$500.00 Month Water Bills

[justjim]

I’ve been reading on a neighborhood site about Villagers receiving excessive water bills recently and wonder if any TOTV residents are among those who have received such a bill. I personally have not. According to some the problem is faulty water meters that are affected by lightning that strikes in The Villages. Most, if not all, problems seem to be in the summer during lightning season. A number of residents appear to be frustrated with the utility company and have issues with trying to get a large bill resolved. Of course, occasionally a break in an irrigation line, plumbing issue or error in billing are major factors. My neighbor had an irrigation line come loose at a joint two years ago and water was bubbling up in his front yard. There are some previous Threads on excessive water bills but no recent ones.

[TedfromGA]

Along the same lines of meter accuracy, has anyone actually verified their water meter accuracy? Any suggestions as to how check the accuracy?

[Toymeister]

Along the same lines of meter accuracy, has anyone actually verified their water meter accuracy? Any suggestions as to how check the accuracy?

I have. I use a Flume Wi-Fi water monitor that measures water use at the meter using non invasive means, tells me exactly how much water I am using,, real time. It gives alerts for leaks as well. If you want 10% off I have a coupon code for it (PM me). Full price is 199.00 at Amazon'.

I use one for irrigation, one for potable water. It was ten minute job to install. No pipe cutting, no plumber. If you can tie your shoes you have got this.

[Toymeister]

I’ve been reading on a neighborhood site about Villagers receiving excessive water bills recently and wonder if any TOTV residents are among those who have received such a bill. I personally have not. According to some the problem is faulty water meters that are affected by lightning that strikes in The Villages. Most, if not all, problems seem to be in the summer during lightning season. A number of residents appear to be frustrated with the utility company and have issues with trying to get a large bill resolved. Of course, occasionally a break in an irrigation line, plumbing issue or error in billing are major factors. My neighbor had an irrigation line come loose at a joint two years ago and water was bubbling up in his front yard. There are some previous Threads on excessive water bills but no recent ones.

It happened to neighbor six houses down. If it happens to me I have some facts to recognize it immediately, as noted above.

[Toymeister]

I also have a Streamlabs water monitor. Available on line at Home Depot or Amazon for 199.00 it uses ultrasonic technology. It requires more technical ability than flume. It cannot be used for irrigation water. I would not buy this again now that Flume is available but it might be right for you.

[rjm1cc]

One problem can be that the irrigation controller is set to run more than once on a given day or additional days. Espically for new lawns that get watered a lot for the first few weeks - resetting to a normal cycle may not be done correctly.

[Pinball wizard]

Are we talking about irrigation water or potable? I have a water softener that measures consumption.

[Toymeister]

Are we talking about irrigation water or potable? I have a water softener that measures consumption.

Interesting, does it fell you if you have a leak? If your water has been running for an extensive time? Does it send you texts? All of these technological feats are simple to do it if is counting the gallons.

[Topspinmo]

I’ve been reading on a neighborhood site about Villagers receiving excessive water bills recently and wonder if any TOTV residents are among those who have received such a bill. I personally have not. According to some the problem is faulty water meters that are affected by lightning that strikes in The Villages. Most, if not all, problems seem to be in the summer during lightning season. A number of residents appear to be frustrated with the utility company and have issues with trying to get a large bill resolved. Of course, occasionally a break in an irrigation line, plumbing issue or error in billing are major factors. My neighbor had an irrigation line come loose at a joint two years ago and water was bubbling up in his front yard. There are some previous Threads on excessive water bills but no recent ones.
Some people don’t have clue how long to run irrigation system. Couple in my neighborhood run irrigation so long the most water runs down the street drain for nearly hour 3 or 4 days week. It’s waste of water and money. That would be the first place I would look HOW long each system runs and how much runoff.

[justjim]

Some people don’t have clue how long to run irrigation system. Couple in my neighborhood run irrigation so long the most water runs down the street drain for nearly hour 3 or 4 days week. It’s waste of water and money. That would be the first place I would look HOW long each system runs and how much runoff.

