TCEQ Licensed Irrigator · LI0023963
Two-wire expert in Garland.
Line faults, dead decoders, and storm damage on HOA and commercial two-wire systems. We find the one fault that is taking down twenty zones.
Hunter ACC2 · Hunter I-Core DUAL · Rain Bird ESP-LXD · Weathermatic
Two-Wire Faults Get Measured, Not Guessed
Swapping decoders until a zone comes back is how a property ends up buying the same part three times. Two-wire faults get solved by measuring the path and finding the one place it is failing.
Brandon Surratt, owner of Better Earth Solutions, has held a TCEQ irrigation license since 2014 and has been a Licensed Irrigator since 2018. Before starting Better Earth in 2024, he spent four years as irrigation manager for a DFW commercial landscape company, and led the documentation, mapping, and rescheduling of a 40-controller master-planned community in McKinney. He does the diagnostic work himself.
Systems we service
- Hunter ACC / ACC2ICD decoders
- Hunter I-CoreDUAL decoders, discontinued 2024
- Rain Bird ESP-LXDDecoder systems
- WeathermaticTwo-wire controllers
- Hybrid controllersConventional and decoder zones together
TCEQ Licensed Irrigator LI0023963 · Texas Certified Landscape Irrigation Auditor
Signs Your Two-Wire Irrigation System Has a Fault
- 01
Whole Sections of the Property Are Dead
On two-wire, one bad splice or one leaking decoder can take down every zone past it. Ten or twenty dead zones usually means one fault, not twenty.
- 02
Line Fault or Over-Current on the Controller
A fault that shows at idle points at the two-wire path. A fault that only shows when one station runs points at that decoder or its solenoid.
- 03
Zones That Come and Go
Intermittent zones on a decoder system are almost always a connection taking on water. They get worse after rain and irrigation, not better.
- 04
The Wrong Valve Turns On
Station 12 runs the bed by the pool and nobody knows why. Decoder addresses got swapped or re-programmed and were never written down.
- 05
Decoders Dying After Storms
Repeated decoder losses after lightning mean the path is not grounded the way the manufacturer requires. Replacing decoders alone does not stop it.
- 06
Discontinued Equipment
Hunter discontinued the I-Core controller and DUAL decoder line in 2024. Spare parts are getting scarce and the system needs a plan.
Two-Wire Decoder Repair Services
From a single dead decoder to a property-wide line fault.
Request commercial service- Line Fault Diagnosis
- We measure what the path is actually drawing, split it at splice boxes, and narrow the fault to one section of wire before anyone digs.
- Path Splice Repair
- Every repair on the two-wire path gets a direct-bury rated connector. Bare wire nuts are not approved by any decoder manufacturer and they are where most faults start.
- Decoder Replacement & Addressing
- Failed decoders replaced, addressed, and assigned to the right station, then tested at the controller so the station list matches what is in the ground.
- Wire-Path Grounding
- Grounding along the two-wire path is what protects the decoders spread across the property. We check it against the manufacturer spec and add what is missing.
- Mixed Systems
- Controllers running conventional zones and decoder zones side by side. We work out which stations are which and keep both halves working.
- Decoder & Path Mapping
- Decoder addresses, station assignments, splice boxes, and the wire path, documented so the next fault takes hours to find instead of days.
Two-wire grounding: protect the path, not just the controller.
The decoders spread across the property are what lightning kills. Hunter's decoder specs call for earth grounds along the two-wire path at set intervals and at the end of every run, measured at 10 ohms or less.
A ground rod at the controller only protects the cabinet. If decoders keep failing after storms, path grounding is the first thing we check.
How We Find Two-Wire Faults
Measure first, dig once.
- 1
Read the Controller
Fault history, station list, and decoder assignments come off the controller first. They tell us whether the problem is the path, one decoder, or the controller itself.
- 2
Measure the Path
A precision milliamp reading of the path at idle, and again with each station on, shows current going where it should not. That is the fastest way to tell a leaking connection from a dead decoder.
- 3
Split and Trace
We open the path at splice boxes to cut the search area in half, then trace the wire to the exact spot. No trenching the whole run.
- 4
Repair, Ground, Document
Rated splices, replaced decoders, grounding where the spec calls for it, and every station run to confirm. You get the decoder list and fault location in writing.
Discontinued 2024
Hunter I-Core Two-Wire Systems with DUAL Decoders
Hunter discontinued both the I-Core controller and the DUAL decoder line in 2024. The systems still work, but every failed decoder now comes out of a shrinking supply of spares.
We keep these sites running and lay out a migration to a current platform in stages, so the property is not forced into a full replacement the week the last spare decoder fails.
Two-Wire Decoder System FAQs
Common questions from property managers and HOA boards.
What is a two-wire irrigation system?
Instead of running a separate wire from the controller to every valve, a two-wire (decoder) system runs one pair of wires around the property. A small decoder at each valve listens for its own address on that pair and opens the valve when called. It saves a lot of wire on large sites, but it also means one fault on the pair can stop many zones at once.
Why are half my zones down at once?
On a two-wire path, zones are not independent. A splice taking on water, a nicked wire, or a decoder shorting internally can drag the whole path down or knock out everything downstream of it. The fix is usually one location, and the work is finding it.
Do you work on Hunter I-Core systems with DUAL decoders?
Yes. Hunter discontinued the I-Core controller and the DUAL decoder line in 2024, so keeping one running means careful use of the spare decoders that are left. We also plan the move to a current platform, such as Hunter ACC2 with ICD decoders, so the property is not stuck when the last spare is gone.
Which decoder systems do you service?
Hunter ACC and ACC2 with ICD decoders, Hunter I-Core with DUAL decoders, Rain Bird ESP-LXD decoder systems, and Weathermatic. We also service conventional commercial controllers, including the Rain Bird ESP-LXME2.
Why do our decoders keep failing after storms?
Usually because the two-wire path is not grounded along its length. Manufacturers require earth grounds at set intervals along the path and at the ends of each run, not just a ground rod at the controller. The controller ground protects the cabinet. The path grounds protect the decoders out in the landscape, and those are what lightning kills. Hunter states plainly that lightning damage is never covered by warranty.
Can you find the wire path if we have no as-built drawings?
Yes. Most commercial sites we see have no drawing of the two-wire path, or one that does not match the ground. We trace it, locate the splice boxes, and record where everything is.
Do you offer Net-30 terms for HOAs and property managers?
Yes, Net-30 is available for commercial accounts, HOAs, and property management companies.
Related Commercial Irrigation Services
- Commercial IrrigationRepairs, audits, and controller programming for businesses and HOAs.
- Irrigation AuditsWater audits by a Texas Certified Landscape Irrigation Auditor, including City of Allen compliance.
- Conventional Wiring RepairMulti-wire systems: cut wires, failed solenoids, and controller outputs.
- Valve LocatingBuried valves and splice boxes found with locating equipment.
Net-30 for HOAs and property managers
Get the two-wire system diagnosed.
We find the fault location before quoting the repair.
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