water usage warning letter

[Tom Hannon]

We received our second consecutive warning letter about our water use. Before we left Florida on August 16th, we seldom had the sprinkler system on because with all the rain we had it wasn't necessary to water.
According to the letter, designer homes should be using 7,200 gallons a month. We are using 27,960???

Seems way out of line. My sprinkler system is set for twice a week. I have six zones and the run time for all six zones is nearly three hours. We were not there for the last two weeks of August, thus the showers, dishwasher, washing machine were not in use. Is my water usage out of line? Is my sprinkler system running too much?

I didn't get the actual bill as of yet so I can't see where the excess water use is. Could have a leak somewhere. Should I worry about it?

[pooh]

Irrigation water and house water are two different charges on your bill, Tom. 27,000 gallons is a lot of watering. I have a very large lot and my last bill for irrigation showed 11,000 gallons for irrigation. Lots of zones for us also. Me thinks you have a leak somewhere.

Your home is new, right? Should be a warranty on sprinkler system.

[golf2140]

We received our second consecutive warning letter about our water use. Before we left Florida on August 16th, we seldom had the sprinkler system on because with all the rain we had it wasn't necessary to water.
According to the letter, designer homes should be using 7,200 gallons a month. We are using 27,960???

Seems way out of line. My sprinkler system is set for twice a week. I have six zones and the run time for all six zones is nearly three hours. We were not there for the last two weeks of August, thus the showers, dishwasher, washing machine were not in use. Is my water usage out of line? Is my sprinkler system running too much?

I didn't get the actual bill as of yet so I can't see where the excess water use is. Could have a leak somewhere. Should I worry about it?

Tom,

No way should a zone be set for three hours. Way to much. I can see why you get letter. My longest time is 40 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!

[mokey]

I assume you mean the total time for the 6 zones is 3 hours. If you mean 3 hours on each zone it would be taking you nearly a day and a night to water. You need about 45-50 min on rotary heads and 30 on the popups.

[schotzyb]

Tom , if all of your 6 zones are totalling 3 hours or 180 minutes then each zone is probably set for 30 minutes which sounds normal but then you say this is twice per week which doubles those numbers. Even so that number of gallons seems excessive. I would suspect a leak. Right now during the rainy season, my system is on manual and has been used very little the last couple of months with all the rain we have been blessed with.

[golf2140]

We received our second consecutive warning letter about our water use. Before we left Florida on August 16th, we seldom had the sprinkler system on because with all the rain we had it wasn't necessary to water.
According to the letter, designer homes should be using 7,200 gallons a month. We are using 27,960???

Seems way out of line. My sprinkler system is set for twice a week. I have six zones and the run time for all six zones is nearly three hours. We were not there for the last two weeks of August, thus the showers, dishwasher, washing machine were not in use. Is my water usage out of line? Is my sprinkler system running too much?

I didn't get the actual bill as of yet so I can't see where the excess water use is. Could have a leak somewhere. Should I worry about it?

Tom,

I miss read your post. Sorry about that. Have someone check your system.

[Snowbirdtobe]

We had a water usage problem when one of the popups was chopped off by the lawn service. The popups often fail to retract and are severed when the lawn is cut.

[spk7951]

Have the sprinkler heads and the panel checked. We had ours checked back in June and they found five leaking sprinkler heads, which were replaced. With our lot being about 12,000 sq feet we have not had an irrigation bill higher than 15,000 gallons used yet this year.

[Tom Hannon]

I assume you mean the total time for the 6 zones is 3 hours. If you mean 3 hours on each zone it would be taking you nearly a day and a night to water. You need about 45-50 min on rotary heads and 30 on the popups.

Yes, I mean 3 hors total. I have one zone at 46 minutes, two at at 41 and a few others between 15-24 minutes.

[buggyone]

Tom,

A couple of things you can do.

