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Locating Buried Control Valves: Wire Tracer or Systematic Probing

Finding 4 Missing Valve Boxes in a 6-Zone System

Bought house with system. Previous owner buried boxes. Found 2 valves near backflow (under 8-10" mulch). Assume 2 boxes of 3 valves each = 6 more valves missing. Probing flower beds—no luck.

Best Method: Wire Tracer

Irrigation supply houses (Ewing, Horizon, John Deere) have wire tracers that follow controller wires to valves. Rent or hire a service.

Alternative: Probing

Systematic probing every square foot in suspected areas. Look for greener grass, moisture, depressions.

Don't Dig Randomly

Wire tracer saves hours. Worth the rental or service fee.

Irrigation: Dandelions in Periwinkle: Weed-and-Feed Risks Killing Groundcover; New Homeowner: Toro Greenkeeper System – What to Do with Valves in the Box?; Leaking Sprinkler Heads: Valve Diaphragm or Low-Head Drainage?; Testing a Rain Bird ESP-6TM Controller After Lightning Damage; Valves 2 & 4 Low Pressure: Replace Diaphragms, Verify Orientation; Orbit Valve Box Full of Water – Leak or Groundwater?; Sprinkler Valves Buried Under Concrete Patio: Must Relocate; Lichens on Trees: Symptom, Not Cause of Decline; Trapping Armadillos with a Drift Fence; Eradicating Invasive Privet: A Long-Term Management Plan

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