One station will not turn on, but the others work

What has gone wrong

One station stays dead while the rest run normally, and the controller shows no fault. Nine times out of ten that is a failed solenoid coil or a corroded wire joint in the valve box. Both are 24V AC, both are yours to fix.

The controller is almost never the problem when it is only one station. A controller failure usually takes several stations with it, or the whole lot.

Why this happens in Perth

Two things about Perth make this the most common call of the season.

The first is the ban. Sprinklers are off from 1 June to 31 August, so a solenoid coil sits with no current through it for three months, and any corrosion already started in a wet valve box has three months to finish the job. The system was fine in May. It fails on 1 September, on the first run, along with everybody else's.

The second is what the valve box is sitting in. Sandy soil drains fast but valve boxes still flood, and a wire joint made with a plastic screw connector instead of a gel-filled one will corrode through eventually. If your system was installed cheaply, this is the fault you will get again and again until the joints are redone properly.

Is this a DIY job?

Yes. Everything below is 24V AC or purely mechanical, which is the part of a reticulation system a homeowner can safely work on.

Two free tests, in this order

Test one — is it electrical at all? Go to the valve and turn the solenoid about a quarter turn anti-clockwise, or open the bleed screw on the bonnet if yours has one. Water should flow and the station should run.

• It runs. The valve, the water supply and the diaphragm are all fine. Your fault is electrical — the coil or the wiring. Keep going.
• It does not run. This is not the fault you think it is. The valve itself is blocked or the water is not reaching it. Try low pressure everywhere instead.

Do the solenoid back up finger-tight afterwards. Left loose, it becomes the next fault on this list.

Test two — coil or wiring? Swap the suspect solenoid with the one from a station you know works. Two wires, no tools beyond your hands.

• The fault follows the solenoid to the other station — the coil has failed. Buy one coil.
• The fault stays with the station — the coil is fine. It is the wiring, or that output on the controller.

That one swap costs nothing and it is the difference between buying a $27 part and buying the wrong $27 part.

Fixing it

If it is the coil. Turn the water off. Unscrew the old solenoid anti-clockwise — it comes out by hand, no tools. Check the small plunger and spring inside come out with it and are not left in the valve. Screw the new one in finger-tight plus a nudge; it seals on an O-ring, so over-tightening splits the housing rather than sealing it better. Join the two wires with gel-filled waterproof connectors, not screw terminals and not electrical tape. Turn the water back on and run the station.

If it is the wiring. Open the valve box and find the joints. You are looking for green powder on copper, a joint sitting in water, or a wire that breaks when you tug it gently. Cut back to bright copper, rejoin with gel-filled connectors, and leave enough slack that the joint sits above the water line rather than in it.

Every station shares one common wire, usually white. If you disturb it, put it back on the same terminal — a common wire in the wrong place takes out several stations at once and looks like a much bigger fault than it is.

What it costs

Parts. A 24V AC solenoid coil on its own is around $27. A complete Hunter PGV 25mm valve — the whole thing, body included — is $32.50 to $34.89. Both verified against Perth Irrigation's retail pricing, 5 August 2026. General retail on individual solenoids runs $40 to $60, so it is worth ringing before you drive.

A box of gel-filled connectors is a few dollars and will do every joint on the property. Buy the box, not the pair.

If you pay somebody. We have not verified current Perth callout rates and we are not going to quote you one we made up. Ring two repairers, describe the fault in the words above, and ask what a solenoid replacement runs. The second quote is the one that tells you whether the first was fair.

Common questions

Why would one sprinkler station stop working when the others are fine?

Almost always a failed 24V AC solenoid coil or a corroded wire joint in the valve box. A controller fault normally takes out several stations at once, not one.

How do I tell whether it is the solenoid or the wiring?

Swap the suspect solenoid with one from a station you know works. If the fault follows the solenoid, the coil has failed. If the fault stays with the station, it is the wiring or that controller output.

Is replacing a reticulation solenoid safe to do myself?

Yes. Solenoids run on 24V AC, which is low voltage and safe to handle. The controller is mains-powered and must not be opened — that is an electrician’s job.