Sprinkler System Solenoid Troubleshooting

Sometimes you will need to troubleshoot different parts of your sprinkler system and testing a solenoid is one of those things. If you have a sprinkler valve not coming on, it could be a bad solenoid. In this video I show you how to test a solenoid with a volt meter or multi meter. This practice is also known as " Ohming Out" a solenoid. If you get a good resistance number, the solenoid is good, but if the number is really high or jumps all over the place, it means the solenoid is bad.
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[@AmericanIrrigator]

🔷 Check out our NEW Sprinkler Water Schedule: www.americanirrigator.com/sprinkler-water-schedule-program-a Organize your sprinkler controller and zones with the information you need to program your sprinkler system the most efficient way possible to save water and create a great looking landscape.

[@CaptainO3E]

I looked at several different sites and was most impressed with your simple way of testing solenoids with a voltmeter. Checked the solenoid for the "missing zone (2) and it was jumping all over the place. Went just one step further and at the control box I switched the active wire for zone one and zone 2 and it worked in reverse. Bought a new solenoid today for $6.49 and fixed the system to working zone 2. Really appreciate your video and thank you for a SAVING A service call to the local guys.

[@misteranderson777]

Information starts at 1:55 and ends at 3:26. Good vid.

[@shelleycrowther]

Clear description up front, easy to follow. 10/10 solid video

[@edwardhamer9188]

Watched your video, perfect directions, I mounted all my valves/ solenoid’s, controller and double check back flow inside the garage so no corrosion or scorpions, got out my ohm meter and checked a spare ( new replacement) 46.7, then checked each solenoid at the controller, all said 46.6 to 46.9 and no fluctuation. They have been on the wall high and dry for 18 years with one leak on a plastic pressure reducer so thank you for making the test so simple. If they all failed tomorrow I’m still ahead of the game. Thanks again.

[@Howardlandscapingllc]

Thank you, I’ve gone out and started my own company at 35. I get asked to do jobs that sometimes aren’t 100% in my field. I start a job tomorrow morning and I was really suspicious it’s the solenoid I’m gonna need to replace. Thanks for confirming my suspicions.

[@AmericanIrrigator]

Your Welcome and welcome to the biz. Good luck and holler at me if you have any questions.

[@rhollyday]

Thanks for the good video. The resistance is jumping all over the place because the wire ends are severely corroded, completely black. Copper oxide is poor conductor. Metal oxides are what they use to make electronic resistors. To properly test the solenoid, you would need to cut off the corrosion and strip back to clean copper, then you can accurately measure resistance of the coil. Since it's hot means it is LOW resistance, not high resistance like you thought you measured. Too LOW resistance, caused by shorted coil windings from overheating and melting the winding insulation, draws more current than it should and overheats the coil, worsening the short, until the coil wire itself melts. Then you get open circuit, infinite ohms. If the coil itself was really 600 ohms then it wouldn't draw enough current at 24V to operate the valve. PS: my brand new orbit residential valve measures 60 ohms fwiw.

[@JohnShermanHouston]

N 0l

[@j.r.lonsway3317]

This is a good video and very informative. Thank you. Also, note to homeowners, if you have an older system (mine was put in 13 or 14 years ago) check for corroded wires coming off the solenoid. That was my issue. After checking the solenoids with my multimeter and finding them all good, I saw that nearly all of the wiring was corroded where they connect in the wire nuts but only one zone had stopped working. No doubt others would have followed suit. Simple job of snipping the corroded portion, stripping the wire and putting it back together (new wire nuts).

[@AmericanIrrigator]

Excellent comment. Thank you. A lot of the time wiring issues are in the splices. One of the first things to check and redo.

[@c-qc-q2021]

Thanks for the video that helped me diagnose my sprinkler issue. All of a sudden, both valves in valve box#2 stopped working. 1. Ohm'd valves at the controller for valve box#1 - GOOD (~53ohms) 2. Ohm'd valves at the controller for valve box#2 - 3. Disconnected/cut the wires of box#2-valve#1 and ohm'd it - GOOD! (wtf?) 4. Tied the wires at the controller box and Ohm'd wires at box#2-valve#1 to verify wires - GOOD! 5. Inspected the waterproof ground wire nut in box#2 - Corroded! 6. Replaced all the waterproof nuts in the box#2 - ALL WORKING! Thanks!

