Have Rain Bird watering system with 6 zones. Zone 1,4. and 5 will not come on, zone 6 will stay on even when time has elapsed, then when we turn zone 2 on , zone 6 will continue to water. What could be the problem ? Thank you for your help !

There are a few reasons your Rain Bird watering system may not be working in all zones:

Remote control valves. Electrically operated RCV's may not allow water to pass if the solenoid has not been energized by the controller, or is the manual bleed has been activated. Before troubleshooting the valves too closely, check that there aren't any isolation valves that might be turned off.

If the valves in question won't open, the flow control stem may be tightened all the way down. Or the solenoid may be burned out, the solenoid may not be receiving voltage, or the port below the solenoid and/or the port leading to the solenoid chamber may be plugged.

Controllers. Controllers can be divided into Electromechanical and Hybrid/Solid State.

Electromechanical Controller Microswitch: when a MS fails, they can leave a zone turned on, or keep it from turning on.
Electromechanical Controller Wafer switch: the WS is the distribution point for the valve voltage. As the hub turns, the valves receive voltage one. This piece may have failed.

Hybrid/Solid State Controllers: The microprocessor is the brains of the system. Occasionally, the microprocessor will freeze its functioning or behave erratically. 30% of controllers will resolve their 'failures' by following this procedure, which will delete your existing programs:

1. Primary power - It is necessary to disconnect the controller from its primary electrical source either by unplugging it from the outlet or by turning off the appropriate circuit breaker in the electrical panel
2. Battery backup - Remove the battery from the controller. The purpose of the battery is to maintain the information inside of the microprocessor in the event of a primary power failure. By removing the battery the microprocessor is allowed to reset itself to its normal condition.
3. Wait - Maintain this power down condition for 5 minutes to be certain the microprocessor will reset itself.
4. Primary power - Reconnect the primary power to the controller.
5. Function check - The display should now show 12:00 A.M. Set the time and day to the current setting. Using the manual controller function, turn on several stations and observe that they operate properly. If the controller now operates properly re-enter your original program and continue on to step 6.

If controller still will not perform correctly it will need to be repaired
by a qualified facility.

6. Battery replacement - If the controller uses an alkaline battery, it is
recommended that it be replaced with a new one at this time. Reinstall the correct battery in the controller and perform a final resistance test to ensure proper operation.

I hope that helps.
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