Topspinmo I hear you as I have seen the same in my neighborhood. However, if you have your irrigation system programmed correctly and you have the water to the house turned off while on vacation up north and you use 60,000 gallons of water then what is the problem? You have the system checked inside and out for leaks by experts, and can’t find any leaks it almost has to be a water meter problem. In some cases the water utility checked the meters, and found a “faulty” meter. An adjustment in the bill was made. In other cases the meter was said to be okay by the water utility and the owner had to reluctantly pay the high water bill. Can a lightning strike close by cause a temporary surge in a meter and when checked the meter be deemed okay? That question is above my pay grade and my expertise.

[Toymeister]

Topspinmo I hear you as I have seen the same in my neighborhood. However, if you have your irrigation system programmed correctly and you have the water to the house turned off while on vacation up north and you use 60,000 gallons of water then what is the problem? You have the system checked inside and out for leaks by experts, and can’t find any leaks it almost has to be a water meter problem. In some cases the water utility checked the meters, and found a “faulty” meter. An adjustment in the bill was made. In other cases the meter was said to be okay by the water utility and the owner had to reluctantly pay the high water bill. Can a lightning strike close by cause a temporary surge in a meter and when checked the meter be deemed okay? That question is above my pay grade and my expertise.
It is not above my pay grade. The meter works by my the motion of water spinning a needle. The tip of the needle, for lack of a better explaination, has a magnet. Separate from the mechanical aspect of the meter a counter counts how many times the magnet passes by it. This count is what the meter reader is checking with the probe. Count equals gallons.

If somehow an electromagnetic force interferes with the count your Bill Will be off. A lightning strike is a massive electromagnetic force.

[thelegges]

Our irrigation was off inside water off, used 48,000 gallons of water. No leaks in system, verification by 2 companies, we are checking into bill.

[Toymeister]

So, how does a water monitor play into this. Let's take two customers, both are up north both have the water shut off. neither has a pool, the neighbors do not have a pool. One has a monitor one does not. Both get a Bill for 60,000 gallons. One has water consumption data for a year, every single day, that matches every bill for the past year except this bill, the other has nothing. The monitor has national accreditation for accuracy. What would you do if you were receiving the complaint at the water utility?

[Toymeister]

Our irrigation was off inside water off, used 48,000 gallons of water. No leaks in system, verification by 2 companies, we are checking into bill.

There are irrigation controllers that install their own "meter" that tell you how many gallons are used. It is plumbed and will give you data for any leak down line. But why do that when you can get a read directly from the meter by Wi-Fi?

I just do not understand why people only think of this after a problem comes out. Every. Single. House. that I have owned has had a water leak. Pipe fitting burst, washing machine hose, ice maker, irrigation lines. They all have failed. No more, if I have a problem I will fix immediately and not post about it to strangers on the internet.

[champion6]

Along the same lines of meter accuracy, has anyone actually verified their water meter accuracy? Any suggestions as to how check the accuracy?I have. I use a Flume Wi-Fi water monitor that measures water use at the meter using non invasive means, tells me exactly how much water I am using,, real time. It gives alerts for leaks as well. If you want 10% off I have a coupon code for it (PM me). Full price is 199.00 at Amazon'.
I use one for irrigation, one for potable water. It was ten minute job to install. No pipe cutting, no plumber. If you can tie your shoes you have got this.Does the Flume confirm that the meter supplied by the water company is accurately measuring your usage?

[Toymeister]

Does the Flume confirm that the meter supplied by the water company is accurately measuring your usage?

Yes in a micro sense and in a ounce sense. Let me explain. You flush your toilet in your 2011 home and it reads 1.2 or 1.3 gallons, spec is 1.28 gallons for that year home. You run your water at the sink and it gives you the flow at 1 gallon per minute, sinks have 1 GPM restrictor. You take some container that you are certain contains one gallon and fill it, One gallon is read.

There are other devices that do this, some are plumbed in, some include a Wi-Fi shut off valve, some require a subscription. None are cheaper, no other measures at the meter, no subscription cost. It is cheap because it is simple. It just counts the magnet passes on the meter. The software is simple.

