Is there a disconnect in your sprinkler system?

Sprinkler systems are made out to be more complicated than they really are. Most residential systems are fairly basic, but as they age they can become a little bit of a headache. These headaches can include: failing controller, cracked heads, a leaking manifold, underground lines cracked by tree roots, failing valves, loss of control of a valve, and the one that I'm still often called to repair - an issue with a pressure vacuum breaker (PVB). Since I have posted about PVBs before, I thought that I would mention another issue, bad electrical connections.

I was clearing out old photos from my iCloud account, and though I do not perform a lot of work on sprinkler systems anymore, I noticed a bunch of photos related to the loss of the control of a zone/valve. From what I have experienced the loss can be due to a failing controller, a failing solenoid or valve, or sometimes something much more simple - a poor wiring connection to solenoid. Over the years, I can't tell you how many sprinkler manifolds that I have examined with poor electrical connectors. These subpar connections can corrode as the years tick by leading to an interrupted controller to solenoid connection or total loss of connection.

What is considered a poor connection? The three that I have come across include:
- The use of electrical tape to cover the connection
- The use of a regular wire nut
- My personal favorite, the wires merely twisted together

How is this a simple issue to fix?
If the installer had used waterproof wire nuts and a gentle tug on the wires reveal that they are still seated well inside the wire nut, more than likely the connection in the manifold box can be eliminated as an issue. To be sure that the connection is good, the removal of the wire nut might need to be done to visually check that the wires are all still together. If you do remove the wire nut and intend to reuse the same wire nut, inject a little dielectric grease inside to freshen up the seal.

Another way to help eliminate this problem is to use waterproof wire nuts from the very beginning. If you find that your system does not use waterproof wire nuts, that's pretty easy to address. I usually cut the wired just before the connection, strip the insulation off of the connection area, rub the wires with a Scotch-Brite pad, and remake the connection with a waterproof wire nut. Pretty simple, right? Now I can delete those photos from my iCloud account to make room for cat videos.