[@AmericanIrrigator]

Awesome. Good work. I’m glad you got it all working.

[@kevinthomas5364]

When measuring resistance, it's best to only hold one line to the meter with your hand. The way you showed it you're measuring your body resistance in parallel to the solenoid resistance. For the test you're showing it's not that big of a deal but in general for accurate readings you should only hold onto one lead to truly isolate the component you're testing.

[@FaujiBabaji]

True

[@hsfguy]

And if it does resistance, current and volts, it's called a multi-meter.

[@harrigill]

Use alligator clips

[@loribrooks6736]

BEST video of troubleshooting a Solenoid on KZbin! Thank you for showing a good one vs a bad one. SO helpful! and also saying that I won't shock myself AND it doesn't matter which lead goes to the wires... SUPER helpful! Thank you so much!

[@AmericanIrrigator]

You're welcome!

[@ricemanstm]

I live in the mostest awesomest state in this great union...TEXAS! However, as much as I love this mostest awesomest state...summers...suck. They suck even more when your sprinkler system is on the fritz. I like getting my hands dirty and my own little slogan is "How hard can it be?" When the wife hears me utter that, she generally says "Oh Lord...I'll get the first aid kit out." :-D But she and the kids are my fan club. BUT...occasionally, something "simple" gives them front row seats in my comedy club. :-D I'm glad I found your channel. Your videos are great, clear, concise, informative, and easy to follow. I almost look forward to breaking something else! The sprinklers went silent a week ago. I'd been planning to replace the controller anyway, which I did. I'm giving one made by a company called "Wyze" a chance. Anyway, thanks for making your knowledge public domain. You're helping DIYers like me keep our families wide eyed with awe.

[@khalidsr1]

Your video help me a lot to discover the problem of water leak, thank you so much

[@lowprofile2412]

New subscriber here and so glad I found you. The company that installed my system went out of business and I’ve got a solenoid acting up and the zone won’t open. It’s outside in a ground box in New England and when I turned on the zone it was trying to open making a grinding noise. I hit it with a hammer (gently) and got it to open but I know it’s not long for this world. It’ll have to open so I can winterize soon. Interesting to hear the box stores sell bad ones. I’ll take my ohm meter when I have to go shopping 😉 And pray it’s just the solenoid and not the valve that needs to be replaced

[@audiophileman7047]

The wire ends on that "bad" solenoid looked very corroded. If you had cut the corroded wire and stripped back some fresh, clean wire and then took the reading, I wonder if it would have been okay? Just a thought on your really good video. 👍👍👍

[@chrisyoung8062]

On the bad solenoid, the corrosion on the bare copper is what's causing the readings to jump. Strip it back until you have bright copper, like you had on the "good" solenoid, and test again. I think you will find the reading will be stable. Now that doesn't mean it's not bad. Just explains why the resistance is constantly changing.

[@robwhite2282]

Excellent sound, lighting, editing, content. You earned a new subscribe.

[@itisJH]

Thanks! You saved me time and your video was extremely intuitive!

[@AmericanIrrigator]

Thanks you for the super thanks! I’m glad it helped!

[@eduvail]

If it is not the solenoid what is next to check?

[@bradfordpreston4723]

Like these AI videos - Clear, quick and practical.

[@AmericanIrrigator]

Glad you like them!

[@ArtyJames]

it would be good to show how to test without removing the solenoid, since you're typically needed to test before removing it

[@erickreipe9621]

Yep, worked for me and led me the correct direction rather than just guessing. Thank you.

[@AmericanIrrigator]

Glad it helped

[@pughimag]

You cannot measure resistance accurately when your copper leads are covered with oxide. Cut the wire back until you reach clean copper and test again.

[@atumbijally3079]

Thanks Sir. It was a good thing to know

[@bassetto1603]

Excellent video! Thank you! Wish you'd shown how to connect those wires for women like myself!😅

[@danielporterAZ]

Great Job dude. Nice video.

[@jndwendy]

Thanks you may just saved my job.

[@AmericanIrrigator]

Glad I could help

[@H.pylori]

Very helpful video. Thank you.

[@AmericanIrrigator]

Glad it was helpful!

[@leonardd5840]

Dude you are awesome 👍

[@geogeduggan6579]

Thanks !