[Mleeja]

Yes in a micro sense and in a ounce sense. Let me explain. You flush your toilet in your 2011 home and it reads 1.2 or 1.3 gallons, spec is 1.28 gallons for that year home. You run your water at the sink and it gives you the flow at 1 gallon per minute, sinks have 1 GPM restrictor. You take some container that you are certain contains one gallon and fill it, One gallon is read.

There are other devices that do this, some are plumbed in, some include a Wi-Fi shut off valve, some require a subscription. None are cheaper, no other measures at the meter, no subscription cost. It is cheap because it is simple. It just counts the magnet passes on the meter. The software is simple.

Have you found any billing discrepancies to justify the cost Or is this just an “insurance policy”?

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

Our irrigation was off inside water off, used 48,000 gallons of water. No leaks in system, verification by 2 companies, we are checking into bill.

We've seen 20,000 gallon use on a monthly basis since we bought the house in March. Thing is, we've only actually occupied the house for around 1 week out of each of those months. The sprinkler system is set to go off twice weekly for 15 minutes each time, and has some kind of detection system to not turn on if it's currently raining when it's supposed to turn on.

I called the water company the first month I saw it happen and they insisted this was normal useage and all was well. Since the bill wasn't insanely high, we just kind of let it slide for a couple of months.

But I was still suspicious something might be wrong and checked with a neighbor, who told me his useage is around 8,000 gallons on average, and that's with him and his wife living there year 'round, and their adult son coming to visit often.

Once we're down there "permanent" I'll get it straightened out, but there's little I can do til I'm actually there to check the meter, and also see if somehow, someone else is tapping their water usage onto our meter.

[NoMoSno]

"The Flume Smart Home Water Monitor straps around your home’s existing water meter"

What does the water company say when they see this strapped around their equipment?

[Velvet]

...

[Marathon Man]

There are irrigation controllers that install their own "meter" that tell you how many gallons are used. It is plumbed and will give you data for any leak down line. But why do that when you can get a read directly from the meter by Wi-Fi?

I just do not understand why people only think of this after a problem comes out. Every. Single. House. that I have owned has had a water leak. Pipe fitting burst, washing machine hose, ice maker, irrigation lines. They all have failed. No more, if I have a problem I will fix immediately and not post about it to strangers on the internet.

I have never had a water leak in any of the houses that I have owned.

I see this as very low risk, and therefore not worth investing the kind of money that you suggest.

[CWGUY]

:ho: I've never had a fire...... spend alot more on fire insurance! :icon_wink:

[Toymeister]

"The Flume Smart Home Water Monitor straps around your home’s existing water meter"

What does the water company say when they see this strapped around their equipment?

The bottom line is they don't see it.

Your meter is not read by a human opening the box and reading numbers. S/he takes a stick with a wireless reader and passes it over the meter box. If S/he did open the box it would triple the time at each home. But let's say today, your box gets opened, next to the meter is flumes reader, it is black with a white on red sticker "DO NOT REMOVE".

It could happen. If the chance that it could occur bothers you then get a device that reads your pipe in your house at your water main. Streamlabs is one such product.

[Toymeister]

Have you found any billing discrepancies to justify the cost Or is this just an “insurance policy”?

I did not buy it for that purpose, it is for leaks. I already caught a blown irrigation pipe. It was plainly visible when it was operating, it shot out for twelve feet. Home watch did notice, the neighbors did not call. I spotted it 850 miles away.

The damage from a potable water leak is real. Just because it hasn't happened to you does not change the risk.

I don't care if anyone gets the product, I posted to show what can be done. You are not helpless for leaks or bad bills.

[EdFNJ]

I had a $200 water bill 2 months ago but it was my fault. Had 2 new TOTO toilets installed when we moved in that are so quiet you can't hear them running after they fill the tank after the flush. Jacobs visited our house twice to tell us our water bill was too high and something was wrong. Couldn't find a leak anywhere but knew it was inside because meter stopped spinning when main shutoff was off. Had fears of underground break. Finally went around turning off water lines 1 at a time until we found the culprit. Turned out toilet in M/BR was forever running but with total silence. I replaced the $15 flapper unit which we killed with bleach tablets in the tank and the mysterious water running stopped as did our spinning meter. Bill down under $40. The crazy "flapper" (actually called a TOWER) they use runs 100% silent when it leaks and there is no sound of water filling the tank. The replacement one was the "normal" flapper and you can hear when the tank is filling if it leaks.

