I have my sprinkler system set to run from 9PM to 11PM (no other
time). The control box is NOT set to come on at any other time.

Today a neighbor told me it's been coming on during the night (3 or 5
AM).

Any ideas on what I could check?
--
111 days until the winter solstice celebration

Mark Lloyd
http://notstupid.laughingsquid.com

"All your western theologies, the whole mythology of them,
are based on the concept of God as a senile delinquent."
-- Tennessee Williams

On Tue, 05 Sep 2006 16:53:17 -0500, Mark Lloyd
wrote:

I have my sprinkler system set to run from 9PM to 11PM (no other
time). The control box is NOT set to come on at any other time.

Today a neighbor told me it's been coming on during the night (3 or 5
AM).

Any ideas on what I could check?


Does it also come on at the scheduled time? If
not, the clock's off.

Mark Lloyd wrote:
I have my sprinkler system set to run from 9PM to 11PM (no other
time). The control box is NOT set to come on at any other time.

Today a neighbor told me it's been coming on during the night (3 or 5
AM).

Any ideas on what I could check?

Your neighbor's wris****ch?

Jeff

--
Jeffry Wisnia
(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)
"Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength."

On Tue, 05 Sep 2006 18:08:39 -0400, Goedjn wrote:

On Tue, 05 Sep 2006 16:53:17 -0500, Mark Lloyd
wrote:

I have my sprinkler system set to run from 9PM to 11PM (no other
time). The control box is NOT set to come on at any other time.

Today a neighbor told me it's been coming on during the night (3 or 5
AM).

Any ideas on what I could check?


Does it also come on at the scheduled time?

Sorry, that part was a victim of overediting. YES it does come on at
the scheduled time.

If
not, the clock's off.
--
111 days until the winter solstice celebration

Mark Lloyd
http://notstupid.laughingsquid.com

"All your western theologies, the whole mythology of them,
are based on the concept of God as a senile delinquent."
-- Tennessee Williams

On Tue, 05 Sep 2006 17:41:02 -0500, Mark Lloyd
wrote:

On Tue, 05 Sep 2006 18:08:39 -0400, Goedjn wrote:

On Tue, 05 Sep 2006 16:53:17 -0500, Mark Lloyd
wrote:

I have my sprinkler system set to run from 9PM to 11PM (no other
time). The control box is NOT set to come on at any other time.

Today a neighbor told me it's been coming on during the night (3 or 5
AM).

Any ideas on what I could check?


Does it also come on at the scheduled time?

Sorry, that part was a victim of overediting. YES it does come on at
the scheduled time.

If
not, the clock's off.


Is that when your water softener starts a backwash cycle?

Mark,

I'd start by sitting up one night and checking whether the sprinklers
come on. So far you have nothing to go on.

Dave M.

On Tue, 05 Sep 2006 18:49:28 -0400, Goedjn wrote:

On Tue, 05 Sep 2006 17:41:02 -0500, Mark Lloyd
wrote:

On Tue, 05 Sep 2006 18:08:39 -0400, Goedjn wrote:

On Tue, 05 Sep 2006 16:53:17 -0500, Mark Lloyd
wrote:

I have my sprinkler system set to run from 9PM to 11PM (no other
time). The control box is NOT set to come on at any other time.

Today a neighbor told me it's been coming on during the night (3 or 5
AM).

Any ideas on what I could check?


Does it also come on at the scheduled time?

Sorry, that part was a victim of overediting. YES it does come on at
the scheduled time.

If
not, the clock's off.


Is that when your water softener starts a backwash cycle?

No. There is no other device in this house that would be changing it's
use of water at that time.
--
111 days until the winter solstice celebration

Mark Lloyd
http://notstupid.laughingsquid.com

"All your western theologies, the whole mythology of them,
are based on the concept of God as a senile delinquent."
-- Tennessee Williams

On Tue, 05 Sep 2006 18:38:48 -0400, Jeff Wisnia
wrote:

Mark Lloyd wrote:
I have my sprinkler system set to run from 9PM to 11PM (no other
time). The control box is NOT set to come on at any other time.

