Wiring Mess from Hell

We were recently hired by Bill Griffith CGCS of Copper River C.C. in Fresno, CA to perform a complete control system upgrade. The scope included GPS Mapping, installation of new Toro V.P. radio based satellites and programming of the Lynx central. There was a lot of preplanning before getting onto the job site which included the mapping and the re-sequencing of stations where we broke up double and triple heads per station. We were meticulous in planning how we were going to break up the field wiring for the new Toro VP controllers. With all the careful pre-planning, sometimes you just never know what you will run up against until you are in the belly of the beast out in the field.

Now that winter is upon us and the impending threats of a Godzilla El Nino is predicted; it is a great time to address some well needed maintenance for your irrigation control system.

The heartbeat of controlling an irrigation system are those pesky irrigation boxes which reside on the hinterlands of the fairways and roughs. Often hidden and overlook, these components of the system are paramount to the operation and control of your irrigation system.

How to troubleshoot a 120v ground fault on a long wire run on your Golf Course

Scenario:

We were recently called by a Superintendent who had one of three 120 Volt power circuits/legs not working. The circuit supplied power to 10 satellites on the course. The problem surfaced right in the middle of the annual over seeding project. Of course the circuit went down on a Friday with temperatures in the mid 90’s. Just like main-line breaks, they never seem to occur on a Monday morning after it just rained.