[Toymeister]

I had a $200 water bill 2 months ago but it was my fault. Had 2 new TOTO toilets installed when we moved in that are so quiet you can't hear them running after they fill the tank after the flush. Jacobs visited our house twice to tell us our water bill was too high and something was wrong. Couldn't find a leak anywhere but knew it was inside because meter stopped spinning when main shutoff was off. Had fears of underground break. Finally went around turning off water lines 1 at a time until we found the culprit. Turned out toilet in M/BR was forever running but with total silence. I replaced the $15 flapper unit which we killed with bleach tablets in the tank and the mysterious water running stopped as did our spinning meter. Bill down under $40. The crazy "flapper" (actually called a TOWER) they use runs 100% silent when it leaks and there is no sound of water filling the tank. The replacement one was the "normal" flapper and you can hear when the tank is filling if it leaks.
Had the same thing happen only a renter did the right thing and tell me about in. No problem I had a repairman out.

Renters sent him away as it was "too inconvenient" to repair it. No reschedule. I got a service call bill for his trouble(fair). Renters let it leak until they left. No one bothered to tell me about the situation.

That is what convinced me to get a leak monitor.

[justjim]

:ho: I've never had a fire...... spend alot more on fire insurance! :icon_wink:

We had a hose on washer burst about 15years ago up in Illinois while we were gone for just the day. Around $100,000 total unbelievable claim damage. Insurance paid most of it. Adjuster said they had more claims from water than fire. Who turns off the water to washer every time they leave their house? The washer was only 2 years old but apparently the rubber hoses they use aren’t all that great. Replace them with the metal type. Lesson learned.

[Topspinmo]

Topspinmo I hear you as I have seen the same in my neighborhood. However, if you have your irrigation system programmed correctly and you have the water to the house turned off while on vacation up north and you use 60,000 gallons of water then what is the problem? You have the system checked inside and out for leaks by experts, and can’t find any leaks it almost has to be a water meter problem. In some cases the water utility checked the meters, and found a “faulty” meter. An adjustment in the bill was made. In other cases the meter was said to be okay by the water utility and the owner had to reluctantly pay the high water bill. Can a lightning strike close by cause a temporary surge in a meter and when checked the meter be deemed okay? That question is above my pay grade and my expertise.

I think in case of snowbird I would have the water shut off and see if you got bill for that month showing the high usage. I also think lightning screws up settings on irrigation systems. I set mine and If I don’t monitor it closely it’s back to default mode watering 6 times week ( 3 during morning and three during evening). I would think lightning strike could mess with meter if it was close enough to metal lines. If the lines are PVC I would think lightning would have hit right by the meter to give erroneous reading.

[thelegges]

There are irrigation controllers that install their own "meter" that tell you how many gallons are used. It is plumbed and will give you data for any leak down line. But why do that when you can get a read directly from the meter by Wi-Fi?

I just do not understand why people only think of this after a problem comes out. Every. Single. House. that I have owned has had a water leak. Pipe fitting burst, washing machine hose, ice maker, irrigation lines. They all have failed. No more, if I have a problem I will fix immediately and not post about it to strangers on the internet.

So you assume people only think of this after. Since our family does irrigation systems, we are WiFi connected. Cameras trigger video when certain heads are triggered, storage in cloud. There was a meter problem,. Took awhile to get it corrected.

[Toymeister]

So you assume people only think of this after. Since our family does irrigation systems, we are WiFi connected. Cameras trigger video when certain heads are triggered, storage in cloud. There was a meter problem,. Took awhile to get it corrected.

I believe one system is equal to none, two is one and sadly humans can't be counted on.

So whether you use a WiFi irrigation controller and a water monitor as I do, or a camera and another automated means to verify you have this covered. That said almost no one thinks about this until there is an issue.

[capecodder1]

Your utility bill shows how much potable water and how much irrigation water is used.
I recently received a call from the water dept. asking why my irrigation usage had doubled.
Turns out my irrigation panel had a problem and was running the system too long.