Today a neighbor told me it's been coming on during the night (3 or 5
AM).

Any ideas on what I could check?

Your neighbor's wris****ch?

Jeff

I'm considering connecting an electronic buzzer on a long pair of
wires (I already have the wires) connected to the "master valve"
output (not otherwise used) of the sprinkler controller. This would
be an alarm that would sound it the controller became active during
the night.
--
111 days until the winter solstice celebration

Mark Lloyd
http://notstupid.laughingsquid.com

"All your western theologies, the whole mythology of them,
are based on the concept of God as a senile delinquent."
-- Tennessee Williams

On Tue, 05 Sep 2006 23:30:39 GMT, "David Martel"
wrote:

Mark,

I'd start by sitting up one night and checking whether the sprinklers
come on. So far you have nothing to go on.

Dave M.


How about turning the main valve off so it can't water and asking the
neighbor if it is anyway?
--
111 days until the winter solstice celebration

Mark Lloyd
http://notstupid.laughingsquid.com

"All your western theologies, the whole mythology of them,
are based on the concept of God as a senile delinquent."
-- Tennessee Williams

In article ,
Mark Lloyd wrote:
I have my sprinkler system set to run from 9PM to 11PM (no other
time). The control box is NOT set to come on at any other time.

4-6 am would be a better time.

Today a neighbor told me it's been coming on during the night (3 or 5
AM).

Any ideas on what I could check?

Verify with your buzzer idea. If so, the controller is broken. Replace
it.

--
Rich Greenberg N Ft Myers, FL, USA richgr atsign panix.com + 1 239 543 1353
Eastern time. N6LRT I speak for myself & my dogs only. VM'er since CP-67
Canines:Val, Red & Shasta (RIP),Red, Zero & Casey, Siberians Owner:Chinook-L
Retired at the beach Asst Owner:Sibernet-L

"Mark Lloyd" wrote in message
news
I have my sprinkler system set to run from 9PM to 11PM (no other
time). The control box is NOT set to come on at any other time.

Today a neighbor told me it's been coming on during the night (3 or 5
AM).

Any ideas on what I could check?

Controllers fail. I had one that did this. Do check that you don't have a
second "program" active.

Bob

On Tue, 5 Sep 2006 18:24:23 -0700, "Bob" wrote:


"Mark Lloyd" wrote in message
news
I have my sprinkler system set to run from 9PM to 11PM (no other
time). The control box is NOT set to come on at any other time.

Today a neighbor told me it's been coming on during the night (3 or 5
AM).

Any ideas on what I could check?

Controllers fail. I had one that did this. Do check that you don't have a
second "program" active.

Bob


Already done that last thing. The controller (Hunter SRC) has 3
programs (called A, B C) each of which has 4 places to set start
times. Only A1 has a setting other than "off' (9PM).

I have seen such a device with a clock that was exactly 100% fast.
That is, it could say 9PM at 9PM but also at 9AM (9AM would show at
3AM and 3PM). However, this does not fit the symptoms (it waters for
the normal amount of time not the 50% you'd get with a fast clock, and
it's correct at multiple times of day).

It may still be a controller that needs replacing. I suppose it's not
too hard to get a new one that works (the valves need 24VAC, I think
the current is around 250mA).
--
111 days until the winter solstice celebration

Mark Lloyd
http://notstupid.laughingsquid.com

"All your western theologies, the whole mythology of them,
are based on the concept of God as a senile delinquent."
-- Tennessee Williams

On Tue, 05 Sep 2006 16:53:17 -0500, Mark Lloyd
wrote:

I have my sprinkler system set to run from 9PM to 11PM (no other
time). The control box is NOT set to come on at any other time.

Today a neighbor told me it's been coming on during the night (3 or 5
AM).

Any ideas on what I could check?