1. Look for the water meter cover in your yard. If it is a newer home, it will be flat in the yard and will be a green plastic rectangle. Lift it up using a screwdriver and pliers. Be careful not to break any wires. There on the water meter is a little triangle. When there is no water going through your meter, the triangle is not moving. Where water is flowing, the triangle goes around. Make sure you have no water turned on in the house. If the triangle is turning around, you have a leak.

2. If you do not feel comfortable doing this yourself, call the VCDD Utilities at 748-0000 and ask them to send a technician to conduct a flow test. It is a free service.

Hope this is helpful to you.

[Tom Hannon]

Tom,

A couple of things you can do.

1. Look for the water meter cover in your yard. If it is a newer home, it will be flat in the yard and will be a green plastic rectangle. Lift it up using a screwdriver and pliers. Be careful not to break any wires. There on the water meter is a little triangle. When there is no water going through your meter, the triangle is not moving. Where water is flowing, the triangle goes around. Make sure you have no water turned on in the house. If the triangle is turning around, you have a leak.

2. If you do not feel comfortable doing this yourself, call the VCDD Utilities at 748-0000 and ask them to send a technician to conduct a flow test. It is a free service.

Hope this is helpful to you.

I am in NY so doing what you ask me to do is impossible. But have no fear. My friend is going over today to check it out.

[ajbrown]

This happened to my neighbor and they asked me to help. What I found was that they indeed had the system set to run twice a week in program A.

The also had it set to run in program B :doh:.

There are three programs on the Hunter controller and people mis-configure them, even professionals. Have your friend check all three programs.

[GeorgeT]

You can hire a company like Massy to look after your sprinklers while you're away. They operate them manually from the outside so they don't need inside access to your home. If they find a broken head they will fix it for an additional charge. Hope this helps.

[disney07]

This happened to my neighbor and they asked me to help. What I found was that they indeed had the system set to run twice a week in program A.

The also had it set to run in program B :doh:.

There are three programs on the Hunter controller and people mis-configure them, even professionals. Have your friend check all three programs.

:agree: I would bet money that is exactly what is happening....had the same situation with our system and running programs B & C. $100 extra a month it was costing me.

[Tom Hannon]

I forwarded Disney's and AJ's post to my friend who will be stopping over my house to see what the problem is. Thanks to everyone for their suggestions. This is what TOTV is all about.

[LivingLarge]

OK - same boat as Tom here. Over 30K gallons per month.

1> There is no leak on mine - meter not moving except when water is running through.

2> 6 zones set for just over 3 hours total X 2 per week.

3> The measured gallons per minute from zone 1 for example was 16.8 gpm. If you do the math that is just under 2 gpm on each head in the zone. If you look up the rating on the head that is what it is supposed to be.

So my question is this: Do those of you that say you have a much smaller bill actually do the math on comparing your lot and number of sprinkler heads to Tom's (and mine) or are you just guessing since your bill is lower?

If someone who has a smaller bill please count the number of actual sprinkler heads and report it to us that would be very useful in determining if we have some other weird issue. Thanks.

My neighbor with a similar size grass area (large cul-de-sac type with 6 full zones) has the same numbers and the same bill.

[Tom Hannon]

OK - same boat as Tom here. Over 30K gallons per month.

1> There is no leak on mine - meter not moving except when water is running through.

2> 6 zones set for just over 3 hours total X 2 per week.

3> The measured gallons per minute from zone 1 for example was 16.8 gpm. If you do the math that is just under 2 gpm on each head in the zone. If you look up the rating on the head that is what it is supposed to be.

So my question is this: Do those of you that say you have a much smaller bill actually do the math on comparing your lot and number of sprinkler heads to Tom's (and mine) or are you just guessing since your bill is lower?

If someone who has a smaller bill please count the number of actual sprinkler heads and report it to us that would be very useful in determining if we have some other weird issue. Thanks.

My neighbor with a similar size grass area (large cul-de-sac type with 6 full zones) has the same numbers and the same bill.