I heard some homes experienced some irrigation panel damage from the summer lightning storms.

[Retiring]

Phyn Plus

Phyn Plus Smart Water Assistant + Shutoff | Smart home leak detector (https://www.phyn.com/plus-smart-water-assistant/)

[Toymeister]

Phyn Plus

Phyn Plus Smart Water Assistant + Shutoff | Smart home leak detector (https://www.phyn.com/plus-smart-water-assistant/)

Phyn offers two products both can only be used inside the home as they are not waterproof and require power. Neither will work for a separate irrigation system which was the original topic of this thread.

Phyn, the base model for 299.00 uses ultrasonic technology similar to Streamlabs 199.00 product.

Phyn Plus is 699.00 and is pretty high tech. The unit used a mechanical flow detector in the pipe to measure water and includes a water shut off function. It must be plumbed in.

It is similar to Flo, by Moen. Flo is cheaper but requires a subscription of about 60.00/yr.

So it comes down to what you want. Any monitor can have a wifi, remotely controlled, water shut off valve added for about 160.00 but must be plumbed in.

[CFrance]

Does one have to have internet connection in the home while gone in order to have the system you are advocating?

[Toymeister]

Yes.

I am not advocating, just informing. I care just as much about water leaking in your house as you do about mine.

For me, with a rental, internet 365 is part of a very large home check. I use it for other things besides monitoring water for leakage such as servicing renters and protecting my asset.

Example does home watch really check the home monthly? (no). Is someone in my home, it should align with the the lease. I have got that data. A renter is coming and needs a lock code? Check.

Is my ac capacitor about to fail? It is at my fingers as well. It the ice maker stuck? The list goes on.

[EdFNJ]

Yes.


Is my ac capacitor about to fail? It is at my fingers as well. It the ice maker stuck? The list goes on.


This one interests me. What device will inform you of that or are you just watching temp delta?

[Toymeister]

This one interests me. What device will inform you of that or are you just watching temp delta?

It is discussed on sense.com, community forum. You are far better of replacing this part annually or bi-annually. I would not buy a 299.00 monitor to spot a bad 12.00 cap.

[EdFNJ]

It is discussed on sense.com, community forum. You are far better of replacing this part annually or bi-annually. I would not buy a 299.00 monitor to spot a bad 12.00 cap. Agreed ... but your message seemed to say you remotely monitored your A/C cap and was curious how you did it. I replace mine yearly and the contactor every 2 years. I always keep one of each "in stock".

[Waconda2011]

Being a former utility worker that investigated consumption complaints I doubt lightning would effect a water meter in a pit unless it was a direct strike. These meters are ran on a lithium battery. They usually just stop registering or go backwards if installed the wrong way. High consumption is most likely a leak. Toilets are usually the culprit.

[My Daily Run]

I had a running toilet and used 15,000 gals of water over my normal usage...I was not convinced till I had it repaired and my bill went down to normal...didn't even hear it running...it was the guest bathroom which I don't hear normally I got up and went in the kitchen in the middle of the night and heard something.

[bonrich]

Jumping in on this thread, with a electric meter question. I am a snowbird and will not be back to TV until mid-October. With most of the electric in the house turned off and plugs pulled, my bill has been for July and August 366kwh and 339kwh. Well, this month with me still up North, our bill showed 684kwh used. I compared it to last year in Sept and it was 347kwh. Had Seco read it again, and it came back to me as correct. I checked with our House Watch person and was assured nothing has changed in the house. The only thing I can assume was the AC system has been working overtime for some reason even with the same settings as previous months. Maybe a dumb question but could lightning make the meter spin?

[Toymeister]

Agreed ... but your message seemed to say you remotely monitored your A/C cap and was curious how you did it. I replace mine yearly and the contactor every 2 years. I always keep one of each "in stock".

You can see a failing cap based upon the voltage spike with the fidelity that Sense has (10,000/second). If you want Sense just to do this you are bad at math. Sense is used for other things and caps do not give that much lead time before failure.

