"D" wrote in message news:hI9uc.4177$aM1.3428@fed1read02...
ok- here's what I got... the water comes on when I manually turn the
solenoid on (as well as the little pressure control knob on that
solenoid),
and shuts off when I close it. But, it will not come on going through the
timer. I found that there's some wires disconnected on the back yard's
solenoids, so there's one problem. But- the side and front yards the wires
appear to be working fine. I did find that the fuse was completely blown
in
the timer, so I replaced that. But again, I can't get these things to turn
on via the timer. Home Depot guys suggest getting a Voltmeter to test and
see if I'm getting 24 volts at the solenoids or not. If not, I need to
replace the timer. I seriously doubt that all 8 solenoids need replaced,
so
I suspect it's the timer.

Also- the solenoid on the side yard doesnt produce any water at all. I
turn
it on manually, and can't get water to come through it at all- any
suggestions there?

Am I missing anything?
Thanks

If your system blew a fuse, there might have been a power surge that damaged
the solenoids. I know it probably unlikely that every single one got
damaged, but it is a possibility. The first thing I would do is to get a 24
volt transformer and take it to the valves and try to get them to operate
from the local power source. If they operate, it pretty much means that you
have a wiring fault. It might be that the common or ground line is broken.
Someone may have accidentally cut the wiring. In that case you should do
what the HD person said, and test the lines for continuity.

There is one other possibility. Some systems have rain gages that interrupt
the common/ground wire. They sometimes are wired directly to the control
box or they are wired in-line between the controller and the heads. If this
is the case, make sure the cup that collects the rain is not full of water.
That will prevent the system from working. I have had the exact same
problem and after a lot of testing and diagnosis, I have checked my rain
gage only to find that it is full of water and preventing the system from
working.