How Much Irrigation Water Do You Use

[KsJayhawkers]

We just received our second (full month) utility bill. We have a Courtyard Villa, so a small front and rear lawn with only three zones. Our irrigation system is set to water two days a week on automatic depending what the rain sensor tells it to water. Our irrigation usage is 3,200 gallons this month and it seems a bit high. Just curious what other Courtyard Villa owners irrigation usage is for the month. If we are in the ball park of others, I won't worry but since we are new, I dont have any comparison data. If we are using too much, we may have a leak and I'll have to call the water department to check the meter.

[Stu from NYC]

We were getting rather high bills so had a professional look at our system and he found lots of problems.

Some head were not spraying outwards some were misdirected.

Since than our water bill is 25% of what it was.

[Topspinmo]

You didn’t mention what type of landscape? Grass or rock and bushes? Hopefully responders will comment on what they got so you can somewhat compare? You’re controller may have more than one cycle ? You also need to know how long each station is watering? If you have water running down the street for 20 or more minutes you’re watering the street drain more than you yard, it’s just running off.

I have rock yard on corner lot with lots of bushes, palms, and tropical plants . I have 6 stations, none of them run more that 6 mins each. I replaced most my pop up’s with individual plant sprayers which water the plant and not rock yard. I know exactly how many GPM I’m watering. I am not on separate irrigation water so I had to do test and math to know. I walk in early mornings and see majority houses watering and most of it runs down the street drain , some even water when raining.

[retiredguy123]

I have been using about 1500 to 2500 gallons per month, so you may be a little high, but I doubt that you have a leak. Try reducing the watering times and see if it affects your lawn by using less water. The solar sync system will automatically adjust your watering times, not the rain sensor. The rain sensor will turn off the system for awhile when you have a heavy rain.

[JP]

Check the number of days watering, time watering and volume coming out of heads. All will make quite a difference if adjusted correctly.

[John_W]

I have a CYV, my monthly bill with amenities, water, irrigation, sewage and garbage will run between $235 to $245. I only turn the irrigation on from about November to February. The month of May will start the rainy season and you can turn off the irrigation completely until Oct/Nov. I turned it off in February and I will water by hand my shrubs in the front and back a couple of times a week, and maybe turn the irrigation on manually in front only for 5 minutes once week.

I had all my grass removed years ago and when I had the landscaping done, we had individual sprayers put on each shrub instead the wide open sprayers. Here's a photo taken about a year ago when the home would of been 9 years old at the time.

https://scontent-mia3-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/117872857_1705459296285262_1948301763384565316_o.j pg?_nc_cat=105&ccb=3&_nc_sid=730e14&_nc_ohc=xPQ-t3MK5ssAX8z_Rjc&_nc_ht=scontent-mia3-2.xx&oh=f0edd4cc31a350b173679f2748e1a93d&oe=60650EEB

[KsJayhawkers]

I have a CYV, my monthly bill with amenities, water, irrigation, sewage and garbage will run between $235 to $245. I only turn the irrigation on from about November to February. The month of May will start the rainy season and you can turn off the irrigation completely until Oct/Nov. I turned it off in February and I will water by hand my shrubs in the front and back a couple of times a week, and maybe turn the irrigation on manually in front only for 5 minutes once week.

I had all my grass removed years ago and when I had the landscaping done, we had individual sprayers put on each shrub instead the wide open sprayers. Here's a photo taken about a year ago when the home would of been 9 years old at the time.

https://scontent-mia3-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/117872857_1705459296285262_1948301763384565316_o.j pg?_nc_cat=105&ccb=3&_nc_sid=730e14&_nc_ohc=xPQ-t3MK5ssAX8z_Rjc&_nc_ht=scontent-mia3-2.xx&oh=f0edd4cc31a350b173679f2748e1a93d&oe=60650EEB

Thanks John. It seems like our bill is aligned with yours. I always appreciate your detailed feedback!!

[KsJayhawkers]

I have been using about 1500 to 2500 gallons per month, so you may be a little high, but I doubt that you have a leak. Try reducing the watering times and see if it affects your lawn by using less water. The solar sync system will automatically adjust your watering times, not the rain sensor. The rain sensor will turn off the system for awhile when you have a heavy rain.

