Diagnosing a Shorted Solenoid on Zone 2 (Hunter SRC+ System)

When connecting the solenoid on zone 2 causes voltage to drop from 24V to 0V, the solenoid is almost certainly shorted. This guide walks through confirming the fault using a multimeter.

Symptoms

• 24 VAC measured at controller output and valve wire (disconnected)
• Voltage drops to 0 V when solenoid is connected
• Other 5 zones work normally
• New solenoid from Home Depot exhibits same behavior

Confirm with Ohms Test

1. Disconnect solenoid wires from field wiring.
2. Set multimeter to ohms (Ω), 200 scale.
3. Place leads on the two solenoid wires.
4. Reading should be 20–60 ohms.

• < 20 ohms → shorted coil
• > 60 ohms → open coil or high resistance
• OL (infinite) → broken wire inside solenoid

What About the Second Brown Wire?

The extra brown wire likely feeds another valve on the same zone circuit. If that valve's solenoid is shorted, it will drag down the entire circuit. Disconnect it and test each solenoid individually.

Next Steps

Replace the faulty solenoid. If both solenoids on the circuit test bad, inspect wiring for nicks or water intrusion in splice points.