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Please look at the DIY Troubleshooting section before posting; answers to most questions can be found there.
You can also reply to other people’s questions if you like. (Thanks for helping)
Please try to include the following with your question, list:
1) the date code (located under the battery),
2) the model number shown on the face of the controller (usually below and to the left of the dial, e.g., RD-600 or RD-600-R).
3) Color (mostly Gray or Blue) based on the example rainDials shown at the top of the page.
RD-600-R , mostly blue, date code 07-31-15, went googy, has been at your repair several years ago, would like to drop it off again. ( still front porch box ? )
Ralph
Yep, same address… I deleted your phone number from the post, just for good measure.
Brian
Brian, I have had this controller for several years. This week sll of a sudden it will not start on set times. Have to work it manually which defeats the purpose of Auto. Secondly the last zone which is all backyard will not come on so have to hose all of it. What is going in here?
Hi Don,
I think there are two issues going on. 1) the timer, 2) for the last zone, the issue is likely with the back terminal board, or a bad valve or wire.
I’d suggest sending both in for repair; we’ll get them taken care of for you. See the ‘how to get it repaired’ menu above for all the details.
thanks for posting,
Brian
Hi Brian – Can you do a health check on irrigation system at my place making sure it is working as intended? One current issue is obvious – one of the stations catching my attention due to being continuously on. Thanks
My address is:
4903 S Brice, Mesa AZ 85212
Hi Gull,
I don’t usually make house calls, but I can offer some guidance to diagnose the problem. It’s likely you have a failing valve. Take a look at rainDialDoctor dot com website, look at the DIY Troubleshooting page for the appropriate topic.
If that doesn’t help, let me know and we can go from there.
Brian
My display is showing a “skip mode” & a code 1 01 I can’t get out of this screen! I’ve switched off the power supply & removed the battery but still comes up??
Hi Quentin,
I sent you a separate email with some details; let me know if you didn’t get it.
Brian
My RD600-ext-R SN322216399
LED screen completely out. Who set did work at all. What is wrong, can I fix it?
Hi Rei,
Send it on in, we’ll get it repaired and back to you in no-time. I sent you a separate email with details, but you can get what you need from the menu above that describes how to get it repaird.
thanks
Brian
When the desired scheduled time passes the sprinklers do not come on. Instead, I see a number 2 on the monitor.
Hi Eric,
If you see 2 in the top row of the display, then the timer has turned on station 2. You can look through your schedule to see what is setting that to happen. You can also put the dial on station 2 to see what schedule is active (A, B or C). Is that what you’re seeing?
Brian
My RD1200 has stopped functioning. The display is working fine but when I select a station and try to start manually for a few minutes the display goes straight to off.
Hi Christopher,
If that happens with only one station, it’s likely a station problem. If it happens with more than one, it’s a timer problem that I can solve for you.
Just send it in using the information in the ‘how to get it repaired’ menu above.
Thanks for posting
Brian
I have an Irritrol RD-600-R with sprinklers coming on at unprogrammed times. The display shows nothing and the slide to “off” does nothing. I can’t program it because I can’t see the display. I’ve tried different batteries.
Thank you for solving this problem promptly.
Hi, I’m troubleshooting for my neighbor who called me saying that her sprinklers went off at an unprogrammed time. She slid the bar to off, but nothing happened. I noticed that the LCD displayed showed nothing. I pulled the black ribbon from the pins and it shut off. I switched out the 9 volt twice to regain a reading on the display, but nothing. I removed the battery and I could see some characters flashing lightly in the background, but too faint to read. She also reported that lately her sprinklers were pulsating/popping, not spraying continuously. Thanks for your help.
Thank you for solving my neighbor’s problem. The refurbished unit is installed, programmed, and things are working fine. Your instructions were superb.
Disregard my previous question/issue. I have figured it out. Human error 🙁
Thank you . Best of luck.
Hi Brian, I’m glad you figured it out 🙂
Hi Brian. I have an RD900 that has been working great. Located in Florida. No weather to speak of right now, no lighting, and I have whole house surge protect. Suddenly it will not start the pump when I want run it manually. Relay and pump are fine, I can get the system and timer to respond and run correctly with semi auto function. I don’t know yet if regular schedule works or not, will have to see. I have done a hard reset, to no avail. Reprogrammed. Manual button still seems dead. Thanks for your help.
