The Sprinkler Mystery: Newsletter Challenge (August 2014)

You must be the originator of the challange problem!

So is this the solution?

One possibility is a thermal related failure of the electronics in enclosure. When the cover is closed the electronics heat up more thus causing the failure.

As a former field tech who has had to repair and troubleshoot control panels in enclosures thousands of times I can only say that this is unlikely. Even systems with thermal cut off switches don't cool down enough to operate do to the cool breeze of a panel being open. That would be a system failure and create an unsafe operating condition. Of all the sprinkler control systems fire/landscape commercial/residential that I've work on I can say that your scenario was never the cause of failure. GA? not really

Of course it's an unlikely and unsafe scenario. If it's infinitely improbable, then it's finitely probable.

My money for the solution is riding on the controller, being equidistant to the fridge and the moon, uses free return energy for operation. The operational system lapses are thus accounted for as solar EMP flashes.

It's the monster that lives in the cellar... he hides behind the door when they go in to look at the controller... then goes and messes with it once they leave and shut the door.

You don't wanna mess with the cellar monster no sir!

Del

Maybe thelittle man had to go to the fridge

If the tech goes up stairs and can see the sprinklers are not working, it is not 9:00PM,(Dark)thus they haven't timed to start yet.

Yes, but as the tech manually turned them on via the controller (the CQ does not say whether the tech subsequently turned them off; only that the tech closed up the controller), what would have turned them off? His/her closing up the controller?

To answer that question, certain implicit knowledge of that specific controller is necessary; information which, if required to solve the puzzle, is concealed from the audience, making this all one big guessing game.

Read the question again: There is a reasonable implication this is in Australia. It's 9:00 AM down under, so it's all good.

^What?

Stewy, welcome to the group!

THAT'S IT! Down Under water flows the wrong direction!

Ah if it's in Oz, maybe the clock is upside down and it's set to 6 !
Del

What? An Aussie tech working at 9 PM. Pub mate, Pub.

We need a flowchart!

A flowchart. Of this challenge. And, the responses.

This ought to be good!

That about does it!

"Stop in. exercise your brain." My I be excused? I forgot my supporter.

I thought the problem was 'no flow'.

most replies aren't serious, and some a waste of digital bandwidth other answers make some attempt but haven't read the question, or are reading something else into it As an iOS developer who just come out of hours of a debug session, my brain is in a certain mode of separation of components: I won't attempt to provide an answer, but let me lay out a careful view of what I think is given to be important - old home ( not told in what country or culture the house exists ) - new sprinklers - unspecified function and location of sprinklers, ( hydroponics in the ceiling (ahem)? ) - fire fighting it could not be, one does not program those - 9 PM start time ( or generically; late evening ) - unspecified stop time ( are they meant to be for a minute or an hour? ) - tech in attendance ( not home owner, so someone knowledgeable ) - unspecified time of tech in attendance, ( presumably set a new temporary start time for testing ) - basement controller ( located away from installation ) - "goes upstairs" most likely simply means he left the basement, not to check the crop in the .. ahem - "stopped working again." the problem repeats, and is now predictable to repeat ( based on all that, reply #73 is the most plausible ) PS, or Parting Shot.. - "What's going on?" is the question one of those light-hearted trick questions? Obviously nothing is going <ON> hence the tech visit. given the seriousness of other questions so far ( looking back, i've just joined ) I don't think they would waste a months worth of discussion

"As an iOS developer who just come came out of hours of a debug session," you're clearly in no shape to be joining engineering forums at this late hour. Had you perhaps delayed your astute prognostications until the weekend you mightn't have so effectively conveyed your contempt for this here forum that you've just joined - unless of course that was the whole point of your first post? You know, to establish an aura of superiority? It happens.

That having been said, here's my advice: be yourself. You don't have to impress anybody here. All you have to be is a little crazy and have a little common sense. If you're not crazy enough, we train you. If you've no common sense, you're on your own.

What color is the house?

If the tech had had a functional henway in his service vehicle could he have more quickly determined and resolved the issue at hand?

I have noticed the cryptic letters "NFG" on several pieces of equipment I have had the opportunity to inspect. I don't know the meaning, but it is good indicator of some sort of malfunction.

Perhaps there was a failure to mention this detail due to the myriads of dichotomies.

No Fucking Good. Usually just NG is sufficient.

Oh great! Now I have to be on the lookout for celibate monks.

The timer is broken. It is stated that he manually turned them on i.e. that it works in manual mode and it is implied that it doesn't in auto mode. It is stated that the sprinklers are new, but not that the controller is.

The botched AM/PM setting makes some sense. The phrase "scheduled to start..." implies an administrative function i.e. that 9 PM start is the owner's intent. "Configured" or "Programmed" would imply that the timer was properly set. Then again the presence of a tech (it doesn't say he's a good one or even a sprinkler tech) implies that the programming would be verified.

Just because he hears water flowing through a pipe does not mean the water is going to the sprinklers. when he sees the sprinklers not emitting water he assumes that the timer/system is not working correctly. What in the world is the tech doing at the house at 9pm any ways, usually they work in the day light don't they ?

