Sprinkler System Troubleshooting | Elite Sprinkler
Sprinkler system not working is six different problems wearing the same outfit. Some you fix in twenty minutes. A couple need digging or a multimeter. This is the router. Match the symptom. Click through to the right deep-dive guide. We've been running these calls across Oakland and Macomb for ten-plus years. The patterns repeat.
System Won't Turn On at All
Controller dark. No clicks. Nothing happens when you hit a zone manually. Start with the dumb stuff. Outlet has power? Breaker tripped? Controller transformer plugged in tight? Rain sensor still wet from last week's storm? Michigan rain sensors stay locked out 24 to 48 hours after a soaker. That's by design, not a fault. Most controller-dead calls we run end up being one of those four. Five minutes of checking.
Display's lit but nothing fires anywhere? Check the common wire at the controller terminal strip. Every zone shares it. One loose connection there kills the whole system.
One Zone Won't Turn On
Most zones run fine. One refuses. The problem is isolated to that one circuit. Bad solenoid, cut wire underground, or a mechanically stuck valve. Triage with a multimeter and a manual quarter-turn on the solenoid. Full walkthrough with the multimeter readings to look for: Sprinkler Zone Not Working.
Sprinklers Running When the System Is Off
Stuck-open valve. Most urgent thing on the list. Get the manual bleed screw shut or kill water at the backflow now, before your bill explodes. Then diagnose. Torn diaphragm, controller short, solenoid that won't drop, or open bleeder. Emergency shutoff steps plus the four-cause diagnostic tree: Sprinkler Running When the System Is Off.
Valve Leaking
Diaphragm, bonnet, solenoid, or body. Three of those four are a $20 rebuild kit and 30 minutes of work. Body damage is a full replacement. Diagnose which one is leaking before you start digging: How to Fix a Leaking Sprinkler Valve.
One Head Won't Pop Up
Pressure, debris, stuck riser, burial, or aged internals. Five things. Five different fixes. The deep dive narrows it down in five minutes with no tools: Sprinkler Head Not Popping Up.
Whole System Pressure Has Dropped
Heads misting instead of streaming. Rotors throwing short. Multiple zones looking weak at once. Almost always upstream. Main shutoff partly closed. Backflow not all the way open. A leak bleeding pressure off into the dirt before water reaches the laterals. Full diagnostic flow: Low Water Pressure in Your Sprinkler System.
Soggy Patch Plus a Water-Bill Spike
Broken lateral underground. The lawn drinks the leak before you ever see it on top. Three pro tricks for finding it without trenching the whole yard: How to Find a Broken Sprinkler Line.
System Runs But the Lawn's Still Dry
Not a water-supply problem. A coverage problem. Walk every zone while it runs. Look for misaligned heads spraying the driveway. Clogged nozzles misting instead of streaming. Coverage gaps where the spacing was wrong from day one. Run times too short for Michigan clay soil. Clay absorbs water slowly. Ten-minute zone times don't put enough water down to reach roots in July. Catch-cup test tells you exactly how many minutes each zone needs to deliver an inch.
When to Call a Professional
Call us when any of these come up. Multiple zones dead at once after a storm or power surge. Cracked controller from lightning. Leak you can't locate. Backflow needs annual test or replacement. You worked through the basics and the problem won't quit. We diagnose, parts on board, most calls finish same day. Our sprinkler repair page walks through what to expect on a visit.
Sprinkler Troubleshooting Across Metro Detroit
Elite Sprinkler covers troubleshooting and repair across Oakland and Macomb. Ferndale. Royal Oak. Birmingham. Troy. Sterling Heights. Shelby Township. Rochester Hills. Novi. Every truck stocks Rain Bird, Hunter, and Toro parts. Most diagnoses finish in one visit. In Sterling Heights or one of the surrounding Macomb communities? Call (586) 498-6112 or request a quote online. We'll usually have you on the schedule inside the week.