Interesting facts, Living Large. For what it's worth, I have a large pie shaped property (Cul-de-sac) and when I cut back on watering in the past, my lawn began showing brown spots. I feel, in the hot months I need to run the sprinkler system twice a week. If I were there to monitor it, I could regulate the water use by watering when I needed it. PS: I did add a soaker to Zone 3 41 minutes) to protect my three newly planted palm trees. I still can't believe of my 27,960 gallons usage.

[3puttharry]

Hv new system. Set up by builder. I can see program A but can t move it to Program B or C to ck them. How is it done? Thank you

[teachnmo]

I have a designer home with a Hunter system and only have an A program, so you might not have a B or C.

[Bogie Shooter]

Hv new system. Set up by builder. I can see program A but can t move it to Program B or C to ck them. How is it done? Thank you

Should be instructions inside cover. If not you should have a users manual. If not go to the Hunter site.
Did you press the program button?

[EXYZEE40]

How long have you have you had your home? You should be able to compare you monthly bill to see the increase in usage. It looks to me like you home is in Buttonwood which is south of 466.For homes south of 466, the water you use for inside your home is shown separately from the water used for irrigation on your monthly bill. Homes north of 466 have the inside water and irrigation water calculated together. So not being in the home and using inside water would not affect the amount of water that is being used for irrigation.

Hope you can successfully find the solution to your problem!

[Tom Hannon]

I have only been in The Villages for five months. I have no real guide to judge by.
And yes, we get three bills for water. The problem is, the overuse letter comes before the actual bill, so I have nothing to reference the usage. I also have alarge property. Cul-de-sac is pie shaped and there is something like 119 feet wide at the largest point. I do have more to water than the average house. But I haven't been home since August 16. I'll keep you posted. My friend is going over today to find out the problem.

[Bogie Shooter]

I have only been in The Villages for five months. I have no real guide to judge by.
And yes, we get three bills for water. The problem is, the overuse letter comes before the actual bill, so I have nothing to reference the usage. I also have alarge property. Cul-de-sac is pie shaped and there is something like 119 feet wide at the largest point. I do have more to water than the average house. But I haven't been home since August 16. I'll keep you posted. My friend is going over today to find out the problem.

what did the water dept. say when you called?

[Tom Hannon]

what did the water dept. say when you called?

The water company said I am using too much water. Without me not being there to monitor the problem I can't do much.

My friend came over and checked the irrigation system for leaks and there are none. This is a good sign. I told him to reduce the percentage from 80% to 50%. I am watering twice a week. This should cut the usage. He will keep an eye on property. If grass starts turning brown, he'll adjust it accordingly. Not much else I can do at this point.

[Bogie Shooter]

The water company said I am using too much water. Without me not being there to monitor the problem I can't do much.

My friend came over and checked the irrigation system for leaks and there are none. This is a good sign. I told him to reduce the percentage from 80% to 50%. I am watering twice a week. This should cut the usage. He will keep an eye on property. If grass starts turning brown, he'll adjust it accordingly. Not much else I can do at this point.

did he check all three programs??

[Tom Hannon]

did he check all three programs??

Yes, he did. Only one is running. He mentioned something about seeing the third cabinet door to 3 & 10. Not exactly sure what that was about but he said, "The manual said the readings should be at those settings."

[LivingLarge]

Has anyone (living south of 466) who says they have a lot smaller bill watering two times per week counted the number of heads they are using? that is the only real way to judge since each head puts out X gpm of water. If your lot has 20 sprikler heads (x # of rotary, x # of etc.) and my lot has 50 then I'm using 150% more than you. Othewise everyone is just guessing at the problem. It might be that Tom (like me) has a large # of sprinkler points. Since neither of us has a leak it might be that our only recourse is to lower the total time.

If your bill south of 466 is less than $100 for irrigation water last month, I'd love to find out how many sprinkler heads you have. Mine was almost $200 just for irrigation water. I'm back home right now but I'll count mine when I get back next week.

