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One sprinkler zone not working? Causes, safe checks and when to call

Eco ScapesUpdated

Illustration: sprinklers watering half of a front lawn while the other half, one zone's worth, has dried to straw.
Illustration

The short answer

If the other zones run, your controller and water are fine. The problem is in that zone alone: its schedule, its wire or its valve. Start it by hand, then open its valve by hand. Those two tests narrow it down.

Why would one zone stop when the others still run?

The zones share the controller and the water, so if the others run, those are fine. The fault is in something only that zone has: its schedule, its wire or its valve. Answer a few questions to find which.

  1. Shared

    Do the other zones run?

    • Not a one-zone problem. Check that the controller has power, that no rain delay is on, and that the water is on. If all of that looks fine, call us.

      What a diagnostic tests

    • Next: start it by hand.

  2. Program

    Start that zone by hand at the controller or in the app. What happens?

    • You can fix this: the program. The zone is missing a run time or a watering day, or a smart schedule skipped it.

    • Go to pressure.

    • Next: open its valve by hand.

  3. Valve by hand

    Open that zone’s valve by hand (see the checks below). Does the zone come on?

    • The water side works, so the fault is electrical. Next: the wire swap.

    • The fault is in the valve or the water to it. Next: the flow control.

  4. Wire swap

    Do the wire swap (see the checks below). Does the dead zone water now?

    • A job for a tech: the controller. Its output for that zone has failed; the yard is fine.

      Controller replacement

    • A job for a tech: the wire or the solenoid. A broken wire or a burned-out solenoid. Finding it takes a meter, and often a shovel.

      Sprinkler system diagnostic

  5. Flow control

    Is the handle on top of the valve screwed all the way down?

    • You can fix this. Turn it counter-clockwise until water flows, but don’t leave it all the way up.

    • A job for a tech: inside the valve. Grit or a torn part inside. The valve gets rebuilt or replaced with the water off.

      Valve replacement

  6. Pressure

    Is a second zone running at the same time, or is a nozzle clogged?

    • You can fix this. Set the zones to run one at a time, and rinse the clogged nozzle with water.

    • A job for a tech: a break on that zone’s pipe, or a valve that won’t open fully. Look for soggy ground or bubbling along the zone while it runs.

      Leak detection & repair
  • You can fix this
  • A job for a tech
  • Not a one-zone problem

A general guide, not a diagnosis of your system.

What can I safely check myself?

Four things, no tools or digging needed. Past these, the job needs a meter, a shovel or a valve taken apart, and that’s where we come in.

controllervalveheads

Run the zone by hand from the controller or the app. If it runs, the parts are fine and the schedule is the problem: check that zone has a run time and watering days.

Don’t unbolt the top of the valve or cut any wires. Testing in Napa? Run it before 10 am or after 5 pm. Other towns: watering rules by city.

When should I call?

When the questions end in a job for a tech, when a zone won’t shut off, or when you can’t find the valve.

We test the wire and the valve, find the fault, and fix it: a new solenoid, a new run of wire, or a rebuilt or replaced valve. What a diagnostic covers. You get the repair in a free written quote before any work starts.

In Fairfield: Sprinkler repair in Fairfield, CAThe whole system: IrrigationWe take irrigation calls across Solano, Napa and Sonoma County.

Eco Scapes technician kneeling on gravel beside a fence, connecting red wires to the solenoids on a manifold of sprinkler valves.
Wiring a valve manifold in a side yard. An Eco Scapes job.

…diagnosed and fixed a sprinkler issue we'd been dealing with

…installing my new Rain Bird Controller and solenoid

Other ways a zone goes wrong

  • The program.

    The schedule is missing something: a start time, a run time for that zone, or watering days. On a smart controller, check the app’s history for a weather skip.

  • Close the valve, then the water.

    First make sure its solenoid or bleed screw is turned back hand-tight. If the water keeps coming, close the irrigation shut-off and call us. Usually grit is holding the valve open.

    Valve replacement

  • Only if the wire swap says so.

    If the dead zone waters on a working zone’s terminal, the controller may be at fault. If it stays dead, a new controller won’t help.

    Controller replacement

When the zone stays dead

We find the fault and put the repair in a free written quote.

Call for a free quote(707) 803-9734

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