Unfortunately, if your sprinkler timer valves chatter, buzz, or make noise and may have reduced water pressure, it’s a “classic” symptom that the sprinkler timer is failing.  It may also cause continuous water hammer making all the pipes in your house make noise.

More about this water hammer issue:  It’s not uncommon to have a ‘single’ water hammer when a valve turns off, but in this failure case, the water hammer is continuous when the sprinkler timer is running the system.  This is because the timer is trying to turn valves on, but cannot keep them on because of an internal failure. Thus, the water is continually turning on and off.  This can happen at a different cadence, anything from seconds to a ‘buzz’ turns during the watering cycle.  This problem will continue to get worse over time until the timer is unable to turn them on at all.  So, continuous water hammer and poor water pressure are often signs of a failing sprinkler timer.  You can prove this by looking for low voltage going to the solenoids or by bypassing the timer and turning on a valve directly with the 24volts. Refer to the section about how to test the transformer for additional information.

Fortunately, it’s something we repair; just send it in and you’ll never have this problem again.   Removal instructions are here.

Here is a video of common chattering, although it may buzz very fast, or be as slow as clicking once a second.

Some of the other symptoms that occur after the chattering problem gets worse and eventually the chattering stops.

If this information wasn’t enough to resolve the issue, we can help:
Send Rain Dial Timers in for repair?

Irritrol Rain Dial RD600 repair services

For other issues, or ones that are in progress and do not have a link yet, just contact us, or see details here: How do I send it in for repair?