[@deanrepair864]

Thanks

[@RussellHogan]

Very helpful. Thanks.

[@AmericanIrrigator]

You're welcome!

[@emmanuelmorales6194]

Nature verde corp Emmanuel from Miami Florida Would love to thank you for your video really help me to keep me going with my work jjj

[@AmericanIrrigator]

Your welcome. Glad to help

[@daryltalley8242]

Thanks! Very helpful

[@badreyesa]

Thanks

[@papafamilias92010]

Thanks!

[@paulschultz9145]

Thanks!

[@katelillo1932]

Can anyone explain to me what the ohm meter is actually measuring if the solenoid isn’t connected to a power source? There shouldn’t be any current for it to measure if there’s no electricity flowing through it, right?

[@UncleDuncan5092]

Excellent!

[@raulaperdomo]

To my understanding you was measuring your body resistance also tell me please I am wrong?.

[@tonydtom536]

Thank you

[@BSF019]

Can you test in ground without removal

[@AmericanIrrigator]

Yes. You will cut the solenoid wires out of the splice. Then strip back some good clean wire and test it in the valve box.

[@rainbowworld282]

sir one time how many decoder working rainbird

[@keithz156]

Black wires pretty good indicator that solenoid has issues 😂😂😂

[@jeremywilson8334]

Thanks boss

[@dmetal1221]

My neighbors valve is clicking on and off with water pulseing out of drip lines. There's also water around the valve. What could be the issue?

[@AmericanIrrigator]

It could be a number of things. I would say it is an electrical issue. Could be controller, wiring, splices, that solenoid... That system is probably going to need a professional to come out and troubleshoot it and check all of the above.

[@jomotioncreative]

I have an Orbit 6 station which has worked flawlessly for years - now suddenly it is blowing fuses on the first zone - do you think it is the solenoid or wiring that is causing the fuses to blow?

[@amathonn]

Good clip.

[@sal8372]

Good work

[@AmericanIrrigator]

Thanks

[@michaelakin766]

Can you show how to check it at the control box?

[@michaelakin766]

Oops, here is where you did. Thanks. kzbin.info/www/bejne/jJS6YmaMjNyAnJY

[@AaronBecerra-nt2lt]

I test the selenoides with a little square battery 🔋

[@ilyasafridikhan725]

Well done

[@AmericanIrrigator]

Thanks.

[@caseyat88]

Can a solenoid be bad, even if it "ohms out" correctly? I verified my faulted zone's solenoid, and it came to 26 ohms, and steady. I still have a fault. If I unscrew or back off the solenoid unit, the zone's sprinklers come on, telling me it isn't water.

[@bigjon.6258]

Thanks Bro!

[@weskarcher483]

My irrigation system is like from ancient times. I have a Toro XF-416 controller and was fortunate to have a spare for parts. My solenoid is bad on zone 1. I can turn it on manually by twisting the little valve on top of the small tower, the solenoid is next to it and has two screws that hold it in place. What can i do to replace this part if it's no longer available. Is there a universal solenoid out there that may be adaptive to a two screw housing type?

[@weskarcher483]

Swapoed the solenoid with another... wasn't that. Took apart the valve and sucked all the water and debris out with a wet vac, put it back together and presto works like a charm. 👍

[@jon.bennett]

Very informative. Hopefully I’ll never need to do this at my place. What brand wire strippers were you using? I thought I saw USA on them.

[@AmericanIrrigator]

Yes. They are King Innovations. Good brand. They put out a lot of different products.

[@fpplsoftwashpressurewashin8757]

So, yes the solenoid is bad, but can you tell your viewers why the solenoid is bad. Why are the numbers jumping all over the place. Did the coil burn up?

[@vikramsinghrathore6693]

Solenoid wasn’t bad its wire end were badly oxidised thus poor contacts sensed by the voltmeter.

[@AmericanIrrigator]

Good thinking. I've had several like this that would give me different readings and some would work and others not. Ultimately I put new ones in and we are good to go. thanks for the comment.

[@Gigantortacoma4x4]

This technique did not work I set the dial to ohms and both the old solenoid and the new solenoid stayed on zero on the meter. The battery is new on the meter so it works.

