Troubleshooting a leaking irrigation control valve

An irrigation valve that leaks can be a huge water-waster. Slow leaks can be especially problematic because they’re often hard to spot.

0:00 Intro/Overview
0:17 Is the Water Meter Showing Flow?
0:55 Is it Low-Head Drainage?
1:55 Is there Debris in the Valve?
3:24 Is there Damage to the Diaphragm?
4:03 Conclusion

[kennys]

Loose solenoid is one of the common culprits. Make sure its hand tighten to leave no gap between the solenoid and the valve base.

[johnnygarcia]

Majority of valve boxes are not nice and clean. In a real world scenario after 15 plus years (I've seen Hunter valves last 20 yrs easy) a service tech will find a valve box full of debris dead bugs, leaves etc. very few have that nice look.
So my question is - How do you properly flush a Hunter valve without filling the valve box? I've seen another Hunter video w a rock an that just isn't accurate. The shut off is rarely near the valve - so it's impossible to see when to turn of the main line. Slightly turning on the main will not get the debris out of the valve body without filling the valve box full of water which will then create more work.

[pevsfreedom]

My terrible 2 sprinkler system does not seem to have a diaphragm/solenoid, yet my RainBird head is 24/7 slow leaking. Kind of at a loss. Replaced the head, can't find any sign of a diaphragm. Just seems like it's hooked up to the main water line, with 2 shutoff valves. No electronics.

[agarwalsuresh]

Is there a way to tell if the diaphragm is damaged or causing the leak? how long do they last? thanks.