[buzzkillb]

We moved into the house and since we moved in the sprinkler controller has been acting very odd. Its an Irritrol RD-600. Right now the only thing that works right is the automatic mode. But if I try to run it in manual mode it just blinks. Today I just randomly pushed buttons and it would start valve 4 no matter what valve I had it set to. Also I pushed buttons more and I got it to start valve 3 and 4 together.

I would rather try to save some time and money, and not send this out for repair and was wondering if anyone was familiar with what can be replaced on the circuit board to fix the problem? I guess I should take a look and see if any capacitors are blown.

I was also curious if I could replace this with another brand? And if so what's a good controller that can control 5 valves? I would also like to run valve 5 once a week while 1-4 run every day or every other day without having to touch the controller. Any ideas?

 

[CVID]

Sorry, I can't help you with your current controller, but if you end up buying a new one, I would recommend a Rain Bird ESP Modular. They are easy to use and have 3 programming options (allowing you to water different valves on different days/times). I used to work in irrigation and have worked with many controllers and this is my favorite. Hunter also makes one that is comparable.

 

[Canarywood1]

I have the Rain Bird and concur with previous poster,nice unit.

 

[buzzkillb]

So for 5 stations I would need to buy the controller and 1 modular unit right? Can this be setup to turn on valves 1-4 every other day and valve 5 once a week?

 

[CVID]

So for 5 stations I would need to buy the controller and 1 modular unit right? Can this be setup to turn on valves 1-4 every other day and valve 5 once a week?

Yes, you would need to buy 1 modular, which would get you up to 7 stations. You will also be able to run valves 1-4 every other day and valve 5 once a week.

 

[pwgsx]

It can be replaced with another brand. I will never use Rainbird again but thats another story in itself :furious:. I am now using a IrrigationCaddy- you control it thru your network, its wireless and you can use your phone to turn it on and off. Its really nice if you want to go that route but will cost a little more but it is not that bad.

http://www.amazon.com/IrrigationCad...d=1362070179&sr=8-1&keywords=irrigation+caddy

 

[buzzkillb]

That IrrigationCaddy is really cool. But really overkill for my needs. I would prefer to spend money on other much needed improvements.

I figure if the current controller works at least on automatic, then no reason to spend a lot of money. But something that could control each valve separately would save me money on watering valve 5 which is a drip line that only needs to run once a week, not every day.

 

[djlandkpl]

Most controllers allow you to set different run times for each vavle (aka zone or station). Your current Irritrol has the ability too but irrelevant since it has problems.

Look for one that can control at least 5 zones.

 

[buzzkillb]

Most controllers allow you to set different run times for each vavle (aka zone or station). Your current Irritrol has the ability too but irrelevant since it has problems.

Look for one that can control at least 5 zones.

Out of curiosity how would I go about doing that with the current Irritrol? I want to run 1-4 skip days and 5 once a week. This might be the final thing that makes me buy a new one today instead of putting this off. This may or may not be working right as I could never figure it out.

 

[pwgsx]

You will need a 5 zone that you can program individual run times and days for each zone. Zone 1-4 odd/even days and zone 5 off every day but say wed. The cheap controllers will usually not let you program it like that and usually only allow you to run ALL zones on your programmed days for the selected run times- ALL zones 1-5 odd/even days. (they wont let you choose zone 5 to only run on 1 of those days). Check amazon, they have some nice multifunction controllers for around $80.

 

[djlandkpl]

Here's a link to the manual. Go to page 20 and look for the section titled, Setting the Valve Run Time.

http://www.irritrol.com/controller_manuals/pdfs/manual_raindial07.pdf

It's not very intuitive. If you are going to replace it, I would go with a Rain Bird. I've had good luck with sprinklerwarehouse.com

 

[buzzkillb]

Since you are familiar with this. If I set a program (zone 1-4) on A and set a program (zone 5) on B, does it matter what that dial is left on when I set the controller to run?

 

[djlandkpl]

If I set a program (zone 1-4) on A and set a program (zone 5) on B, does it matter what that dial is left on when I set the controller to run?

It shouldn't matter where the dial is left. However I would leave it on the current time. If your controller is in in a visible location, you can give it a quick glance to ensure it hasn't been affected by a blackout/power loss.

 

[buzzkillb]

Awesome we go off water conservation mode in the morning, so tomorrow will be my first test to see if the Irritrol fully functions before switching the controller out. The roses will be really happy if they get watered deeper and less frequently!!

 

[buzzkillb]

So it turns out the controller is going totally bad. I was told that is causing the leaking for the drip irrigation zone that just started to happen. So I am ordering the timer right now. Next up is that it looks like one of the valves is leaking too for the sprinklers. How hard is to replace a 3/4" brass valve? I am getting a quote of $120 to do that and seems like this should be something that I can do myself.

 

[djlandkpl]

So it turns out the controller is going totally bad. I was told that is causing the leaking for the drip irrigation zone that just started to happen. So I am ordering the timer right now. Next up is that it looks like one of the valves is leaking too for the sprinklers. How hard is to replace a 3/4" brass valve? I am getting a quote of $120 to do that and seems like this should be something that I can do myself.

Depends. Changing valves isn't hard, it's the amount of working space that can be a challenge. Can you post a pic of the valve and the area.

 

[buzzkillb]

Pics attached. Went to Home Depot and wasn't really clear what I need to be buying.

 

[djlandkpl]

Do you know where the leak is? Is it leaking at the heads or at the valve. If you can determine the make and model of the valve, the diaphragm can be changed vs. replacing the whole valve. The 8ish screws on top are removed to get to the diaphragm. The water supply needs to be turned off when you do it.

 

[buzzkillb]

The valve is Superior. Can I just turn the water off, take the 8 screws off and take something into a hardware store?

How would I be able to tell where the leak is coming from? The guy who came by to give us a quote thought it was the brass valve that needed to be replaced.

This thread has been really helpful. I ended up buying a $70 Rain Bird controller from Home Depot and now everything works right. I kept losing out on getting the ESP modular from the cheaper store on Amazon. So I figured why not try something local. No more loud clicking from the drip station. Everything works once again. I also found a video on youtube explaining how to adjust the Rain Bird Maxi Paw sprinklers to get the proper areas watered again and that was as easy as moving the springs and flipping a spring inside the unit.

 

[djlandkpl]

Yes to shutting off the water. You may find parts locally but may have to buy online.

I would start with changing the diaphragm. That let's the water through.

If you wind up buying online and the parts vs whole valve difference isn't huge get the valve. You can cannibalize it for parts or just replace the old one. The logic is to save on shipping if the diaphragm isn't the issue.