I just posted in another thread how smart my mother was, but there was
one time she wasn't so smart. We had a self defrosting refrigerator,
bought around 1953. She was supposed to set the clock for the current
time, but she thought she was supposed to set it for the time she
wanted it to defrost. So if it was noon and she set the clock to
2AM, the fridge thougght it was 2AM then and it defrosted an hour
later, 1PM, which it thought was 3AM. If she set it to 2AM at 6PM,
it thought it it was 2AM then and it deforsted an hour later, at 7PM,
which it thought was 3AM. My mother didn't pay attention to when she
set it, only that it defrosted during the day instead of 2AM like she
wanted it to. So she never figured it out until I read the
instructions.

On Tue, 05 Sep 2006 23:30:39 GMT, "David Martel"
wrote:

Mark,

I'd start by sitting up one night and checking whether the sprinklers
come on. So far you have nothing to go on.

If you can't stay up that late, sleep in the yard. The sprinklers
will wake you.

Dave M.

Mark Lloyd wrote:
I have my sprinkler system set to run from 9PM to 11PM (no other
time). The control box is NOT set to come on at any other time.

Today a neighbor told me it's been coming on during the night (3 or 5
AM).

Any ideas on what I could check?

Early morning is better for the grass. Have you tried taking out the
battery, shutting off the breaker and resetting the time?

On Wed, 06 Sep 2006 01:55:18 -0400, mm
wrote:

On Tue, 05 Sep 2006 16:53:17 -0500, Mark Lloyd
wrote:

I have my sprinkler system set to run from 9PM to 11PM (no other
time). The control box is NOT set to come on at any other time.

Today a neighbor told me it's been coming on during the night (3 or 5
AM).

Any ideas on what I could check?

I just posted in another thread how smart my mother was, but there was
one time she wasn't so smart. We had a self defrosting refrigerator,
bought around 1953. She was supposed to set the clock for the current
time, but she thought she was supposed to set it for the time she
wanted it to defrost. So if it was noon and she set the clock to
2AM, the fridge thougght it was 2AM then and it defrosted an hour
later, 1PM, which it thought was 3AM. If she set it to 2AM at 6PM,
it thought it it was 2AM then and it deforsted an hour later, at 7PM,
which it thought was 3AM. My mother didn't pay attention to when she
set it, only that it defrosted during the day instead of 2AM like she
wanted it to. So she never figured it out until I read the
instructions.

My grandmother thought that when you set the alarm on a digital clock,
that messed up the current time setting (because the display changed).
--
110 days until the winter solstice celebration

Mark Lloyd
http://notstupid.laughingsquid.com

"All your western theologies, the whole mythology of them,
are based on the concept of God as a senile delinquent."
-- Tennessee Williams

On Wed, 06 Sep 2006 10:24:23 GMT, Norminn
wrote:

Mark Lloyd wrote:
I have my sprinkler system set to run from 9PM to 11PM (no other
time). The control box is NOT set to come on at any other time.

Today a neighbor told me it's been coming on during the night (3 or 5
AM).

Any ideas on what I could check?

Early morning is better for the grass.

You left out the explanation, and the alternative.

Nothing's perfect. Evening watering gives the water more time to soak
in before it evaporates in the sun (it's been really sunny here
lately).

Have you tried taking out the
battery, shutting off the breaker and resetting the time?

Apparently my system is NOT coming on. A neighbor's (on the other
side) IS. I haven't talked to the one who complained yet, maybe she
got confused by the runoff (the other neighbor's runoff passes in
front of my house because it's on a hill).
--
110 days until the winter solstice celebration

Mark Lloyd
http://notstupid.laughingsquid.com

"All your western theologies, the whole mythology of them,
are based on the concept of God as a senile delinquent."
-- Tennessee Williams

On Tue, 05 Sep 2006 16:53:17 -0500, Mark Lloyd
wrote:

I have my sprinkler system set to run from 9PM to 11PM (no other
time). The control box is NOT set to come on at any other time.

