How to Find Automatic Sprinkler Valves in Ground
Most home irrigation installers will bury the control valves in the ground inside of a box for ease of access. Sometimes a valve is forgotten, or the installer just plainly forgets to use the boxes. The most common reason that valves get buried is someone makes a repair to the valve and forgets to reinstall the box. When any of these happen, the only way to find the valve is to use a buried wire locater. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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1
Power off the irrigation system or set it to "rain" mode. This will ensure the system does not try to turn on while trying to locate the valve.
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2
Shut off the water supply to the system. Some wire locators use 24 volts to "ring" the wire. Most irrigation systems use 24 volts to turn on the solenoids.
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3
Remove the cover to the control wire connections on the controller. This is located on the back of some controllers; make sure to check the manual to find the proper location.
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4
Mark each red wire with a piece of tape numbered with the proper location on the controller. Then remove all the red wires from the controller.
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5
Attach the wire "ringer" positive line to the first red wire. The black wire on the "ringer" usually is attached to a metal post that goes in the ground.
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6
Turn the hand held locator on and follow the "sound" from the wire. The "sound" is "heard" differently for each locator; make sure to follow all directions for the particular locator used.
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7
Mark the location where the "sound" stops with the ground paint. Repeat Steps 5, 6 and 7 for each red wire. The marked locations are where the valves are located.
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Tips & Warnings
The wire locator can be rented at most professional equipment rental locations.
Ask the rental company for instructions on how to use the locator.
Make sure the system and water are turned off when performing this task.
