How to Find Locate a Lost Sprinkler Irrigation Valve Box, or Solenoid Using 2 Methods

An instructional video explaining two techniques that can be used to find a lost sprinkler, irrigation valve box, or solenoid. For more information, please go to www.armadatech.com or call 616-803-1080.
An instructional video explaining two tips that can be useful in finding a lost sprinkler, irrigation valve box, or solenoid.

[@YouTuber-mc2el]

Excellent info. I had just borrowed a locator from my supplier and found two of three valves I was looking for. Had they told me this technique I bet I would have found the third. Thanks again. Liked.

[@bearcreekmanager1283]

Dude, I'd fly you to Canada to find my damned solenoid. I'm 16 hours into this and still digging.

[@ArmadaTech]

I have a sister in the Soo Canada and visit but judging by your profile, I am thinking you are out west. Give us a call, 616-803-1080.

[@nezahualcoyotlsanchez6048]

Hey man, follow the sprinkler heads pipe starting from the sprinkler heads in the middle. I hope the soil is smooth for digging

[@michaelmcguire5489]

Good method when we know what area the valve is in never used that method before , get on big property & I know area valve is in but that method puts me on top of it ,,, love it thanks M&M irrigation Gainesville

[@hikerJohn]

I just helped a guy over the phone figure out how to use one of these tools using BOTH methods and they both worked. He's been trying to find a valve for months. The difference is that with commercial sprinklers using the second method it beeps all the time but does get loud when it's over a valve. Maybe that's because of the heavier #10 wire that are not bundled tightly. They found the valve using the first method but I told them over the phone to try it the second way and it found all the valves on the system by getting louder over the valve box.

[@jlcarefoot]

Hi John: I'm glad he was successful in finding some long-lost valves. You are right about the common wire wandering away from the zone wire - the further it lies away from the zone the more you will hear the path. Usually users are surprised that there is no tone on the path. Make sure the common wires are disconnected (there may be more than one) at the controller in either case.

[@jlcarefoot]

That guy owes you a cup of coffee for steering him to the answer!

[@NeilFoxSelfProclaimedGenius]

Nice crisp explanation.

[@ArmadaTech]

Thank you. We try to keep videos short and relevant. We are not fans of commercials. :)

[@MICHEAL_SCOTTT]

Great video thank you very much

[@chadpeak9146]

Please do a video on any or all of the following: (Just SOME I can think of) 1. Never tried that second method before could be handy to eliminate false signals - sometimes it is tricky to know if there's a valve or just a bend in the pipe or a wire deep under a pipe or whatever. 2. I have found that connecting red to the common wire and following that you get a stronger signal than using the station wire of the lost valve? So I go right to the common every time now. 3. Seem to get better signals when tilting the finder horizontally helps pinpoint it sometimes? 4. Bore pump wiring and possibly even mains or telephone cables etc can be detected while at it by the interference noise. ? 5. When the system is completely screwed I have just connected every wire at the controller to the red and try to find anything.. LOL 6. If I buy rechargeable D Cell Batteries, they are 1.2 volt to 1.25 volt. Not 1.5. Will they work ok? Best to use recyclable materials nowdays with all the problems around us. Any tips rather than slowly discover these by myself would be awesome, cheers

[@buscador2007]

I believe there are places that rent them, for the occasional user.

[@dwightporter3121]

Very good explanation.

[@ArmadaTech]

Thank you. Short and concise, that's what we shoot for.

[@mixingreen]

ok im going to try that new technique , I traced the hot wire and it brought me to all the valves. I could not figure out which valve it controls .. so if that method works. I will be very pleased.

[@austinsears5125]

Did you figure this out? I'm having the same issue where it takes me to all my valves

[@mixingreen]

@@austinsears5125 I ended up buying a toner so I could figure out what wire goes to what valves. It took me a while to figure out the wires but without the toner it would have been extremely difficult, I highly recommend a toner for the wire issues.

[@thedustinsmile]

That saab clickbait got me. You tease.

[@fernesal]

if one of the wires are cut before the green box, how can I notice? does the tool beeps louder?

