Last tested my Rachio 3 12-zone (Costco) 4 days ago to check coverage and replace broken nozzles. System was 100%. With the heat this week, I started noticing several zones looking dry. When tonight’s schedule started, I monitored it. The app shows every zone running normally, but only 3 zones are actually turning on. I can manually turn on the non-functioning zones at the valve by opening the bleed. I checked voltages at the controller, and this is what I get:
Functional zones: ~28 VAC when the zone is on, ~0 VAC when the zone is off.
Non-functional zones: ~27 VAC when the zone is on, ~5 VAC when two of the functioning zones are on, ~12 VAC when the third zone is on, and ~ 2.3 VAC when all zones are off.
The three zones that are functional have valves that are located within 10-20 feet of each other along one side of my house. Four non-functional zones are in the back yard, within 10-20 feet of each other. The other three non-functional zones are in the front yard opposite the master valve. I’m providing this information because my fear is that this may be a broken ground. I think I’d rather have my controller go bad than try to chase ground wires that I have no idea where they’re buried.
Where do I start?