[Phil_Linda]

Topspinmo,
Good Morning. I am a newbie to irrigation systems and would love to learn what you know about how long and when to run them so we are not wasting water.
Can you give us this info.
Thank You,
Phil Burt

[Toymeister]

Jumping in on this thread, with a electric meter question. I am a snowbird and will not be back to TV until mid-October. With most of the electric in the house turned off and plugs pulled, my bill has been for July and August 366kwh and 339kwh. Well, this month with me still up North, our bill showed 684kwh used. I compared it to last year in Sept and it was 347kwh. Had Seco read it again, and it came back to me as correct. I checked with our House Watch person and was assured nothing has changed in the house. The only thing I can assume was the AC system has been working overtime for some reason even with the same settings as previous months. Maybe a dumb question but could lightning make the meter spin?
It is your ac and the ambient temp outside.

For the calendar month of September 27 days vacant, three occupied with vampire load minimized, 2050 sq ft, stucco 82 degrees vacant 74 occupied I used a total KwH: 512.8, AC was 364.3 or 71% of total useage.

64.2KwH always on (vampire load) 12.5%. By vampire load minimized I mean TV, cables boxes, and water water softener unplugged.

[Bud Laliberte]

I have been charged $100.00 over my normal water bill. I had my irrigation system turned off during the rainy season. They told me it might have been lighting that turned the water on. I had my system checked professionally and they said that did not happen.The water dept. checked the water meter and said it is fine. I argued with the water dept. that I never had a sign of a leak and they still made me pay. Not very nice people to deal with. B.L.

[rjm1cc]

I had a running toilet and used 15,000 gals of water over my normal usage...I was not convinced till I had it repaired and my bill went down to normal...didn't even hear it running...it was the guest bathroom which I don't hear normally I got up and went in the kitchen in the middle of the night and heard something.

I guess maybe once a year or so one of my flappers do not close correctly and if in a bathroom you do not use it could be a big problem. The flapper not closing will use a lot more water than a small leak.

[willbush]

Some people don’t have clue how long to run irrigation system. Couple in my neighborhood run irrigation so long the most water runs down the street drain for nearly hour 3 or 4 days week. It’s waste of water and money. That would be the first place I would look HOW long each system runs and how much runoff.

Agee, I run several zones (lawn not bushes) twice on water days at 1/2 the normal rate for those zones) First run time 0530 then the 2nd run time 0630;this allows water to soak in lawn amd not run down the street;also sides require less water because it's normal for neighbors sprinklers to overspray onto your side due to the smaller width;don't forget to set winter times to less run times.

[mtdjed]

At some time in this post someone asked how to check usage and check for a leak. While there are monitors that might be hooked up, there is a simple way which is to read the meter. My neighbors most recent IRRIGATION bill was very high. We live in an area where irrigation water is separate from Potable water.
Basically, if the meter reading is high, then the water has passed through the meter and the problem is yours for either a leak or excessive usage. This assuming that the meter is not defective. If you have a leakage problem the leak would most likely be between the meter and Servo Valves that activate when commanded by your Irrigation Control in the Garage.
To check, find your irrigation meter and uncover so that you can read the meter. First look for wet spots near the meter and the servo valve or where line may have been damaged by landscaping. Then observe whether meter is moving when system is off. If meter is visibly moving when system is off, you have a leak. If you recheck 24 hrs later and see no needle movement, you have no continuous leak.
To check usage read the meter before and after a scheduled Zone Run. The difference is your usage for the run. I have checked A zone run 3 times in a row and the usage is very constant.
Following is where we found the cause of High usage -
Learn how to read and program your controller. Our controller has 3 Programs (A,B,C). Each program has 4 subprograms (A1,A2,A3,A4 etc for B and C). All should be off except for that which you want to run. Also verify that you only run on day or days you want. If you are not careful you may activate an unwanted run.
In the case I am talking about we had at least two and perhaps 3 duplicate runs on Program A. Definitely A1 and A4 were set for the same exact zones, run time and start time which was 6:45 AM. You would think that it would only start one time at 6:45 but what happened was that after the first run completed , it started all over again even though it was two hours later.
How did that duplicate schedule get turned on when it was working well for months? Well, it could have been a power surge or a mistake made while shutting water off and back on during our wet summer.