[@no7590]

No the trail will just end. If a cable trail ends and you no longer have a null signal, you will either find a valve in that place or cut cables... You should be able to pin point exactly where they're cut.

[@robertmaui]

Can I put a signal on a copper water line?

[@ArmadaTech]

If you know where the end point is, you can take a wire and connect it to the far end and hook it up to one of your leads. Then hook up your other lead to the front of the pipe. Otherwise if you don't know the end point, you can set up low frequency and bump up the power as high as you can and hope you catch a signal (since copper pipes are not insulated tracking can be difficult in this scenario).

[@heroknaderi]

thanks for tip im looking for mine that are coverd up

[@guywilmore3914]

I know how locate common irrigation valves with a locator. Any suggestions on old hydraulic valves. Metal detector?

[@jlcarefoot]

If you have metal-body valves a metal detector might work. Many hydraulic valves have plastic bodies with little or no metal in them which would be a problem. I would try going to a professional user blog like LawnSite.com where there are lots of experienced irrigators sharing stories and questions. Find the right blog room for irrigation repair or maintenance.

[@prajaktajoshi6280]

Thanks

[@DukeofHesse-he7bu]

Sure, we as homeowners all have that expensive equipment lying around just in case one day we might need to find our valves. Yikes.

[@brucenelson7843]

Take a look at the Pro300. Same concept, half the price. Or you can chatter working valves with a Pro48, which acts as a locator. Lastly, a reputable contractor will likely have an Armada locator.

[@gradyww1044]

This equipment would not be worth a homeowner purchasing, you may need to find a handful of boxes in your lifetime. A contractor can locate all of those for a fraction of the price of the equipment

[@FreedOrDieTrying]

Exactly what was going through my mind 😂

[@michelgomez1915]

If i set it to the 4 range position, how deep the armada locator is able to track a missing valve box or cable and if the sound will keep at the same volume as adjusted physically...

[@ArmadaTech]

Depth and distance are the function of several factors. The distance travelled away from the transmitter is the most important. I user can find cables or boxes to 8 feet when you are 50 feet into your locate, but after 4000 feet, it might only be six inches. It varies with wire resistance and soil moisture.

[@ryherm]

Does the second technique work if the valve solenoid is bad?

[@ArmadaTech]

Ryan Stutzman The solenoid produces a louder sound when you go over it because the current is going through it. Anything that interrupts that will nullify that effect, so a short may or may not work depending on the location of the short. An open would not allow current to flow and therefore would be unlikely to work. A multimeter or Pro48 would be helpful to diagnose this type of situation.

[@ryherm]

+ArmadaTech Thanks for the reply. Unfortunately the valve I am looking for has a shorted solenoid I believe. (reading 4 ohms at the controller) This site has 22 zones and I only know the location of 5 valves. I ordered a pro 800d, so hopefully I can figure things out. I see you have a troubleshooting # to call so I may give you shout if I run into trouble.

[@mejiajuan8366]

Armada Tech can tell me the name of that tool please

[@cwmaxxout805]

perfect

[@chadpeak9146]

And I have another question (note i have some below) Today I diagnosed no common wire power to 2 stations by running a test wire direct from the control to the valves. But when I used the pro700 with the red clip on the common wire it had a strong signal all the way to both valves.. how do u explain that? It's not happened before

[@ArmadaTech]

+Matt “Matticus” Stevens Sorry I missed this one and you waited 6 months. My apologies. We start our testing with multimeters, diagnosing the loop resistance of the zone and the voltage out of the controller. I would recommend our free app on Play or ITunes to follow this process or call us. If those check out, wire bleed can be the culprit of signal jumping from one wire to an adjacent wire.

[@michaelmcguire5489]

Connection, wire does go bad after time I have had same problem voltage with out a load then with load lose it from 27 volts to 6 wire was not cut just bad wire

[@r0cd0x]

why do you identify a valve and solenoid differently? Can you have a valve without a solenoid or can you have a solenoid with out a valve? Why arent they the same thing?

