Sprinklers, Part II.

I went back to basics this morning. I checked the individual voltage levels on all 5 signal wires at the point where the cable comes out of the ground. The controler has individual circuit switches for off/on control; in theory, there should be no voltage on any other wire if the corresponding switch is off. Well, I was detecting a lot of "stray" voltage on supposedly off circuits when I powered each one on (one in particular).

So, now I know why circuits 7 and 8 always come on together. But, what is the root cause? I am now very curious because while I was digging up the dirt yesterday I came across a broken piece of plastic conduit with some Romax in it.

I spied a junction box on the side of the garage that looked suspicious, so I opened it and sure enough, there was a run of sprinkler cable and some Romax. Back over to the valve "farm" and a little digging with the trowel - bingo! The cable is coming out of the broken conduit. Well, that's not so great because of the water getting in there, but at least I know the answer now. But, wait! There's more! Turns out the sprinkler cable was cut off by whoever cut the conduit. There is a 3 foot piece of matching cable spliced into the long cable run. But the wires are bare. No wire nutes, no protection from the water or the dirt. Bare conections. Well, no wonder the voltage was leaking! So, now I have to decide if I want to run a new cable from the j-box and repair the conduit to something a little more environment-resistant or not. I want to do it right.

Good thing Memorial Day Weekend is coming.