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Dalhart, Texas | You test the motor by testing for continuity between the three legs. Red to black, black to blue, and red to blue. Should have continuity between all legs with none going to ground. You can get continuity between them if they are going to ground so always test to ground. You can usually smell that unique smell if the motor burned up. Microswitches usually stick and result in the tower walking ahead. Best to replace these noting that there is a screw to adjust the amount of deflection before it clicks. Always check and adjust this unless you want the characteristic Valley bow to the alignment of the towers. Smash the old one taken off and you will likely see a burnt contact point. This also helps keep it from being put back on another time one causes problems. Contractors or relays can be Ohmed checked-- resistance measurement--, but I hardly ever replace them. Nine times out of ten it is a burnt contact point that can be polished if you take it apart and file the points lightly smooth and remove the carbon deposits. Watch for flies in the replay also as they can prevent one leg from feeding through resulting in single phasing of the motor. By the way, you can also ohm check the motor as sometimes they pull to much juice and the thermal breaker kicks out due to an overheated motor. The best way to learn all this is to understand how sprinklers work and have a genius for a dad. Everything I know he taught me or I learned it by watching sprinkler guys fix issues we could not figure out. I have not called a sprinkler guy in years. Good luck and fire away with questions when you have them. | |
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Pivot troublshooting 101