[Gary Moscowitz]

I have heard similarly. Leaks within buried irrigation systems can happen & go undetected for quite some time. I myself had a valve on the system ( within that pink rectangular box adjacent to one’s garage) not fully close. Usually that will show up as a sprinkler head always wet/leaking. Just like a leaking flush valve in ones toilet, that can result in sig water usage. I can’t speak to the potable water meters being affected by lightning but it makes perfect sense as we know all electrical devices can be affected by current surges & lightning. I think it behooves the utility co that when they see a sudden surge in usage to 1. Inspect the system, 2. Repair & 3. Average out the users past bill ( a full 12 months) and adjust the questioned bill accordingly! Irrigation systems are a different matter as we found out when having some landscaping work done we attempted to find out where our irrigation lines were. First checked with the Villages home warranty depot & they said they do not have that info. They gave us the name & ph # of the irrigation installer. When called, this company said they do not keep records of the layout grid for individual homes. So it comes down to luck when one digs or trying to find leaks... it seems to me every home should get a map, specific to their property, of the layout of the underground irrigation system!

[Toymeister]

If you are interested you can check the entire neighborhoods water consumption it's public Info. Use the bill pay on line site.

What I found is: 1. No one waters the same, not by a long shot and 2. It isn't the least bit interesting.

[Gmichell]

We received a notice from VCDD about excessive use last month. They said we used 13,000 gallons and we were away for 2 weeks with the water shut off. We requested they come out and check their meter. They took two more readings over the next two weeks and found no crazy usage. We did nothing but check for obvious leaks and found none. PS- we have no pool, hot tub, etc. After their second reading- VCDD said their was an error on their meter reading and were crediting our account. They are not sending anyone to check their meter.

[Jackie vohs]

we were hit by lightning in may and our water bills went thru the roof. we called and even visited the water District. FINALLY after much effort (screaming and kicking) the water District send someone out and sure enough, the meter had been hit. They applied a new meter and the next water bill had a credit. we have not had a problem since. 97% of the world just excepts mist answers and goes along. 3% won't be bullied nor do they except what us expected. STAND UP and fight if you think you have been wronged.

[greenhillsgirl]

We have had similar issues with the charges on the water billing, and yes, with no resolution. The office first, and foremost, always tells you to check the irrigation...And then goes on to question you. My husband is way ahead of them in that respect. They do not care. They truly either don’t care or are clueless.
That led me to tracking every item on our water bill (and usage) for the last three years. I have found that the billing cycle (there is no cycle) runs anywhere from 28 days to 35 days, which, bottom line, shows that when it cycles for 35 days, you are charged much more, because you can be over the 18,001 gallons @ 5.41$....
I have tracked when we filled the pool, when we watered in excess, and so on.
It seems to me that a per-day charge, or a 30 day charge would seem reasonable.
And by the way, they came and checked the meter.....nothing. But I knew that....start checking how many days the reading covers.

[q9272678]

What is the average water usage by gallons for most people?

Thank you!

Frank

[rjm1cc]

What is the average water usage by gallons for most people?

Thank you!

Frank

Very rough No watering (ranniy season) 2 to 3 thousand gallons. Watering 6 to 7 thousand but have gone up to 14,000 in a very dry month. I turn my system on and off manually. Best I can tell the 14,000 was actual usage and no leaks or wrong sprinkler settings.

[Toymeister]

What is the average water usage by gallons for most people?

Thank you!

Frank
Do you have a 3,300, 5,200, 8,700 or 12,000 sq ft lot? That drives the average.

Irrigation or potable? Or combined water use (northern TV). For which month? As you can see you left quite a few variables out.

In my opinion you will not get useable answers here from most people here because they only know their own bills.

I have 100 data points (months) from the 5,200 to 8,900 sq ft lots. If you are more specific I can give you some facts.