Thanks RetiredGuy. Based on your suggestion, I checked my watering times and apparently my system was set to run for 1:06 at 100% on two of the zones. I remember the tech telling me the SolarSync will dial the time down from the 100% to maybe 40% on normal days. I went ahead and reduced the watering times to 40 minutes. I appreciate your feedback!!

[John_W]

Thanks RetiredGuy. Based on your suggestion, I checked my watering times and apparently my system was set to run for 1:06 at 100% on two of the zones. I remember the tech telling me the SolarSync will dial the time down from the 100% to maybe 40% on normal days. I went ahead and reduced the watering times to 40 minutes. I appreciate your feedback!!

That's still a lot of time. When we moved in and had the walk-thru with the builder, she set the timers on 9 minutes and in the winter they went down to about 6 minutes, that's back when I had grass. I don't have any grass now, so that's different, but still that's a lot water and when May gets here, you're sensor should pick up when we have rain and cut them off, I just go ahead and manually turn it off that time of year.

[HJBeck]

We use about the same, 3700 gallons per month this time of year. We have 2 zones which run twice a week for 12 minutes each time. This usage goes way down during the rainy season because of our rain sensor shutting off the system. If yours doesn’t change during March thru Oct. check your rain sensor, it may not be be working. We live in a CV also.

[davephan]

You might also consider replacing your old sprinkler controller with an Orbit B-Hyve sprinkler controller. The Orbit B-Hyve sprinkler controller is a smart sprinkler controller and knows about the weather conditions. It automatically puts your system on rain delay when it’s very likely to rain. You can program, control, and monitor the Orbit B-Hyve controller with your smart cellphone or computer. It also records the water history. They sell them at Home Depot and Lowe’s, and they cost $100 or less. It’s easy to replace yourself by just watching a YouTube video.

I had two of the 12 zone Orbit B-Hyve sprinkler controllers on my 24 zone system back in Minnesota. One of the first things with the Florida house was to change out the old Rainbird “dumb” sprinkler controller with an Orbit B-Hyve 12 zone sprinkler controller. I only have 6 zones now, but I installed a 12 zone controller in case I want to add zones in the future. The 12 zone unit is only about $20 to $30 more than the 6 zone controller, which is “chump” change. The Orbit B-Hyve smart sprinkler controller will pay for itself, since it reduces your water bill whenever it automatically rain delays. It’s a “no brainer” to change out the sprinkler controller with an Orbit B-Hyve sprinkler controller.

[rlcooper70]

We have a full sized golf course view home and cut the time to seven minutes a zone and three times a week ..... big difference in the bill for water and no difference in the way the yard appears.

[KathiF]

I am in courtyard villa. I reduced my watering time to twenty minutes and everything is doing fine. I still have grass.

[La lamy]

I have a CYV, my monthly bill with amenities, water, irrigation, sewage and garbage will run between $235 to $245. I only turn the irrigation on from about November to February. The month of May will start the rainy season and you can turn off the irrigation completely until Oct/Nov. I turned it off in February and I will water by hand my shrubs in the front and back a couple of times a week, and maybe turn the irrigation on manually in front only for 5 minutes once week.

I had all my grass removed years ago and when I had the landscaping done, we had individual sprayers put on each shrub instead the wide open sprayers. Here's a photo taken about a year ago when the home would of been 9 years old at the time.

https://scontent-mia3-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/117872857_1705459296285262_1948301763384565316_o.j pg?_nc_cat=105&ccb=3&_nc_sid=730e14&_nc_ohc=xPQ-t3MK5ssAX8z_Rjc&_nc_ht=scontent-mia3-2.xx&oh=f0edd4cc31a350b173679f2748e1a93d&oe=60650EEB

What a good looking yard! I like the no grass situation, certainly better for water bill. :clap2:

[JerseyGurl]

Rock Chalk Welcome to TV RCJH ������

[HiHoSteveO]

As you requested,
To compare YOUR water use with others in your neighborhood, go to this link:

https://bsaonline.com/OnlinePayment/OnlinePaymentSearch/?PaymentApplicationType=10&uid=2523&sitetransition=true

At the bottom "Address box" enter your street name only (no number, no avenue, or loop or anything else)
If it's 123 Main Street, just enter "Main"

That will produce your neighbors. Click an address.
Click the link that says "View Additional Account Information"
Scroll to the very bottom of that page for the water use graph.

