Question
I moved in to this house and it has a rain Bird sprinkler system model RC-7A and I've never been able to get it to work.... when I plug it in the dials move and it sounds like it's trying but no water comes out I left it on for a few days and still nothing.what could be wrong with it? What should I do?

Answer
Hey Tiffany, what you first need to determine, is if the controller is working or not. And then if it is, if your valves are working or not. First thing to try, is hit the re-set button on the upper right side of the controller. Put the switch on "auto" and turn the big dial in the direction of the arrows (counter clockwise) until it starts to move to the #1 position. Make sure that the dial for #1 has time put into it, lets say 10 minutes. If the big dial turns on its own, and stops at the #1 position, then the controller is probably fine. If it does not move from the rest position to the #1 position, then the motor is no good, and it would be better to install a new controller. If the controller moves to the #1 position and stops, then you need to check the wires in the back of the controller, using a volt/ohm meter, check your voltage by putting the negative lead from the meter on the white wire coming from the back of the controller, and put the positive lead from the meter on the brown wire coming from the controller. You should get 22 to 26 volts. If you are not getting the proper voltage, then the controller needs to be replaced. If you are getting a good reading, then either the wire from the controller to the valves is bad, the valve itself is bad, or the water to the sprinkling system is not turned on. Go to www.irrigationtutorials.com. and this website will give you ideas on what to do next. Good luck and have a great day.