[rubicon]

By nature I abhor excessiveness because of its self-centerness. On the other hand I kind of resent the water police here. Those mcmansions further down the coast are not policed and they use more water in one day then some of us do in 6 months or more...and they only have one water rate unlike our three tier. My wife and I check our accounts on a continuum so we don't need their intrusions..................I'm just saying

[Bogie Shooter]

By nature I abhor excessiveness because of its self-centerness. On the other hand I kind of resent the water police here. Those mcmansions further down the coast are not policed and they use more water in one day then some of us do in 6 months or more...and they only have one water rate unlike our three tier. My wife and I check our accounts on a continuum so we don't need their intrusions..................I'm just saying

Its a form letter triggered by a computer.

[tom60]

Tom by now you probably have the problem figured out but to give you some idea i looked at my usage which i keep track of monthly to give you some idea of what might be close to normal usage. Heres what i averaged per month for the last 5 years.
2010 6308
2009 5741
2008 4883
2007 6533
2006 8400

I watch my irrigation system like a hawk and when it rains i always shut off my system if we get enough rain. Have a rain gauge which is a great help.

[English Ivy]

If your bill south of 466 is less than $100 for irrigation water last month, I'd love to find out how many sprinkler heads you have. Mine was almost $200 just for irrigation water. I'm back home right now but I'll count mine when I get back next week.

I have no idea how many sprinkler heads we have but we're on an interior designer lot which is approx 5525 sq ft and have five irrigation zones. We've lived here for three years and the irrigation portion of our water bill has never been above $20 per month. For the calendar year 2011 our total irrigation costs have been $112.00. We manually turn it off when we're getting rain and run it twice a week when it's dry. Our lawn is in great shape.

I can't imagine paying $100 or more a month just to water the lawn.

[LivingLarge]

I have no idea how many sprinkler heads we have but we're on an interior designer lot which is approx 5525 sq ft and have five irrigation zones. We've lived here for three years and the irrigation portion of our water bill has never been above $20 per month. For the calendar year 2011 our total irrigation costs have been $112.00. We manually turn it off when we're getting rain and run it twice a week when it's dry. Our lawn is in great shape.

I can't imagine paying $100 or more a month just to water the lawn.

thanks - but remember this - if my lot is 11K sq ft and our houses are the same size then the remainder is lawn! Your home probably takes up the majority of your lot, mine does not. I'll bet the actual grass area of my lawn is 4-5 times yours based on the math. So $20 X 5 = $100. I just think people are comparing apples to oranges. If you don't have a leak then it very simple.

Personally I plan to take up much of the grass area with low water landscape. Hopefully that will help.

[pooh]

I have almost a 12,000 sq ft lot...then the house and lanai and cage take up around 3000 sq ft leaving around 9000 sq ft to water. Have three large planters, but they have to be watered so they are not excluded from watering. Last month we used 11,650 gallons of irrigation water for a charge of approximately $32.00 We have lots of sprinklers though I'm not sure what number are pop-ups and what number are rotary. Others have mentioned that certain sprinklers are better than others and utilize water better. A watering bill as high as you seem to have Tom, suggests that it might be time to have someone from a landscaping irrigation company take a look and determine if some sprinklers can be replaced with more efficient ones.
Alas, I can offer no suggestions as to whom you might contact.

[Tom Hannon]

I have almost a 12,000 sq ft lot...then the house and lanai and cage take up around 3000 sq ft leaving around 9000 sq ft to water. Have three large planters, but they have to be watered so they are not excluded from watering. Last month we used 11,650 gallons of irrigation water for a charge of approximately $32.00 We have lots of sprinklers though I'm not sure what number are pop-ups and what number are rotary. Others have mentioned that certain sprinklers are better than others and utilize water better. A watering bill as high as you seem to have Tom, suggests that it might be time to have someone from a landscaping irrigation company take a look and determine if some sprinklers can be replaced with more efficient ones.
Alas, I can offer no suggestions as to whom you might contact.

