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Master Zone always hot?

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DosM

My Mini-8 has a Master Zone configured.  My multimeter says Zone1 is always hot, at ~23v to common.  I mean it's *ALWAYS* hot 24/7. If the thing is plugged in, then it's making (energizing) on Zone1.

Other zones are ~29v to common, and they make (energize) only when called.  The Master Zone is configured in the app to (the default) of 0:00 minutes before and 0:00 minutes after other zones.

I thought the Master Zone would make (energize) only when some other zone is running, but I'm new to troubleshooting sprinklers.  It feels like a defect. Is this normal?

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    RainMachine Support

    Hi,
    This is not normal behavior.
    We will need more info in order to troubleshoot your issue.
    It could be a hardware problem or it could be a bad setup problem that would keep the Master Valve always ON.
    The Master Valve should start only when the watering is started and then should be OFF.

    Would you please disable Zone 1 as Master Valve and save it. Then check the voltage again and make sure the wiring is correct on the Mini-8 terminals.
    Also, please contact our support team they will need more info from you.

    Thanks,
    Julian
    RainMachine Support

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    DosM

    Julian,

    Thanks for the quick reply.

    I don't believe it's a wiring problem.  The RainMachine was installed in the summer of 2018, and has worked fine until last weekend when I attempted to seed my lawn and water it.  The wiring itself goes back much longer, as the RainMachine controller was an upgrade to my existing system.  I was unable to bring my sprinklers back online this year, which is why I was troubleshooting the electrical connections.  My current leakage onto Zone1 is a symptom in the absence of a wiring run.  Because there are no exposed terminals on the Mini-8, I had to install simple wires that connect only to my multimeter.  I just wanted to confirm that constant voltage on Zone1 is NOT intended behavior, which you've done.  Thank you.

    I'll follow up as you suggest.  I suspect that my master valve's solenoid is probably fried now, too.  So I'll replace some parts.

    Thanks again.

     

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    RainMachine Support

    Ok, thank you for clarification.
    Our colleagues will help you with the follow-up.

    Thanks,
    Julian
    RainMachine Support

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