[@Pebblesego]

So I'm going to have to remove every single solenoid and test it? Isn't there an easier way

[@AmericanIrrigator]

Yes. Before you start cutting wires and splices and taking out solenoids, you need to determine which valve is giving you trouble. Then first test it from the controller. Watch this video here: Ohming Out a Solenoid | Sprinkler System Troubleshooting kzbin.info/www/bejne/jJS6YmaMjNyAnJY I’ll show you how to find a bad solenoid from the controller.

[@christepuni7121]

Thanks bra.

[@AmericanIrrigator]

👍🏻

[@triplethreatoutdoors6523]

So I have pressure for about 5 to 10 minutesAnd then they lose pressure and go back in but my system still running. That is on everyone of my zones. Sometimes I can make it through one whole entire 30 minute session the next time they only go 10 minutes. Again that is on any zone that I started out in. Do you have any idea what it might be

[@AmericanIrrigator]

It could be a controller problem or a master valve problem if you have one, or a wiring issue like a few zones wired together that your system can’t support. Or if you are on a well it could be a well pump or water issue. Or if there is something else going on at your house using water or in the area that could cause the pressure to drop. Just to name a few. I recommend getting a licensed professional to look at it with you.

[@kellenpfantz5049]

Hey so my dog pulled up all of my sprinker heads and broke coupling off in tee. There is seven zones and they aren’t in a box they are just in the ground. And also the pump seems like it’s froze I have no water at all…where should I start

[@AmericanIrrigator]

Oh man. Sounds like a big job. It might not be a total redo but don’t be surprised if a contractor looks at it and says it’s best to start over. I would start with the pump and get water first. Then install valve boxes over all the valves and make sure the wiring works and is good. Then move on the the sprinkler heads. Good luck and get ready to work.

[@lowprofile2412]

Start with a new dog 😂

[@kevinmuzikar2037]

Nice info but could be a 30-90 sec video

[@troyreichling9476]

What does it mean when my multimeter reads 0 ohms when I test my solenoid? It's a brand new solenoid also.

[@AmericanIrrigator]

Most likely it means it is bad and has a short. It is possible to get a bad one from the factory although that percentage is very low or it was a return the went back on the shelf. I’ve seen that too. You could try testing another one to make sure the multimeter is working properly. Otherwise unfortunately you may need to get another new solenoid.

[@erniemckracken1593]

@@AmericanIrrigator Big box stores are notorious for putting defects back on shelf. Bought the same defect item off shelf, I had returned 6 months earlier. Had "BAD" written in Sharpie , still on it , that I wrote 6 months earlier 😬 You will go thru 2_3 remanufactured car starters, before you get one that works correct. Better count the number of teeth on starter gear also. Some have 9 teeth, some have 13 (on chevy). They get these mixed also on remanufactured starters, you buy from auto parts store. Grind the teeth off flywheel, with wrong number of teeth on starter gear.

[@thisherewalnut8139]

A solenoid can go bad in two different ways: 1) If your meter shows 0 or just a few ohms this means that there is close to no resistance from one wire on solenoid to the other, the solenoid you tested is basically a wire nut that would cause a short circuit on that station's wire run between the station wire and the common. 2) If your meter shows a high ohm reading or infinite resistance "OL" as shown in this video, then the solenoid has caused an open circuit between that zone's station wire and common. I'm a year late in my response but hope this helps at some point down the road!

[@joeturnip4216]

From my actual experience, if an irrigation tech pulls used, dirty parts from the floor of his truck (or bucket), regardless of the condition of that part, it's time to escort that Irrigation Tech to the curb and say "goodbye". I only want to pay for parts "from the manufacturer's box or plastic wrap". I don't want to pay for parts recovered from someone else's lawn.

[@MucaroBoricua]

I was born in Florida. I'm a natural born eerie gator.

[@johnwhite2495]

they are called solenoid NOT silinoid

[@AmericanIrrigator]

HaHa. When you are form Texas and the south, you just say things differently. We have our own language down here.

[@keithbarnum9470]

😮00p

[@Whateva67]

SOLenoid solenoid solenoid,not silinoid😆

[@jagboy69]

OMG, blah blah blah... just ohm the thing out, expect around 40ohms.

[@Martin-oy4su]

water4gardens irrigation London. that coil was bad before you tested it, the 24vac cables are black that's a clear indication of a bad coil, the resistance is bad cabling is hot will almost defiantly damage the controller and power supply