I will do something once I get down there in November. Until then, I have to eat it.

[LivingLarge]

I have almost a 12,000 sq ft lot...then the house and lanai and cage take up around 3000 sq ft leaving around 9000 sq ft to water. Have three large planters, but they have to be watered so they are not excluded from watering. Last month we used 11,650 gallons of irrigation water for a charge of approximately $32.00 We have lots of sprinklers though I'm not sure what number are pop-ups and what number are rotary. Others have mentioned that certain sprinklers are better than others and utilize water better. A watering bill as high as you seem to have Tom, suggests that it might be time to have someone from a landscaping irrigation company take a look and determine if some sprinklers can be replaced with more efficient ones.
Alas, I can offer no suggestions as to whom you might contact.

thanks - something's going on then. I do have lots of rotarys

[Tom Hannon]

My problem is solved by BILL- a mystery neighbor who wrote to me saying "He walks his dog everyday past my house. Everyday the sprinkler is running."

Somehow I had two programs running. Program "A" was running twice a week. Program "B" was running everyday. My friend fixed the problem after resetting the system. Not sure what happened or how program "B" was activated but it is corrected to avoid any further overuse. Thanks Bill, whoever you are.

[Bettiboop]

Fantastic! I know you are happy to have that problem solved...and resolved! That was nice of mystery neighbor Bill to let you know what he observed!

[pooh]

Hooray, I'm so happy the problem has been solved! You have a very nice neighbor, Tom... :)

[Russ_Boston]

My problem is solved by BILL- a mystery neighbor who wrote to me saying "He walks his dog everyday past my house. Everyday the sprinkler is running."

Somehow I had two programs running. Program "A" was running twice a week. Program "B" was running everyday. My friend fixed the problem after resetting the system. Not sure what happened or how program "B" was activated but it is corrected to avoid any further overuse. Thanks Bill, whoever you are.

I wish that were my problem. Only on twice a week and for less than recommended and 50K gal of water. Yes 50K! I've checked it many, many times. No leaks and only running twice as mentioned.

I'll have to rethink when I get back down.

[Tom Hannon]

I wish that were my problem. Only on twice a week and for less than recommended and 50K gal of water. Yes 50K! I've checked it many, many times. No leaks and only running twice as mentioned.

I'll have to rethink when I get back down.

Hi Russ. You might have the same problem I had (with a hidden program running) When I'm by in November I'll pass your house and see how often the system is running. What are your scheduled days and times? 50 K sounds like you might also have a leak. I can check that on the outside meters if you wish. I assume your water is off now. If the meter is running at all, it will indicate a leak.

[buggyone]

With so much water usage, why not just contact VCDD Utilities and ask them to send a tech to your house for a flow test? It is a free service of theirs and could save you a lot of money.

[Tom Hannon]

With so much water usage, why not just contact VCDD Utilities and ask them to send a tech to your house for a flow test? It is a free service of theirs and could save you a lot of money.

It is hard to do this when I am in NY.

[brostholder]

What a timely post. My wife and I are up in Toledo, Ohio and we just received a water bill from our home in the villages. We were wondering how our water bill could increase when we haven't been there. The leaking or broken sprinkler head theory makes sense. We will call our gardener first thing Monday morning. Thanks all!!!

[Russ_Boston]

Thanks Tom. I should be down for a visit shortly. See you then.

[D&Lsunfun]

we also have a irrigation issue, high water bills
last two bills, 35,000gallons of water for irrigation???
i am also calling on monday, from cleveland ohio
with all the water our lawn still looks yellow, (i have been told)

[ajbrown]

My problem is solved by BILL- a mystery neighbor who wrote to me saying "He walks his dog everyday past my house. Everyday the sprinkler is running."

Somehow I had two programs running. Program "A" was running twice a week. Program "B" was running everyday. My friend fixed the problem after resetting the system. Not sure what happened or how program "B" was activated but it is corrected to avoid any further overuse. Thanks Bill, whoever you are.

