How to Connect Valves & Wires in a Sprinkler System

Install the Valves

• 1

  Locate the irrigation control box. It's usually outside, along the perimeter of the house, and has a green or black cover.

• 2

  Remove the cover by lifting up on the tab on either side.

• 3

  Remove any damaged valves by unscrewing the entire valve counterclockwise from the supply pipe below. You should have a hold on top of the main pipe for each valve that you want to install.

• 4

  Wrap a single layer of Teflon tape around the pipe threads that stick out from the base of each valve. The tape will make the connection watertight.

• 5

  Place each valve into one of the holes in the supply pipe, and twist the valve clockwise until tight. Turn the valve by hand only.

Attach the Wiring

• 6

  Locate the sprinkler timer and unplug it.

• 7

  Open the cover of the timer and note the location of each colored wire. The white wire represents the negative connection, while each colored wire represents a single sprinkler zone. Each colored wire sits in a connection point labeled with a number. This number is the zone that the timer will control.

• 8

  Go back to the sprinkler irrigation box and locate the other end of the sprinkler wires.

• 9

  Grab the two wires that stick out from the top of a valve. These wires lead to the solenoid, which controls the flow of water inside the valve.

• 10

  Twist together the bare end of the solenoid wire marked "negative" with the bare end of the white sprinkler wire.

• 11

  Twist together the bare end o the solenoid wire marked "positive" with the bare end of the colored wire that corresponds to the zone number that you want the valve to operate. If the red wire on the timer was on zone one, for example, connecting the red wire to the solenoid will turn that valve into zone one.

• 12

  Place the twisted wires into separate grease plugs, and seal the cap. This will make the connection waterproof.

• 13

  Repeat the wiring process for all remaining valves and test the system by running each zone for 30 seconds or longer.