You can then easily compare YOUR actual water use with what your neighbors use.
Both potable water and irrigation water.

[Annie66]

If you're using too much water, check your sprinkler controller for the length of watering for each zone. Your controller has 3 programs. Each program is independent of the other, so you need to examine each program separately. In general, use one program such as the "A" program and the "B" and "C" programs off. If you are unfamiliar with the controller, ask a neighbor to help you or as a last resort, read the instruction manual. If you cannot find it, you can easily find them online.

There are 2 types of sprinkler heads. There are rotors that swing back and forth, and pop-ups that spray in a constant arc. Ideally, you want to deliver approximately 3/4" of water to the grass with each period of watering. In the summer, the rotors should be set initially at 45 minutes and the pop-ups at 25 minutes. In the colder months, the you can reduce the time to 30-35 minutes and 15-20 minutes respectively.

The best way to determine if you are watering the correct amount is to place empty 1/2 tin cans (such as tuna fish cans) on the lawn prior to watering, and then measure how much water is collected in each can. Move the cans around your lawn on subsequent watering periods to determine if your lawn is receiving enough water, then adjust the timing for each zone based on what you have learned.

Some last points:

Be sure to activate the rain sensor. There is a switch on your controller that turns it on or off. You want it on so on rainy days your sprinkler system is temporarily turned off.

Each sprinkler head has a filter that needs to be cleaned periodically. The irrigation water here is not filtered very well, so small bits of stones and other debris can clog the sprinkler head quickly. If a sprinkler is shooting less water compared to adjacent sprinklers, it's a pretty good indication that the filter is clogged.

Some controllers have a seasonal setting adjustment. My opinion is to set that at 100%.

Rotors and pop-ups can have their spray pattern adjusted easily. You-Tube has a number of good videos on how to make adjustments to the spray pattern.

Good luck.

[jbrown132]

We just received our second (full month) utility bill. We have a Courtyard Villa, so a small front and rear lawn with only three zones. Our irrigation system is set to water two days a week on automatic depending what the rain sensor tells it to water. Our irrigation usage is 3,200 gallons this month and it seems a bit high. Just curious what other Courtyard Villa owners irrigation usage is for the month. If we are in the ball park of others, I won't worry but since we are new, I dont have any comparison data. If we are using too much, we may have a leak and I'll have to call the water department to check the meter.
I’m not sure if your usage is correct or not. Years ago when I first moved to TV I owned a CYV. My first full month my bill said I used 8500 gallons. I called the water department and they said everything was correct. My CYV had only rocks in the front and a grass patch in the back that measured approximately 16 by 28. I had a pool up north that measured 16x32 and held twenty thousand gallons of water. I told the guy who came that means I should have about 2 to 3 feet of water in my back yard. He again said everything was fine. I then hired a company who that maintains sprinkler systems and they adjusted all the heads and checked for leaks. Everything was fine. The second month the same bill. I finally hired an engineer, and I don’t remember the name of the company as it was eleven years ago and he came out did all the calculations and said there was no way I could be using that much water and determined the water meter was probably defective. I called the water department again and told them the results of the engineering evaluation. After much argument they finally agreed to change the water meter. The next month my usage was 2900 gallons. I asked them to rebate the money I had lost and the cost of the engineering company. They said no and it to me it was not worth talking them to court. I have to say in all the time I have lived in TV they are probably the rudest people I have ever dealt with.

[bakon]

I wish I had CYV for irrigation. Six zones with 44 heads and mostly on the grass. Some shrubs. 16000 first months of July and August. Down to 9800 over winter.
Picture is side of our corner lot

[airstreamingypsy]

[QUOTE=John_W;1909796]
I had all my grass removed years ago and when I had the landscaping done, we had individual sprayers put on each shrub instead the wide open sprayers. Here's a photo taken about a year ago when the home would of been 9 years old at the time.