We had this with post #12 :). Interesting your friend missed this who checked it out originally? Do I get a free week on TOTV for a correct guess?

[Tom Hannon]

We had this with post #12 :). Interesting your friend missed this who checked it out originally? Do I get a free week on TOTV for a correct guess?

Yes AJ. Your tip was the answer. Shortly after your suggestion - Bill (a non poster) sent me a PM about walking his dog by my house everyday and noticing the irrigation system running. When my friend first checked out the ststem, he knew nothing of Programs B and C. After I forwarded your post and Bill's PM he returned to the house and read up and programing.

Hopefully, my water use will be okay now. PS: Bill PM'd me again and said the system is not running everyday anymore. I guess i owe you and Bill a dinner.

[ajbrown]

Hopefully, my water use will be okay now. PS: Bill PM'd me again and said the system is not running everyday anymore. I guess i owe you and Bill a dinner.

You owe me nothing. It was just a lucky guess and happy to hear your neighbor helped out. In my short time in TV, it amazes me how many people (including "professionals") mis-program the hunter controller.....

Hopefully you are not posting "How come my lawn is brown" in two weeks :)

[Tom Hannon]

See Russ's post #39. He has used 50 k gallons. He might also have a program issue. His property is large but not much larger than mine.

When I get down there in November, I'll be able to monitor the lawn closer. I know I have one dead bush that needs replacing.

[Bill-n-Brillo]

...... I guess i owe you and Bill a dinner.

Sounds good to me, Tom!! Oh.......that's another Bill......... :1rotfl:

Bill :wave:

[Tom Hannon]

Sounds good to me, Tom!! Oh.......that's another Bill......... :1rotfl:

Bill :wave:

Why did I have to count on another Bill to discover my irrigation system running everyday? If you were doing your job, you'd have reported my problem before I wasted 30,000 gallons of water. There are only two answers. Either you were sleeping on the job or you're in Ohio. If you in Ohio, you have an excuse. Otherwise you owe me dinner. LOL

[Bill-n-Brillo]

Why did I have to count on another Bill to discover my irrigation system running everyday? If you were doing your job, you'd have reported my problem before I wasted 30,000 gallons of water. There are only two answers. Either you were sleeping on the job or you're in Ohio. If you in Ohio, you have an excuse. Otherwise you owe me dinner. LOL

Ya never know, Tom - I might have been the guy who set up your Program B to run every day for you!!! :1rotfl:

We can discuss my failures/shortcomings over dinner when we get back down there. The wives can buy! Ha-ha!

Bill :wave:

[CarGuys]

Thanks All-

Our home will be completed in January.

As we are still up North till July it has concerned us about a empty house and water bills!

Is there a service, someone who can check on the home and make sure nothing like this happens.

A new lawn in January? Won't that be dormant time and little needed.

Anyone interested in being a home sprinkler new lawn sitter for us? Tamarind Grove location

Maybe I can have TV hold off on landscaping until we move in?

PM me

Herv

[champion6]

Thanks All-
Our home will be completed in January.
As we are still up North till July it has concerned us about a empty house and water bills!
Is there a service, someone who can check on the home and make sure nothing like this happens.
A new lawn in January? Won't that be dormant time and little needed.
Anyone interested in being a home sprinkler new lawn sitter for us? Tamarind Grove location
Maybe I can have TV hold off on landscaping until we move in?
PM me
HervOur home is also in Tamarind Grove and we have similar timing: closed Aug. 8, up north until Oct. 19.

I recommend that you contact Safe Home Watch, Ed & Mary Edwards, 352-603-5333. We have them watching our home and are very pleased with their care. They saved us money by watching the lawn and telling us when we should start to have it mowed - it was a few weeks longer than I expected. After the new sod became established, they adjusted the timers to water less frequently - another savings.

[nkrifats]

Our home is also in Tamarind Grove and we have similar timing: closed Aug. 8, up north until Oct. 19.

