I just installed a new unit and cannot get any zones to work. I’m connected to my WiFi and see the zones. My app says that they are running, but the lack of water says they aren’t. The Rainbird I had before worked just fine, so I know it’s not the wiring. I have attached a picture of the Rainbird wiring as well as my current Rachio wiring. I feel like I am missing something obvious but I just can’t figure it out. Thank you in advance for your help.
@srr3344 - the two things that come to mind are:
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The wrong wire was put in for the M terminal. The wires appear to have a different marking on them, so I’m assuming they were trimmed when removed from the Rainbird and put into the Rachio. If this is the case, the one zone should water out of all 10 zones whenever the zone that has the master wire connected to it is activated.
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In the app was the master valve option enabled?
One could also test moving the wire connected to the M terminal to the 24 VAC + terminal and then running a zone, as the master valve should be opened due to the 24 VAC line.
Welcome to the community.
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@DLane thank you. This sounds like the right way to go. Should I have voltage on any of the lines? Is the Master a different voltage? I did check to make sure it was turned on through the app (I messed that up on a previous install). My only other thought is using a toner if there isn’t any voltage.
@srr3344 - The 24 VAC + should have voltage all the time.
I haven’t taken a volt meter to the unit, but I have seen a post where there was some voltage potential on the lines when the system wasn’t running.
The Master valve terminal will have power when any zone is being watered when it is configured in the system. The zones will have power when they are being told to run by the app.
Another test would be to manually open the master valve at the solenoid - either a bleed screw or turning the solenoid and then running some zones. If the zones water, then there may something with the master valve - wiring, solenoid or wrong terminal.
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@DLane I got it going tonight! The voltage was good and the wires were landed correctly. I went to manually turn on the master valve and caught the end of a cycle that was still trying to run from when I was testing the voltage. For whatever reason, I just had to manually turn it. Not sure why as it was working before I swapped controllers. Nonetheless, I appreciate the help.
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