My backyard zone has spontaneously started to run two times this week. Disabling the zone hasn’t made it stop. I tried a quick run for 3 minutes to see if it would stop at the end of the cycle but it didn’t. About 15-20 minutes later it stopped on its own. How do I fix this?
Chances are you have an issue with your zone valve, not the Rachio unit. Might need to replace the diaphragm and/or solenoid on that valve.
Hi there!
To expand on what @tmcgahey stated this is likely an issue that is due to the solenoid valve wearing down. One way to test this is (correct me if I’m wrong @tmcgahey) is to remove the zone wire while that zone is running - the zone should stop watering immediately. If the zone continues to water it is not the Rachio that is keeping the valve open.
Best,
Yes @dane that is correct. The solenoids are under constant power when running, but @staceyj2271 issue seems to be ghost/phantom runs not triggered by Rachio, but you could certainly rule out rouge voltage by disconnecting the zone wire when you find it running again. My bet is that it will continue to run regardless of removing Rachio from the mix or not. If the diaphragm or solenoid seal is failing or failed, and drop in pressure on the water supply side such as another zone starting, pressure fluctuations from a well pump starting, or even pressure dips from city water can cause the diaphragm to open.
Thanks everyone. It is definitely a phantom run. I would believe a solenoid/valve issue if it continued to run after the time expired for a scheduled or quick run. Hopefully it doesn’t happen again but if it does I will disconnect the wire to confirm. Stay tuned 
But continuing after a run is pretty much a tell tail failure of the valve. You can do another quick run with the and disconnect mid run if it confirms it for you, but I can pretty much guarantee that you will find a bad diaphragm in the valve.