Today a neighbor told me it's been coming on during the night (3 or 5
AM).

Any ideas on what I could check?

It is set to use military time vs normal 12 hour clock?



Oren

"Well, it doesn't happen all the time, but when it happens, it happens constantly."

Mark Lloyd wrote:


Apparently my system is NOT coming on. A neighbor's (on the other
side) IS. I haven't talked to the one who complained yet, maybe she
got confused by the runoff (the other neighbor's runoff passes in
front of my house because it's on a hill).

Wouldn't it be wunnerful if all things got solved as easily as that?

Nonetheless, you showed good technical thinking when you pondered
putting a audible alarm on the control system's output to rouse you if
it came on in the wee hours.

Jeff


--
Jeffry Wisnia
(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)
"Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength."

On Wed, 06 Sep 2006 07:31:30 -0700, Oren wrote:

On Tue, 05 Sep 2006 16:53:17 -0500, Mark Lloyd
wrote:

I have my sprinkler system set to run from 9PM to 11PM (no other
time). The control box is NOT set to come on at any other time.

Today a neighbor told me it's been coming on during the night (3 or 5
AM).

Any ideas on what I could check?

It is set to use military time vs normal 12 hour clock?


No. I would actually prefer "military time", but have it set to AM/PM
for consistency with other clocks.



(missing sig separator?)


Oren

"Well, it doesn't happen all the time, but when it happens, it happens constantly."
--
110 days until the winter solstice celebration

Mark Lloyd
http://notstupid.laughingsquid.com

"All your western theologies, the whole mythology of them,
are based on the concept of God as a senile delinquent."
-- Tennessee Williams

On Wed, 06 Sep 2006 10:24:23 GMT, Norminn
wrote:

Mark Lloyd wrote:
I have my sprinkler system set to run from 9PM to 11PM (no other
time). The control box is NOT set to come on at any other time.

Today a neighbor told me it's been coming on during the night (3 or 5
AM).

Any ideas on what I could check?

Early morning is better for the grass.

Have you tried taking out the
battery, shutting off the breaker and resetting the time?


I'm doing that now, despite the fact that it's probably unnecessary.
Anyway, it's time to reprogram for less watering (in Texas, the
weather has gotten more fall-like recently).

However, I do use the less-restricted version of the above. Resetting
(removing power if no other way) is a general solution to any device
containing state-dependant components (including anything
microprocessor-controlled).
--
110 days until the winter solstice celebration

Mark Lloyd
http://notstupid.laughingsquid.com

"All your western theologies, the whole mythology of them,
are based on the concept of God as a senile delinquent."
-- Tennessee Williams

On Wed, 06 Sep 2006 11:19:49 -0500, Mark Lloyd
wrote:


I'm doing that now, despite the fact that it's probably unnecessary.
Anyway, it's time to reprogram for less watering (in Texas, the
weather has gotten more fall-like recently).

It's amazing how in Maryland the weather changes on the first couple
days in September. Did it again this year. Rained after almost no
rain for months (when it usually rains here every month.)

On Wed, 06 Sep 2006 17:22:27 -0400, mm
wrote:

On Wed, 06 Sep 2006 11:19:49 -0500, Mark Lloyd
wrote:


I'm doing that now, despite the fact that it's probably unnecessary.
Anyway, it's time to reprogram for less watering (in Texas, the
weather has gotten more fall-like recently).

It's amazing how in Maryland the weather changes on the first couple
days in September. Did it again this year. Rained after almost no
rain for months (when it usually rains here every month.)

In Texas, September is usually indistinguishable from August. This
year was different. We had an unusually hot August (sometimes north
and east Texas were hotter than Phoenix and Las Vegas). In September,
it cooled off, so I needed to reprogram the sprinkler controller
anyway, to reduce watering.
--
109 days until the winter solstice celebration

Mark Lloyd
http://notstupid.laughingsquid.com

"All your western theologies, the whole mythology of them,
are based on the concept of God as a senile delinquent."
-- Tennessee Williams