I ran my moms under ground sprinker for the first time this season. I noticed three things.1) the programs on the control panel were not working. the same couple of heads would keep running no matter which zone i set to run.
2) it appears that there were multiple zones running at once.
3) as a result of multiple zone running, the pressure at the heads was poor.

I heard the i might need to adjust the control valves in some way?

Does what I am describing make sense and how do i fix it?

A buddy of mine told me the contractor who blew them out in the fall did this intentionally so he would have to come out for the opening so he could earn a fee.

If you get the controller working, I believe all your problems will go away.
Any instruction book?
Power to the controller?

Maybe there is a jumper in place to keep the valves open since the contractor opened all the lines to blow last fall.

Hank, get the instruction booklet for the controller. They are pretty much fool proof.
it could be that someone opened those control heads to work constantly. Best bet is to get the booklet.

Maybe pull the power from the controller (and battery backup if installed) and let it go back to default, then reprogram.

Use an ohm meter between each zone to make sure no wires are crossed, all should be OPEN, if you get resistence then there is damage in the wiring underground somewhere, either rats or a shovel or something is causing the different color wires to cross each other somewhere in the cable or near a sprinkler valve. If no issue test each zone manually with volt meter, it should read a voltage only for the zone manually activated, if it reads a voltage on multiple zones when you only have one on, then the controller is bad.

on some control valves there is a screw to manualy open them. make sure this wasn't done to open them all up at once when it was " blown out " if the valves is this type close all screws and you should be back to normal.

It sounds like you might have a wiring problem of two or more stations wired to the same control valve. Did the contractor redo some wiring on the control valve or the control panel? Grab the booklet and double check the schematics and make sure it is wired correctly. Start there.

Open the control box that is in the ground in the green box. The round cervos should all be clockwise tight. If you turn the cervos counter clockwise, and your water pressure is good, you can get 2 zones to work at once. I do it all the time to get more water down durring draughts when our watering bans are in effect and watering times are short.

on some control valves there is a screw to manualy open them. make sure this wasn't done to open them all up at once when it was " blown out " if the valves is this type close all screws and you should be back to normal.

Thanks guys, I closed the screws and everything works fine.

Hank

We have extensive gardens/ lawns....
Water is getting expensive...well it is here
The question is how much water is needed?
My watering sytem is based on volume and not time...thoug a timer canbe adjusted to suit.
I have a rain gauge,,,generally gardens/lawns need about just under 1/2" to 3/4 " (10mm to 15mm) rain per week on a consistant basis.
1 l of water /sq m = 1mm rain fall.
If u know the sq m of each section, u can adjust the timer/meter system to give the correct amount.
I check the rain gauge for the week and subtract this from the required volume.
Water during dusk.

If you consistanly over water the root systems of the plants/lawn do not go as deep...so it is better to under water in the spring, to give better results during summer

We have extensive gardens/ lawns....
Water is getting expensive...well it is here
The question is how much water is needed?
My watering sytem is based on volume and not time...thoug a timer canbe adjusted to suit.
I have a rain gauge,,,generally gardens/lawns need about just under 1/2" to 3/4 " (10mm to 15mm) rain per week on a consistant basis.
1 l of water /sq m = 1mm rain fall.
If u know the sq m of each section, u can adjust the timer/meter system to give the correct amount.
I check the rain gauge for the week and subtract this from the required volume.
Water during dusk.

If you consistanly over water the root systems of the plants/lawn do not go as deep...so it is better to under water in the spring, to give better results during summer

I'm solving my water usage problems by tearing out my lawn and pouring a cement slab...:thumbsup: :beers: :yes: :hurray:

Thanks guys, I closed the screws and everything works fine.

Hank
Glad it worked out for you.:thumbsup: