Question
Hello, I have a Rain Dial RD600 and the display shows a flashing "OFF" as a result the sprinklers will not turn on.  Once I the replace the dead 9V battery the flashing "OFF" will stop and am able to turn on the sprinklers so long as I keep replacing it with a new battery.  The battery will only last a few days till it is dead again and the display will go back to a flashing "OFF". Please help I do not know if I have a bad Contoller or perhaps a Solenoid.

Answer
Hey Ruben, your first problem is with the controller itself. The panel is bad, and you either need to have it repaired or replace it. Instead of replacing the case and everything, you can just replace the panel (module). To do this, hinge the panel out as if you are going to replace the battery, now with the power off, unplug the wire ribbon in the back of the controller. With the ribbon unplugged, simply pull the panel straight out from the hinges. Usually if you turn on a specific valve(zone) and right away the controller starts flashing "off", the problem is a short in this particular valve. A short can be either a bad wire (crossed wire) or a bad solenoid. Once you get your panel either repaired or replaced, simply turn one valve on at a time, and see if it shorts out on a particular valve. If it does, then you need to fix that particular valve solenoid, or wire. Good luck and have a great day.