A system for detection of degradation of a valve mechanism by measuring, for example, the time between powering an actuator and opening of the valve or the time between un-powering the actuator and closing of the valve. Time measurements may be compared with a predetermined threshold or previous measurements. An indication of a gradual degradation of the valve may be detected by an evaluation of a trend of measurements. Thus, a user may be notified of an impending failure before an actual failure of the valve. Diagnostic analysis may be of one or more items selected from a group consisting of combinations of time delays and distances of valve movement upon application and removal of power to the actuator, and one or more performance issues may be correlated for each of many combinations.