"What in the world is the tech doing at the house at 9pm any ways, usually they work in the day light don't they "

Yes, especially above 23.45 degrees north latitude, Land of the Midnight Sun. But not below 23.45 degrees south latitude, Land of Freezing Your Bluddy Arse Off In Total Darkness And Never Being Heard From Again; aka Antarctica. And only in midsummer.

From the CQ: "An old home's new sprinklers are scheduled to start up at 9 PM ..."

This speaks only of the sprinkler's schedule, not necessarily of the timing of the tech's visit.

"Just because he hears water flowing through a pipe"

Again, not necessarily. From the CQ: "He hears from upstairs that they are working fine so he closes up the controller, goes upstairs ..."

"He hears from upstairs..." could mean any number of things - could be someone upstairs shouting the good news, could be Divine Revelation (the CQ is silent about how far upstairs). Could be the cat, furious upon suddenly being soaked to the skin and clawing its owner to death and the tech hears the blood-curdling screams. Could be anything that the tech hears from upstairs and happened to interpret as meaning "they are working fine."

To perpetuate, the sound may be air flow (new system) through one or more zones, in this case, the twilight zones.

The horse is dead.

Almost always the solution is "buy another one" rather than "throw money at it"

If your lucky, the problem will reveal itself during the new installation. The "installer creed" will prevent the owner from ever finding out. The old system will be sold as used if the owner didn't want it.

"An old home's new sprinklers are scheduled to start up at 9 PM but do not. A tech manually turns on the sprinklers from the controller located in the basement boiler room. He hears from upstairs that they are working fine so he closes up the controller, goes upstairs and sees that the sprinklers are spouting geysers of what appears to be blood." What's going on?

The horse has bled out.

it's raining outside?

He is downstairs but hears from upstairs? Someone must be telling him it is operating OK but when he arrives upstairs it is not OK.

I think he's wired it to the light circuit which may be the only power source available in an old boiler room in an old house.

Many old homes rely on low yield private (in some cases hand dug wells for the water source. When the natural water table is low, or if the well has been used a lot the water source can be diminished to the point that it can not keep up with the demand. Would seem that this sprinkler equipment would have an automatic shut off to protect the system from sucking air.

Thinking technically can never replace common sense...

It is equally feasible that this older home draws city water as the lawn watering source, and the city is under a lawn watering ration. The individual home sprinkler controller, being inextricably intertwined with the citywide lawn/garden watering controller, is not enabled to water the yard today, an odd numbered day.

It is also equally feasible that the subject house is in Minot North Dakota USA, and it is February. The water lines in the yard freeze within a few moments of being filled with water...

Why use common sense when it can be magnificent, complicated, and wonderful?

If common sense came into it, one may ask "it's the middle of winter and 20 below - why water the feckin' grass?"

I would say the controller has a fault that is most likely a loose connection or short. It also could be worn relay contacts in non-solid state switching.

By manually triggering and it works when cover is open, he then closes cover and then it shuts off, makes one think the fault is a mechanical fault.

It is hard to troubleshoot with out more info.

Type of controller, mechanical or solid-state switching and age of controller in the installation.

Could it be that the military has programed it. Maybe it would work just fine if it was set to 21:00 hours?

The tech puts the sprinklers in manual, verifies they work. Puts them back in Auto closes the controller, goes upstairs and now they don't work. They work in manual, but not automatic mode.

I will end the suspense. One of these is the correct answer; you guess which one!

1) They didn't pay their water bill and the city just happened to shut off the water right when the sprinkler turned on.

2) They didn't pay their electric bill and power got shut off.

3) The house is haunted and poltergeists are at work.

4) Copper thieves stole the pipes.

5) A car crashed into the house

6) There was a shootout with police nearby and a stray bullet hit the controller.

7) A massive solar flare caused widespread power outage.

8) The controller was hacked from somewhere in Eastern Europe.

#1 The new install was not set-up properly. The rain sensor which disables the system during rainy days caught a few drops of water from the #1 program or it ran for a minute on manual before switching to #2 (which may be where the sensor is located) and then shut it down.

I seldom blame installers so,

#2 Homeowner may have moved a sprinkler head after the install guys left and is now raining on the sensor.

#3 Closing the controller could take it out of manual mode.

note: watering at night is not good is some areas of this world, bugs and mold love it. 4am is best in NC. bugs are done moving and grass will dry in a few hours.

Evening watering is best around here (as recommended by top gardeners) - it gives the water plenty of time to soak into the soil before the sun comes up and it evaporates.

Pretty simple actually. The sprinklers were installed with a rain gauge and the installer put the rain gauge where it will fill quickly when the water gets turned on. Should have put the rain gauge in a different place!

Could be...

What's in your pocket?

Jeez I would hate to have been the CR4 admin who had to post the official answer.

Really? A man who turns off a light when he's finished? That's hard to buy. Oh, wait... doesn't say this 9:00 PM sprinkler tech is a man, does it?

I was right!.. Th ista was inco lete