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How to Troubleshoot an Orbit Anti-Syphon
How to Troubleshoot an Orbit Anti-Syphon. An Orbit anti-siphon valve not only regulates the water flow from an irrigation line to its lawn sprinklers, it prevents water from flowing back into the irrigation line and causing problems, eliminating the need for a backflow prevention device. An anti-siphon valve works much like a standard irrigation...
An Orbit anti-siphon valve not only regulates the water flow from an irrigation line to its lawn sprinklers, it prevents water from flowing back into the irrigation line and causing problems, eliminating the need for a backflow prevention device. An anti-siphon valve works much like a standard irrigation valve and takes commands electronically from an irrigation controller or by hand. It’s not uncommon for an Orbit anti-siphon valve to experience problems opening, closing or receiving power during its lifetime.
Things You'll Need
Wire strippers
Pull open the lid to the Orbit anti-siphon valve manifold if the valve fails to open and prevents water from flowing. The valve might be installed in the wrong direction. Locate the valve in question and observe the orientation of the valve’s water flow inlet and outlet. If the inlet is pointed away from the water supply while the outlet is attached to the water irrigation line, turn off the irrigation valve and remove the valve from the manifold. Turn the valve around so that the valve inlet connects to the irrigation line and the outlet valve attaches to its zone pipeline.
Unplug the irrigation timer from its power source if a particular valve fails to open when activated by the timer. The Orbit valve wiring might be compromised. Open the panels necessary to reach the irrigation timer terminal area. Unplug the faulty valve wire from the valve terminal. Confirm that the tip of the wire is stripped at least a 1/2 inch. If not, insert the wire into the wire strippers at the correct gauge and strip the insulation from the wire. Insert the metal tip of the wire back into the valve terminal on the irrigation timer and confirm that the connection is secure. Plug the irrigation timer back in and turn the valve on manually from the timer.
Turn off the irrigation line valve to stop the flow of water from reaching the valve manifold if an Orbit valve fails to open. The valve in question might have a bad solenoid, which is a knob-like device on top of the valve. Twist the valve’s solenoid counterclockwise to unscrew and remove it from the valve. Unscrew a solenoid from a working valve and screw it onto the valve in question. Turn the water back on. If the valve in question now works correctly with the borrowed solenoid, then the removed solenoid is defective. Replace the solenoid with a new one, confirming that the plunger and O-ring are installed beforehand.
Shut off the water flow from the irrigation line and pull up the valve manifold lid if a valve fails to close properly. There might be debris inside of the Orbit anti-siphon valve, preventing it from closing. Unscrew the solenoid and remove it from the valve. Clear the inside of dirt or other debris using water and your fingers. Pull the valve lid off and remove dirt or grime from the internal diaphragm assembly. Replace the lid and the solenoid and turn the water back on.
