Irrigation Valve Activator

 

You can easily make a simple valve activator or valve tester to turn on electric irrigation valves in the field. It's easy. Cheap. And it works great!

Take 3 standard 9-volt batteries (the rectangular type with snap connectors on top.) Using the male and female snaps on top of the batteries, snap all three of them together in a chain. This creates a home-made, portable, 27-volt "valve activator".

Remove the splices from your valve wires.  Now attach the valve solenoid wires to the two open end terminals on your battery chain.  The valve should open.

For a more professional approach you can purchase irrigation valve activators/testers that will not only activate the valve, but will also test that the wires and solenoids are within acceptable performance standards. See the Reviews - Accessories, Tools, and Other Products section of this website for reviews of some available products.

---