Sprinkler valve solenoid amps?

Sorry about all the extra carrage returns in that post... I really wasn't trying to be dramatic, I cut and pasted from MS Word and that was the result.

Dallas

Loading. You are testing the wire in a no-load condition.

A nick in the wire somewhere allowing water to enter could have caused corrosion, and made a resistor of your wire. When you check the end of it, even with your finger, you have not applied a load to the line. Try measuring the voltage at the valve when the wires are connected. I bet you will find that due to resistance in the wire, you have too much voltage drop for the valve to work.

If so, your best option is to replace the wire.

Jammy

There might be a cut in the wires so that only one or two strands are carrying the voltage. Without a load (the valve) voltage looks fine but when the valve is attached voltage could plummet. Measure the voltage before and after the valve is attached. Also try the valve at the controller rather than the lawn; the controller might be defective.

Dallas wrote:

Also dont overlook possibility of a stiff mechanism connected to the solenoid, or a stiff solenoid due to leakage and corrosion.

A good way to drive solenoids is to use a capacitor to give them an initial pulse of 2x rated voltage, which very rapidly drops to rated voltage from the supply.

Really you just need to work it thru, divide and conquer until you know where the problem is.

NT

Hello Dallas. When you say "The wires from the controller at the valve (guessing 200+ foot underground run, 14 gauge wire) show 27.4 volts.", do you mean WITH the solenoid connected? Connected is how you need to measure that voltage (under actual operating conditions). There is where you may find that the voltage sags bad, causing or aggravating the inability of the valve to move.....as a starting point knowing what you have for test equipment (so far).

Gord

Dallas wrote:

You want to measure the voltage with the solenoid valve connected to the power source. They use solid state drivers (triacs) that will leak enough voltage to appear to be working when they still won't operate the load if there is no load connected)

If it still doesn't work, switch that channel to another zone and see if it will work that zone.

One assumes you tested the water supply?

I'd also see what an operating valve uses (what voltage is across it). Choose a valve the same distance from the controller and measure that voltage while it is on. 27.5 sounds too high considering nominal is

24 and you should drop some voltage in the line - I know you think it is connected but that sounds like it isn't. (wire nuts?, corrosion?)

Failing all else, bite the bullet and replace it (or physically switch it with one of the other's - if that's an option - to see if the problem stays with the valve).

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Thanks to all that replied.

Yes, testing the voltage across the circuit with the solinoid connected destroyed the voltage (near zero).

We finally found a damaged point in the underground wire where all the current was leaking off into the ground.

Thumbs up!

Dallas

Took ya long enough Varmit! d:->))

It wasn't leaking off into ground, there just wasn't a good path for any appreciable amount to be drawn by the solenoid.