Slowly open the main shutoff valve to let water into the sprinkler system. For a ball valve, turn the lever handle one-quarter turn until the handle is parallel to the pipe; this is the fully open position. For an in-ground shutoff valve, use a sprinkler valve key to turn the valve counterclockwise until it stops.

Conny Utrillas

Teacher

When should I turn off my sprinkler system?

You should shut off your irrigation system just before temperatures in your region begin to dip below freezing at night. Don't shut off your irrigation system too early. Often homeowners shut their systems down as soon as the fall season arrives because they believe that their lawn requires less water.

Aida Indenbirken

Teacher

How do I know if my sprinkler valves are open?

Depending on the type of valve you have, you may be able to determine visually if the valve is open.
  1. Locate the main shutoff valve on your irrigation system.
  2. Turn a gate valve counterclockwise until it stops to open it.
  3. Observe a ball valve position in relation to the water line it is installed on.

Stepan Bourne

Reviewer

What do you do when your sprinkler won't turn off?

Valve will not shut off
  1. Disconnect one of the valve wires.
  2. If the valve does not shut off:
  3. Turn off the main water supply.
  4. Open the top of the valve and remove the diaphragm.
  5. Turn on the water supply and flush the valve out for 15 seconds.
  6. Inspect the diaphragm for holes or tears.

Xaime Calçcaroo

Supporter

How do you fix a sprinkler valve that is stuck?

Here are some tips for valve repair.
  1. Turn the controller to " System Off" so it does not try to cycle a program.
  2. Shut off the main water supply.
  3. Unscrew the solenoid (cylinder with two wires) and make sure the plunger is clean and moves freely.
  4. Unscrew the bonnet screws or jar top depending on your valve model.

Loise Torsel

Supporter

Why would a sprinkler valve not close?

If the valve does not close properly after the debris has been flushed out, then the solenoid probably has gone bad and needs to be replaced. Install a filter in the main water supply line to the valve to prevent debris from clogging the system in the future.

Houssien Alupazaga

Beginner

What causes solenoid to fail?

When a solenoid is first energized, its coil receives a pulse of high inrush current that decreases as the plunger closes. If the plunger does not close, the high inrush current continues, which can cause the coil to overheat and burn out. This is the most common cause of solenoid failure and spotting it is easy.

Zulaika Terenas

Beginner

Why does my sprinkler system run twice?

Tabs. A common reason for a controller to repeat a cycle is too many programmed start times. Only one start time per active program is required, a second start time will cycle the program an additional time. Individual stations are assigned to a program (A,B,C).

Emogene Duvenkropp

Beginner

What happens if a sprinkler solenoid goes bad?

A sprinkler works because the solenoid changes the water pressure inside the sprinkler chamber and lifts the plunger that opens the sprinkler valve. If your solenoid is bad, the water pressure in the sprinkler chamber will not be changed and the valve will fail to open.

Abdulla Gabian

Beginner

How do you test a valve solenoid?

Testing the coil of solenoid valve can also be conducted with the multimeter.
  1. Power on the solenoid valve, take off the connector plug, and use the multimeter to test whether there is power or not.
  2. Power on the solenoid valve and move the thin steel wire close to the coil to see whether its suction is viable.

Paciano Cartucho

Beginner

Where are sprinkler solenoids located?

In newer lawn irrigation systems, the valves should be installed in valve boxes set into the earth. Often these are easily visible. In small yards, there is often a single valve box located near where the irrigation pipes enter the ground from the water source.

Co-Authored By:

EveryThingWhat Staff Editor

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24th January, 2020

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