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Master Valve Circuit

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fitzmooney

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I have an irrigation controller without a master valve connection.
Has anyone found a way of adding a master valve control circuit to the controller?
 
I imagine you want to turn on a device, such as a pump, whenever any of the watering loops is activated. Is this right?
Just EXACTLY what do you want to activate, and is the system driven by a water pump or is the system running off mains water supply?
 
Do you have any information about the controller, its capabilities or how it is wired?
 
If it's a typical 28VAC system then you could likely rectify the output from each station and sum them together to turn on a relay. If you use bridge rectifiers and don't filter their outputs then you should be able to use a 28V DC relay (a diode across the coil will minimize any chatter from the pulsed rectified sine-wave).
 
It is an 6 station Orbit model 57096 with 24VAC outputs.
It has one common and a separate terminal for each station.
The pump start relay is 24VAC also.
 
The approach crutschow detailed is simple and effective. It can be done with 6 bridge rectifiers (or 14 diodes) and a 24VDC relay. This relay can be used to drive the existing 24VAC relay you have on the pump.
 
This sort of stuff is pretty common. I have a 6 station unit but it also has the common supply for a pump as you require, and it runs from a 24 volt external transformer. I use my system for watering the vineyard.
Each of the outputs is switched with a small TO92 case triac, and the current capability is 9VA max. At 24 volt this equates to a current of 0.375 Amp. From memory, my solenoid valves are about 4 or 5 VA each, so you shouldnt have any problems with driving a relay from each output.
The 'Watermaster' thing I have is has a model number of '57116'.
Its probably from the same factory as yours!!
 
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