TECHNOLOGY


“You start out at the very beginning and just work your way down the list,” he says. “It’s a methodical process. Eliminate what it isn’t to discover what it is.” – Craig Borland, CIC, CID, CIT, CLIA, CLWM, The Toro Company


that’s tied to them all and brought back,” he says. “So for a 12-station clock, you’re going to have 14 or maybe 13 wires out there, depending on the number of common wires.” For a conventional 12-clock system you’re looking at 14 or fewer wire connections. For a two-wire system with 12 stations, you’ve got 26 wire connections or 27 depending on grounding. Tat means two connections per decoder, two connections at that decoder and then two more connections from that decoder that go to the solenoid and possibly a third one for the ground, he says. “Second, the quality of connection is paramount,” says Borland. “You’re dealing with AC power to the solenoids to get them to run, but you also have an em- bedded direct current signal or com- munication line on the same two-wire path. Now you’re dealing with AC power to the field and a DC signal going out on the same wire path. Now I don’t just have an AC to worry about.


I’ve got an AC and a DC signal going out that I have to make certain that the wire connection for each is really kept


clean and dry.” Tird, those connections aren’t made in a dry connecting box, he says. “No, they’re


buried in the ground where there are things that go bump in the night. You’ve got moisture. You’ve got


creatures. You’ve got everything crawling around. Tey’re going to mess with those connections. So they’ve got to be waterproof to some extent.” While it’s tough to say that anything is completely wa-


terproof, Borland tends to believe that the larger the pro- tector that the wire is in, the longer it will take before water will seep in. Wire connections are such an integral part of making


certain that a two-wire system works correctly throughout, but it’s easy to forget how much they matter. “In all the troubleshooting I’ve done over the years, it’s just silly how


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poorly wire connections are made,” Borland says. “It’s the absolute most inexpensive part of an irrigation system, the cheapest part of an irrigation system. And it’s often the one we take shortcuts on.” A critical part of two-wire troubleshooting is having an understanding of the state of the wiring connections made in the field. “Tey last six months to 20 years, and it just depends on the quality of connection you make,” he says. “We want it to be there until the next generation has to deal with it. With that in mind, put the wire connections in a valve box so you can find them again. And then put the two- wire path in some form of conduit.” Te contractor can use flex tube, PVC or any other choice of material. Tat way, if there’s ever a problem, it can be reached for maintenance or replacement and is easier to work with.


Getting started


A good starting place is checking the specifications of the system you’re working with either with the manufacturer or on the internet, says Borland. A tool that is a must before doing any troubleshooting


for two-wire systems is a voltmeter, he says. It needs to be a “leakage current tester” clamp meter that is able to read milliamps. “Make certain to spend the $200 or $300 to get that,”


he says. “Don’t even go out to the property without one.” While most manufacturers have a test box that can be


used, keep in mind that it’s only approved to work with that specific manufacturer’s system. A clamp meter will be a versatile tool that can be used across multiple projects. When troubleshooting, it’s important to isolate the


problem. “We need to look at the problem and say ‘Is this the


symptom? Is this the cause?’” says Borland. When you’re brought out to a client’s property because the system isn’t working, start by checking to see what symptoms are in play and diagnose from there. For example, if the clock dis- play is blank, no power is being supplied. Tat could mean there’s a breaker that’s been tripped.


March 2023 Irrigation & Lighting 31


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