Dig batt opps

[sheshovel]

I don't know if any of you are familiar with "Dig" products but I have some customers that have existing drip irrigation hooked up with Dig battery operated controllers on top of the valve they have a sylionoid that screws into where the normal one screws in and the controller sets on top of that.
Well,have a lady had a leak there where they screw onn and also controller wont work(2-9V batts)
So buy another controller and install it and try it out.!st try it clicks and runs water.I manualy (from comtroller) shut it back off..then it clicks but water wont come thru it.
Unscrew it and turn on the main a little-water comes out of the top of where I unscrewd
the sylinoid.
So OK I have water,put back on and try to run it ,clicks on and off but no water thru the line water main is back on.
What could possibly do this?
It's a 97.00 brand new controller and the sylinoid clicks and I say the valve is OK cus water comes out the top.
My problem has to be the valve am I correct?Even if the valve opened and closed before??

[jerryrwm]

Were you able to get the valve to operate manually - with the bleed screw or by loosening the solenoid? There may be trash in the exhaust ports - even with water coming out.

You may also have a bad diaphragm.

Also, make sure that the actuator is in the fully 'latched' position. It may click when power is applied, but it needs to be fully up to operate. Remove the solenoid, and then activate the controller to make sure the actuator is fully retracted into the solenoid. Also make sure the actuator rubber seat is not loose or extended which will keep the exhaust port closed.

Jerry

[SprinklerGuy]

Why did you change it?

The controller is just a controller...if the valve is bad, then the valve is bad. Just because the batteries are dead and the valve isn't operating..that doesn't mean the controller was bad....sheesh.

No offense sheshovel..... but it is SOLENOID......

[bicmudpuppy]

These controllers don't normally go bad, so my first question would be the same as sprinklerguy. Did you put in a fresh battery? Second, did you manually operate the valve? Sounds like a valve problem, not a solenoid problem. Next, the new controller/solenoid, is it exactly the same as the old one? New RB/Irritrol/etc. solenoids are the same as the old ones except for the plastic keeper on the bottom. In some older valves, that keeper is enough to prevent the operation of the valve. If you remove it, you have a working plunger again. Are you missing an o-ring and have screwed the solenoid/controller on to tight? The BOCs work, but you have to have everything set up correctly. DC solenoids are even more picky than regular AC solenoids.
Good Luck

[sheshovel]

Why did you change it?

The controller is just a controller...if the valve is bad, then the valve is bad. Just because the batteries are dead and the valve isn't operating..that doesn't mean the controller was bad....sheesh.

No offense sheshovel..... but it is SOLENOID......

Whatta ya think I'm stupid or something sprinklerguy?I was in a hurry and spelled it wrong twice so beat me up...I do take offence at that.I don't replace something unless it's broke and I know how to find out if it is broke.OK?
YES 1st thing I did was replace the batts and the old controller had been handled so much that the wire- cover was worn away where it goes into the SOLENOID(stupid way to spell that word anyway)
and the wires inside had worn off their coatings in a few places and obviously they were touching each other with bare wires and I did not get any kind of readout so obviosly the controller fried itself with the batts.
I did use the new actuator in the old valve and possibly that and or the o ring are the problem.No when i take off the SOLENOID and turn on the valve with the manual screw water does not go into the line cuz it comes out of the SOLENOID hole.

[bicmudpuppy]

I did use the new actuator in the old valve and possibly that and or the o ring are the problem.No when i take off the SOLENOID and turn on the valve with the manual screw water does not go into the line cuz it comes out of the SOLENOID hole.

If you removed the solenoid w/ the system ON, your valve either opened or it is shot. No other options here. If you got water out of the solenoid and the bleed screw and the valve didn't open your diaphragm is stuck closed. If opening the bleed screw makes the valve work, but removing the solenoid doesn't, the your solenoid exhaust port is blocked. The bleed screw and the solenoid both offer points to bleed the water off of the top of the valve diaphragm which allows the diaphragm to "float" and the valve to open. If you have water porting off the diaphragm and the diaphragm doesn't open, the diaphragm/valve is bad.

P.S. my spelling is as bad or worse than anyone I know, but that button down there next to the submit says spell check, and it is a lot smarter than me :)

[SprinklerGuy]

make it easy on yourself sheshovel...just call it a coil like most of us old-timers.

[bicmudpuppy]

make it easy on yourself sheshovel...just call it a coil like most of us old-timers.
Hmmmmmmmmmm, then is it a 24v or 36v coil? wow I'm feeling OLD today.

[sheshovel]

OK gottcha now thanks for the help you guys are the best!!
Hey sprinklerguy did you know that on both pgs of your website there is writing partialy blocked off from reading with a flag and on the nxt pg a few pics?You might wanna check it out.like it says blablabla..pic in the way... blablabla
Thought I'd give you the heads up on it.

[SprinklerGuy]

Thanks for the heads up she...i just went through all the pages and can't find what you are talking about...tell me what pages please. thanks

[Wet_Boots]

....and what web browser, and what monitor resolution, as well. Given that the home page is using a lot of absolute positioning, mishaps are possible, especially when different screen resolutions come into play.

[SprinklerGuy]

agreed....i'm no web designer...but 9 out of 10 people have not had to scroll left to right....the other 1 out of 10....i don't really care about :)

[Wet_Boots]

As a web designer, I dig a great hole. The last time I looked at a page of statistics, I was surprised to see a lot of 800x600 monitors still out there. That would be the minimum screen size I'd try to design for, so far as trying not to have side-scrolling.

[Critical Care]

Went to your website Tony, and with the monitor set on 800 x 600 you do have to scroll a little, but no biggie. You have to here on Lawnsite as well sometimes when someone dumps a large picture.

By the way, is that ol' fart covered from head to tail in mud you? Man, it's nice to see someone who enjoys getting into his work.

[sheshovel]

Ok main pg the lower text under our goal is covered by the Colo flag.
Colo and AZ 1st pgs lower text under winterizing is blocked by golfer pic and the guy fishing with kids and
under sprinkler repair the lower text is covered by the big wall job pic.THEN the upper green tool bar and the blue choose buttons are sqeezing out the AZ phone # and you cant read it.

[sheshovel]

Here's what happened with the dig.I removed the old actuator and made sure the new one had it's o-rings.think I had been missing the tiny one.And put the new actuator and coil (Solenoid)back on and ran it and everything was just peachy keen,runs fine on auto and on and off manual.Turns out the "puppets" were two diff sizes from old to new and it needed it's proper puppet to function,the diff was so slight but it was diff and then
suprising what a little microscopic o-ring will do huh?
Old timer was bad,valve was good.But I'm holding my breath.

[SprinklerGuy]

Thanks she....i don't see the problem...must be your resolution. What are you running your reso at?
Thanks

[sheshovel]

1024x768 on a flat screen of 15"