John, Your yard is exceptional. How deep did you have to go when you removed the grass? I would think that's a weeding nightmare. I want to do that with one section of my yard, but worry about weeds.

[John_W]

[QUOTE=John_W;1909796]
I had all my grass removed years ago and when I had the landscaping done, we had individual sprayers put on each shrub instead the wide open sprayers. Here's a photo taken about a year ago when the home would of been 9 years old at the time.

John, Your yard is exceptional. How deep did you have to go when you removed the grass? I would think that's a weeding nightmare. I want to do that with one section of my yard, but worry about weeds.

I had the landscaper remove the grass, otherwise you're best to rent a sod cutter to do it right. They then put down weed block (which is fabric material) the first time was ten tons of copper rock in the front and back. That wasn't even the grass area, that was just after the pine straw was removed. The next I had the landscaper remove the grass and he put down the white river rock. I found, most neighbors that used the red rocks, wish they hadn't. One just had it removed, it shows every twig, leaf or whatever that falls. The biggest problem with weeds is they will pop up on top of the weed block in the rocks. I get the weed killer below at Lowes for about $8 and it kills them within 3 hours.

Here's a pro sod cutter, if you had a lot of grass. Watch out for the sprinklers, flag them in advance.

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/3h6jwWaLNVg/maxresdefault.jpg

This weed killer is only $7.97 at Lowes and they show that they have 286 in stock at Trailwinds location.

https://mobileimages.lowes.com/product/converted/071121/071121960177.jpg?size=pdhi

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Spectracide-Ready-to-Use-1-Gallon-Weed-and-Grass-Killer/1000373169

[graciegirl]

I have a CYV, my monthly bill with amenities, water, irrigation, sewage and garbage will run between $235 to $245. I only turn the irrigation on from about November to February. The month of May will start the rainy season and you can turn off the irrigation completely until Oct/Nov. I turned it off in February and I will water by hand my shrubs in the front and back a couple of times a week, and maybe turn the irrigation on manually in front only for 5 minutes once week.

I had all my grass removed years ago and when I had the landscaping done, we had individual sprayers put on each shrub instead the wide open sprayers. Here's a photo taken about a year ago when the home would of been 9 years old at the time.

https://scontent-mia3-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/117872857_1705459296285262_1948301763384565316_o.j pg?_nc_cat=105&ccb=3&_nc_sid=730e14&_nc_ohc=xPQ-t3MK5ssAX8z_Rjc&_nc_ht=scontent-mia3-2.xx&oh=f0edd4cc31a350b173679f2748e1a93d&oe=60650EEB

John. EVERY time you post a picture of your home, inside and out, I just love it. You have beautiful taste and I enjoy seeing pictures of your lovely home. I also like your posts. You add so much to this forum.

[talleyjm]

I have a CYV, my monthly bill with amenities, water, irrigation, sewage and garbage will run between $235 to $245. I only turn the irrigation on from about November to February. The month of May will start the rainy season and you can turn off the irrigation completely until Oct/Nov. I turned it off in February and I will water by hand my shrubs in the front and back a couple of times a week, and maybe turn the irrigation on manually in front only for 5 minutes once week.

I had all my grass removed years ago and when I had the landscaping done, we had individual sprayers put on each shrub instead the wide open sprayers. Here's a photo taken about a year ago when the home would of been 9 years old at the time.

https://scontent-mia3-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/117872857_1705459296285262_1948301763384565316_o.j pg?_nc_cat=105&ccb=3&_nc_sid=730e14&_nc_ohc=xPQ-t3MK5ssAX8z_Rjc&_nc_ht=scontent-mia3-2.xx&oh=f0edd4cc31a350b173679f2748e1a93d&oe=60650EEB

Beautiful landscaping❗️Everything looks so pristine. 👌🏼

[NemoCrownie]

We just received our second (full month) utility bill. We have a Courtyard Villa, so a small front and rear lawn with only three zones. Our irrigation system is set to water two days a week on automatic depending what the rain sensor tells it to water. Our irrigation usage is 3,200 gallons this month and it seems a bit high. Just curious what other Courtyard Villa owners irrigation usage is for the month. If we are in the ball park of others, I won't worry but since we are new, I dont have any comparison data. If we are using too much, we may have a leak and I'll have to call the water department to check the meter.

