Question
I have a new system with an ESP-SMT indoor timer and a Pump Start Relay Hunter PSR-52.  When manually watering the pump start relay only works intermittently.  The relay does have the wires looping around to the opposite side inside the box because the wires came in from the wrong side.  Could this cause the intermittent problem? The pump runs at 240V.  The controller is the indoor model with the plug in transformer.  Im using 10-2 wire for the pump power lines and 18-2 for the 24V line to the relay which is about 12 feet from the controller. The controller is mounted above the pump inside the garage.

Answer
Hey Scott, as long as the wires are good and you have a tight connection inside the controller, and also at the relay, it should not matter how the wires are running. If the wire and connections are tight, then it could be the controller, or the relay. I would suggest taking an ohm/volt meter, and take a reading at the pump start connection inside the controller , as the system is running. If the voltage does not stay consistant at between 22 to 26 volts, then it is probably the controller. If the voltage is consistant, and you are still having the problem, then it is probably the relay. Good luck and have a great day.