One station never runs but the others do. Is the controller broken?

Probably not. When the rest of the stations work, the fault usually sits on that station's wiring or valve: a broken wire, a corroded splice or a failed solenoid. Running the station by hand at the controller and then checking the valve narrows it down before any controller is replaced.

What is cycle and soak and should my controller use it?

Cycle and soak splits one long run into several short ones with pauses, so water soaks in instead of running off. One example is three 10-minute cycles 30 minutes apart instead of one 30-minute run. Use it on any zone, especially turf or slopes, where water runs off before the cycle ends.

Irrigation Controller Repair

Get a timer that skips zones, runs at the wrong hour or will not run at all back on a schedule that fits Peoria.

Request an estimate(623) 624-0780

Is it the controller, or what the controller was told?

A controller is the clock and switchboard for every valve in the yard, so when something goes wrong the symptoms are broad: nothing runs, one station never starts, water comes on at odd hours, or a spring program is still running in October. Many of those are not hardware failures. A second program, an extra start time or a clock that reset after a power cut produces the same complaints as a dead board.

Diagnosis starts at the box: the date and time, every program and start time, the sensor settings and the power supply. Then each station is run by hand. If one station stays silent while the others work, the fault usually sits on that station's wire or valve rather than in the controller. The City of Peoria Water FAQ also explains why a program can look wrong when it is not: weekday demand peaks from 7 to 9 a.m. and 6 to 11 p.m. can pull pressure from the usual 50 to 80 psi down to about 40.

Reprogram for the hours Peoria asks for

Whether the controller is repaired or replaced, the program is the real deliverable. Peoria asks that landscape irrigation run between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m., and its water-saving guidance says to avoid running between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. and to adjust schedules monthly. A finished job leaves the correct date and time, one program per plant group, start times that do not overlap, and short repeated cycles on any zone that runs off.

Peoria's own example of that last point is three 10-minute cycles with 30 minutes between them instead of one 30-minute run, because dry desert soil cannot take water quickly. Station labels inside the door should match the valves in the ground. For a monthly nudge, the city points residents to free reminders by texting WHENTOWATER to 1-844-416-1428. A replacement may qualify for a city rebate if it is a WaterSense smart model; see smart and Wi-Fi irrigation controllers. A station that never fires is traced under valve and solenoid repair.

Source: City of Peoria, Water FAQ, Checked Oct 1, 2026