Hey CC neighbor! Have you had your orientation with TCL? Our guy was Quentin and he was excellent! Spent a good amount of time going through the system, proper settings, checking all heads and their pattern, and showing us how to check for leaks.

[NemoCrownie]

We just received our second (full month) utility bill. We have a Courtyard Villa, so a small front and rear lawn with only three zones. Our irrigation system is set to water two days a week on automatic depending what the rain sensor tells it to water. Our irrigation usage is 3,200 gallons this month and it seems a bit high. Just curious what other Courtyard Villa owners irrigation usage is for the month. If we are in the ball park of others, I won't worry but since we are new, I dont have any comparison data. If we are using too much, we may have a leak and I'll have to call the water department to check the meter.

Hi CC neighbor! Have you had your irrigation orientation with TCL? Our guy was Quentin and he was excellent at explaining the system; checking the settings, sprinkler heads and patterns, how to check for leaks, etc.

[KsJayhawkers]

Rock Chalk Welcome to TV RCJH ������

Thanks Jerseygurl!!

[KsJayhawkers]

Hi CC neighbor! Have you had your irrigation orientation with TCL? Our guy was Quentin and he was excellent at explaining the system; checking the settings, sprinkler heads and patterns, how to check for leaks, etc.

Hey neighbor!! We had the orientation and he set the front/backyard for 66 minutes. I think that is way too high, even in the summer time. I went ahead and dialed the zones back to 30 minutes to see how the grass responds. After noticing the run times, I am sure that is the reason for the 3,700 gallons of irrigation use.

[Stu from NYC]

Hey neighbor!! We had the orientation and he set the front/backyard for 66 minutes. I think that is way too high, even in the summer time. I went ahead and dialed the zones back to 30 minutes to see how the grass responds. After noticing the run times, I am sure that is the reason for the 3,700 gallons of irrigation use.

Way to high, grass is barely growing now. In the summer that is more reasonable given our hot weather.

[Catalina36]

When I moved in, I was told set the irrigation timer to 2 x's a week and 20 min per zone. In my area I water my grass on Wednesdays and Saturday's. I have 4 zones. I snowbird so I may take another villagers recommendation and lower the watering time to 10 min during the months of April through September because of the rainy season?????????? Anyone want to comment??

Hope that helps.

[NemoCrownie]

Hey neighbor!! We had the orientation and he set the front/backyard for 66 minutes. I think that is way too high, even in the summer time. I went ahead and dialed the zones back to 30 minutes to see how the grass responds. After noticing the run times, I am sure that is the reason for the 3,700 gallons of irrigation use.

I just opened our CDD bill and our water usage was 2,010 gallons - we are in a designer home with a fairly large lot - 5 zones, set for seasonal adjustment.

[Lottoguy]

50% of the rain sensors don't work or their not working properly. You could have rain in the morning and they will dry out by the afternoon when the rains come. I prefer to just monitor the weather and turn the irrigation on when we haven't had rain for a while.

[davephan]

50% of the rain sensors don't work or their not working properly. You could have rain in the morning and they will dry out by the afternoon when the rains come. I prefer to just monitor the weather and turn the irrigation on when we haven't had rain for a while.

I’ve heard that before about rain sensors, and their problems. It makes a huge difference if you upgrade to a controller like the Orbit B-Hyve smart controller. It’s aware of the weather conditions and can auto rain delay your system, saving water when watering isn’t necessary. You can also tweak the rain percentages in the weather forecasting / rain delay. Manually watering is a lot easier with the Orbit B-Hyve controller with your cellphone from anywhere, and it’s also inexpensive, $100 or less. It’s a no brainer, just like getting a SunPass is a no brainer.