[@brucenelson7843]

The locator energizes the solenoid by sending signal down the wires and into the solenoid. As a coil, the solenoid amplifies the signal and therefore is identifiable. The valve is not connected to the wire and therefore not connected to the transmitter and has no influence or role in the location of the solenoid. Basically, the terminology has evolved to where valve, solenoid, and valve box are interchangeably used in locating but in truth, only the solenoid is involved in locating.

[@RoyalPineapple-dk2vg]

This comes late on response, trying to locate 3 more valves but as I am understanding…the solenoid is like the ‘battery’ you attach to the valve, the ‘box’ that is connected to the pipes. Hope you’ve figured it out now. I have a friend who found all his Willy nilly valves/solenoids with a good metal detector…but there are levels of performance to those models, some may not detect far down enough…sigh

[@geovannih7]

Does the silent wire method work with two-wire?

[@ArmadaTech]

The silent or closed-loop method will not work on two-wire because the locator signal doesn't reach the valve solenoids. This means that a strong valve location signal won't be heard.

[@brian7897]

Michael Keaton?

[@ArmadaTech]

:)

[@AlabanzasyAdoración7]

How much is one of this?

[@ArmadaTech]

The Pro800D used in the video is about $800. The top of the line Pro900 is about $1,100 and the simpler Pro700 is $600.

[@lightbulbfish]

Alright Tom Hanks

[@mrteausaable]

Where can I rent one or buy one?

[@ArmadaTech]

Go to our website and our distributors are listed in the Where to Buy drop down. Thanks.

[@mrteausaable]

How deep can it detect the wire sprinkler? upto 12-15 inches?

[@ArmadaTech]

Any Armada locator can work to that depth. Most work up to 8 feet deep. The length limit ranges anywhere from 1000 feet for the small locator Pro300 up to thousands of feet for the Pro700, Pro800, and Pro900.

[@mejiajuan8366]

What's the name of that tool thanks

[@ArmadaTech]

+Mejia Juan We are using the Armada Technologies Pro800D in the video. We also make the Pro300, Pro700, and Pro900 (see the beginning) that are designed to do a lot of the same things. The differences are optional features; the Pro300 has the least up to the Pro900, which is a Cadillac. But all of them can use these 2 techniques to find a lost valve.

[@lashorty13yr]

timer on or on the off position?

[@ArmadaTech]

Doesn't matter which position the timer is in, you are disconnecting the station and common wires from the clock with either method.

[@lashorty13yr]

thanks for the info i'm starting to learn how to track valves & wires that's why i'm doing research on it this.... video really helped me!!

[@ArmadaTech]

shorty You're welcome. In addition, you are welcome to call us anytime for help or advice on any troubleshooting topic. 616-803-1080

[@Pmwgolf]

Thanks for no help

[@ArmadaTech]

Not sure what you mean but if you are in need of troubleshooting assistance, we have a 30 year veteran with a degree in electrical engineering who runs our support group. If you would care to call us, we'll hook you up. I understand videos don't converse but we can. 616-803-1080.

[@ArmadaTech]

What help do you need that you didn't get? - Jim C @armadatech

[@123mintjelly]

Are you Crazy ?????? It would be much cheaper to hire a plumber than buy all of that equipment.

[@ArmadaTech]

Thanks for your comment. This video was intended to explain 2 methods to find a lost valve. Contractors buy these locators all the time and these types of tips are useful to them. If you don't own one or are not inclined to rent one, then yes, hiring an experienced contractor would be the best course of action.

[@sbrunner1234]

No, I am a home owner, had the guy out, and he wasted my time, charged me, and I ended buying a 900D that I can also use to fix the landscape lighting. If you have a complex setting with 22 valves like me, it may be cheaper buying the equipment - and it is fun anyway.

[@AdamCanFly]

Next time, you won’t have to call a plumber.

[@PuddinFlaps]

$1000 no fucking thanks lmao

[@gradyww1044]

Mine has paid for itself in 1 slow season. Well worth the cost to provide excellent service to my clients.