[rayBert25]

We first bought our home in TV in 2013 and we were snowbirds for the first two years. Our water bills were normal and reasonable at first, but after about 6 months our irrigation bills spiked to over $200 per month just for irrigation water. I contacted the water company and at first they told me that I was watering my lawn too much and to cut it back to twice a week for 15 minutes per zone. I knew that wasn't the problem because I had not changed my watering schedule. I insisted that they test my meter. They finally agreed after several phone calls. They sent a young man out to test the meter, which turned out to be not a very conclusive test. Their test consisted of running twenty gallon (yes, I said 20 gallons) of water through the meter to check check for accuracy. They concluded that my meter was working properly. After several more phone calls and further insisting that they perform more conclusive testing they agreed to change my meter and send it to the manufacturer for testing with the understanding that if the manufacturer found no problem with the meter I would have to pay for the replacement meter and the bills would stand as they were.

The manufacturer's test consisted of running several thousand gallons of water through the meter and testing it for accuracy. The manufacturer concluded that the meter was defective and that it was indeed recording a greater number of gallons used. than what was actually run through it The final outcome was that The Villages reimbursed me for the full three months of charges in which I was charged for excessive usage and I got the new meter for no charge.

Bottom line - TV's 20 gallon test is useless in that 20 gallons is not enough water to determine accuracy. It took many phone calls over several months of me insisting that I was not using that amount of water to finally get them to try something else. Turns out I was right. It shouldn't be this difficult, but unfortunately it was.

[champion6]

We first bought our home in TV in 2013 and we were snowbirds for the first two years. Our water bills were normal and reasonable at first, but after about 6 months our irrigation bills spiked to over $200 per month just for irrigation water. I contacted the water company and at first they told me that I was watering my lawn too much and to cut it back to twice a week for 15 minutes per zone. I knew that wasn't the problem because I had not changed my watering schedule. I insisted that they test my meter. They finally agreed after several phone calls. They sent a young man out to test the meter, which turned out to be not a very conclusive test. Their test consisted of running twenty gallon (yes, I said 20 gallons) of water through the meter to check check for accuracy. They concluded that my meter was working properly. After several more phone calls and further insisting that they perform more conclusive testing they agreed to change my meter and send it to the manufacturer for testing with the understanding that if the manufacturer found no problem with the meter I would have to pay for the replacement meter and the bills would stand as they were.

The manufacturer's test consisted of running several thousand gallons of water through the meter and testing it for accuracy. The manufacturer concluded that the meter was defective and that it was indeed recording a greater number of gallons used. than what was actually run through it The final outcome was that The Villages reimbursed me for the full three months of charges in which I was charged for excessive usage and I got the new meter for no charge.

Bottom line - TV's 20 gallon test is useless in that 20 gallons is not enough water to determine accuracy. It took many phone calls over several months of me insisting that I was not using that amount of water to finally get them to try something else. Turns out I was right. It shouldn't be this difficult, but unfortunately it was.WOW. Thanks for sharing!

[crash]

Interesting, does it fell you if you have a leak? If your water has been running for an extensive time? Does it send you texts? All of these technological feats are simple to do it if is counting the gallons.

The meter on the water softener only meters the water going through the softener. If the leak is before the softener it will not get metered.

The problem is usually with irrigation water and that never gets to the water softener meter.

[Pinball wizard]

The meter on the water softener only meters the water going through the softener. If the leak is before the softener it will not get metered.

The problem is usually with irrigation water and that never gets to the water softener meter.

In my case and most I have seen, the whole house water softener is immediately after the water inlet to the house so I measures all water used in the home plus any leaks in the home. If the was a leak between the softener and the inlet, you would see water in the garage.

[cndlou3]

My question is we are snowbirds, our water is shutoff to the house. Irrigation is set to run 1 time per week for 10 minutes. Our usage has been 12,000 to 15,000 gallons this seems very high no irrigation system problems. I think that they take advantage of snowbirds, this has been on going for over 2 years. It is ridiculous. Our neighbors whom live there year around have no where this usage, not even close.

[raesch]

FWIW, this happened to us in March 2019. Large unexplained potable water bill. I found it hard to believe we could have had a toilet running in the house for that long without noticing. And if there had been a leak in a pipe, it would have continued, but it did not. I will definitely be looking into a water monitor.