Water in irrigation control box

post by Lmheiser on May 29, 2023

I just installed Rachio 3. Had the Hunter Xcore. Did not see a master valve with the wiring. In the app, I chose “neither” for not having a master valve or pump. System works great BUT on Day 2 I noticed the irrigation box (in ground) is full of water, actively leaking to the street and can hear water running. I shut off the water supply to the sprinkler system and the water leak stopped. Could it be my wiring is incorrect? Or should I have chosen Master Valve on the app? I am waiting for the water to drain from the box now before turning the water back on.

post by Lmheiser on May 29, 2023

This is the wiring in the new Rachio 3

post by Thomas_Lerman on May 29, 2023

I do not see a master valve/pump or sensor on the Hunter, so not connected to Rachio or enabled in the app. I believe the Hunter’s remote is red, white, & blue. Since Rachio’s remote is your phone, those should not be connected (possibly red & white are, but should not). Everything else looks good from what I can tell.

When I have seen the in-ground irrigation box filling with water, it usually is a valve or line from the main going to the valve (since probably no zones were running). I would let it dry, turn the water back on and try to figure out where the water is coming from.

post by Lmheiser on May 29, 2023

I spoke with Rachio support and it was suggested I removed the red and white wires on the far right which are AC connectors which are not needed for Rachio. I removed the red/white wires and for good measure unplugged and re-plugged in the Rachio control box. I turned the main water valve back on to the sprinkler system. Water then starts free-flowing into the irrigation box like a hose. Our original Hunter X-Core system was just three years old and had no issues before installing Rachio on Friday. I noticed the irrigation box leak on Sunday (no idea if it was wet/dry on Saturday) but I know with certainty it was not leaking prior to switching to Rachio. If anyone has any other ideas, I welcome any other suggestions. Otherwise, I will need to contact a professional irrigation company.

post by DLane on May 29, 2023

@Lmheiser - sounds like a broken pipe or valve top.

post by Thomas_Lerman on May 29, 2023

We could be wrong, but the leak happening a couple of days after installing the Rachio seems to be a coincidence.