I recommend that you contact Safe Home Watch, Ed & Mary Edwards, 352-603-5333. We have them watching our home and are very pleased with their care. They saved us money by watching the lawn and telling us when we should start to have it mowed - it was a few weeks longer than I expected. After the new sod became established, they adjusted the timers to water less frequently - another savings.

I have used Mary and Ed Edwards until I became full time. I can not say enough about what a great job they do and how they took care of things like my sprinklers and etc. Strongly recommended for those part timers.

[CarGuys]

Will do, Appreciate your feedback


Our home is also in Tamarind Grove and we have similar timing: closed Aug. 8, up north until Oct. 19.

I recommend that you contact Safe Home Watch, Ed & Mary Edwards, 352-603-5333. We have them watching our home and are very pleased with their care. They saved us money by watching the lawn and telling us when we should start to have it mowed - it was a few weeks longer than I expected. After the new sod became established, they adjusted the timers to water less frequently - another savings.

[GeorgeT]

Thanks All-

Our home will be completed in January.

As we are still up North till July it has concerned us about a empty house and water bills!

Is there a service, someone who can check on the home and make sure nothing like this happens.

A new lawn in January? Won't that be dormant time and little needed.

Anyone interested in being a home sprinkler new lawn sitter for us? Tamarind Grove location

Maybe I can have TV hold off on landscaping until we move in?

PM me

Herv

I think Redwitch does this kind of stuff too. Also, Massey will check your sprinklers and fix any broken ones for an extra fee.

[Tom Hannon]

We received our second consecutive warning letter about our water use. Before we left Florida on August 16th, we seldom had the sprinkler system on because with all the rain we had it wasn't necessary to water.
According to the letter, designer homes should be using 7,200 gallons a month. We are using 27,960???

Seems way out of line. My sprinkler system is set for twice a week. I have six zones and the run time for all six zones is nearly three hours. We were not there for the last two weeks of August, thus the showers, dishwasher, washing machine were not in use. Is my water usage out of line? Is my sprinkler system running too much?

I didn't get the actual bill as of yet so I can't see where the excess water use is. Could have a leak somewhere. Should I worry about it?

Thanks to a few TOTV's my problem with the sprinkler system was diagnosed. My last bill went from 27,960 gallons to 11,100. Much more betterior.

[The Shadow]

Thanks to a few TOTV's my problem with the sprinkler system was diagnosed. My last bill went from 27,960 gallons to 11,100. Much more betterior.
When this threat started I stared thinking about my water bill and how a leaky sprinkler system might affect it. I have removed and tested every head for leaks. 12 leaked like a sieve plus 2 more did not work well so I replaced 14 all total. I just completed the project so I do not have any billing numbers yet. I plan to run a cycle and read the water meter before and after and come up with a good estimate. Thanks for the food for thought.
http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQaK84q0_9ohYiM1rOoa0uWilCgK-1Y-dN1H8aJIDpHS6iLG6k7MA

[RichieB]

sounds like quality workmanship in The Villages. NOT !

Maybe some homeowners should get in touch with the contractors. Might be a widespread problem here.

[Tom Hannon]

sounds like quality workmanship in The Villages. NOT !

Maybe some homeowners should get in touch with the contractors. Might be a widespread problem here.

Thanks to AJBROWN and a neighbor known as Bill. My irrigation system was using water because I had three programs running that I wouldn't have know about had it not been brought to my attention. There was no leak. I was running the system 14 days a week

[RichieB]

I was following your situation, Tom, but "The Shadow" had a whole bunch of leaking heads. Maybe others have that same problem - where there's smoke, there's fire.

[Tom Hannon]

I was following your situation, Tom, but "The Shadow" had a whole bunch of leaking heads. Maybe others have that same problem - where there's smoke, there's fire.

What makes it worse for me was, I was not in Florida at the time of the Village Nasty Letters and I was powerless to fix the problem, unless I knew what it was. I could then have a friend fix it. Yes, The Shadow had big issues.