I see your 2nd post…. will respond there.
I have an Irritrol RD-600 controller and I’m having a serious issue with water continuing to flow after my programs finish.
The Problem:
– Stations 1 and 2 complete their 45-minute drip cycles normally
– Controller display shows “OFF” when cycles complete
BUT: A “3” appears in the upper display area and Station 3’s valve stays wide open
Water meter shows extreme flow – burning through 650+ gallons per hour!
What I’ve Tried:
– Performed a hard reset and complete reprogramming
Issue persists after hard reset!
Current Symptoms:
– Controller believes it’s done (shows “OFF”)
– Display shows “3” in upper corner
– Station 3 valve physically won’t close
– Massive water flow continues at meter
Question: Is this a controller programming issue or a physical valve problem? The fact that the controller shows “OFF” but Station 3 won’t close makes me think it’s the valve itself, not the programming. I have completed a couple of 2-3 mimnuted manual cycles on the valve, and the solenoid appears to close. Has anyone experienced this before?
Any help appreciated – my water bill is skyrocketing!
Thank you in advance
If you see a number in the top row the display for the station that is on, it means the timer is definitely turning it on. That means it’s a programming problem not a valve problem. The program could’ve been corrupted. A lot of people contact me that believe they have it programmed correctly, but in reality, it isn’t quite right. Here are some thoughts and questions.
If you follow the instructions on the do it yourself troubleshooting page to reset it to factory defaults, you should’ve seen the programming get erased and set back to the factory default. It would also reset the time back to 12 o’clock.
Question one: did you see the programming reset?
Question two: what are your start times set for?
Question three: how many programs are you using, for example, do you use program a, B and also C?
Let me know and we’ll go from there
thank you for the reply.
answer 1: yes. dis the sequence, set swithc to B, dial at 12 o clock position, remove the battery, pull the black ribbon cable – wait and got the 12:00 message
answer 2: 6 am for valve station 1 and 2
answer 3: using two – A for both front and rear drip to run valve 1, then valve 2. B for shrubs on completely different run times, days and times.
I also switch the dial to skip days and selected to 1:on
If it’s not a faulty controller, I think it has to do with the stack of program A. I am thinking to seperate front and rear drips to different program so drips will use A and B and shurbs on C?? – thank you
I have irratrol RD-1200 that sends an intermittent current to all of the sprinkler valves so they click on and off but never turn all the way on. I have reset it several times to no avail. Can this be repaired?
Thx RP
Yes, I’ll email you details, or you can also just follow the info on the ‘how to get it repaired’ menu.
regards
brian
The plus button got stuck on my RD-600. Can you fix it?
Yep, and I’ll reburbish it complete so you won’t have other issues either.
See the ‘how to get it repaired’ menu for details.
regards,
brian
My plus and minus buttons appear to no longer work. Reparable? If not, can a use a modern new controller with my existing wires, values, etc.? Thank you
Hi Brian, yes, you can just move the wires over…
How do I remove the rain dial box from the wall?
Hi Chuck,
fyi: if you are wanting me to repair it you don’t need to take it off the wall, just remove the parts.
If you want it off the wall, you can sometimes just push it upward off the screw mount and then it’ll pull off. If not, then remove the back terminal board and look behind it for screws that hold it to the wall.
does that help?
Brian
I just moved into a house with a Rain Dial RD600-ext-R no date, blue controls with gray cover. Is it possible to figure out to what the 3 programs are set?
Hi Carol,
See my prior answer to your other post.
Brian
I just moved into a house with a Rain Dial R and want to determine the programs already running. Can I figure it out?
Hi Carol,
Yes. Just follow the instructions on this site for the programming tips and tutorials. If you go through the steps to program the unit, you’ll be able to see what the programming is currently set to. Then you can change it if you want.
Regards,
Brian
it’s tuesday and the display for the current day says wensday. how do i change it to the right day.
Put the dial on today, bottom switch to set program, press the -+ to adjust