[RichieB]

With problems with all 14 heads, there's a REAL problem, and other homeowners may be in the same boat.

[The Shadow]

With problems with all 14 heads, there's a REAL problem, and other homeowners may be in the same boat.

I should have pointed out today’s sprinkler heads are guaranteed 5 years. Do they last 3 years or 7 years I do not know. 10 of heads I replaced were Hunter heads that were originals, about 10 years old. As far as I am concerned I take full credit for not maintaining the system. My bill has been as high as $160.

[ajbrown]

Thanks to AJBROWN and a neighbor known as Bill. My irrigation system was using water because I had three programs running that I wouldn't have know about had it not been brought to my attention. There was no leak. I was running the system 14 days a week

That is very nice Tom. I am glad to hear my suggestion helped. Watering 14 days a week? That must have been one great looking lawn :jester:

[The Shadow]

Thanks to AJBROWN and a neighbor known as Bill. My irrigation system was using water because I had three programs running that I wouldn't have know about had it not been brought to my attention. There was no leak. I was running the system 14 days a week
I am so sorry but I see a guy filling his gas can every day to mow his lawn and when he is mowing the lawn his wife is walking behind him holding an umbrella. It’s the coffee man.

Watering 14 days a week is a felony in FL.

[Pturner]

With problems with all 14 heads, there's a REAL problem, and other homeowners may be in the same boat.

RichieB,
I don't think this is a problem throughout TV. We had to replace a few leaky ones that were eight years old. Sometimes lawn mowers run over and damage them. It does pay to check them periodically, especially if a water bill suddenly shows unusual usage.

[Bogie Shooter]

sounds like quality workmanship in The Villages. NOT !

Maybe some homeowners should get in touch with the contractors. Might be a widespread problem here.

And then again it might be setting the clock right or having sprinkler heads that are ten years old.

[graciegirl]

Richie B.

Bless your dear heart, your posts remind me of my own when we were considering coming down for a life style visit. We had stopped by at friends for an afternoon visit and were very impressed and went back home and I found this forum.

I can tell by what you write that you are a kind soul who loves their animals and drinks coffee, so you are friend material right away.

This place is way too good to be true, and I kept asking questions on here way back in the beginning expecting to uncover the rot under the surface. Well That was four years ago and two houses ago and now we are full time residents.

There are those recently who have even accused me of working for the developer when at first I was posting all kinds of questions with the "REALLY" implied. I made a lot of people mad. They thought I was a "troll" because I was so sceptical.

I just did NOT believe all that the forum posters were saying and surely not all of the advertising. There are those who really hate the Morse family and they aren't perfect for sure. But I have become a real admirer of HOW they made all of their money. They could have really stopped improving or learning new and better ways. That is my opinion, but you will see that my post will bring out the ....other opinions.

I still can't believe how wonderful this place is. We golfed with a couple on Thanksgiving (never met them) and she said several times things like.... Isn't this wonderful? Isn't this day wonderful? Isn't the weather wonderful? Isn't the villages perfect? They had lived here longer than us.

So please come down and see for yourself. Be sure to stop by our house.
And keep asking any and all questions. That is what this forum is for.

You will just love it here in lower paradise, Richie B!

[Tom Hannon]

Richie B.

Bless your dear heart, your posts remind me of my own when we were considering coming down for a life style visit. We had stopped by at friends for an afternoon visit and were very impressed and went back home and I found this forum.

I can tell by what you write that you are a kind soul who loves their animals and drinks coffee, so you are friend material right away.

This place is way too good to be true, and I kept asking questions on here way back in the beginning expecting to uncover the rot under the surface. Well That was four years ago and two houses ago and now we are full time residents.

There are those recently who have even accused me of working for the developer when at first I was posting all kinds of questions with the "REALLY" implied. I made a lot of people mad. They thought I was a "troll" because I was so sceptical.

I just did NOT believe all that the forum posters were saying and surely not all of the advertising. There are those who really hate the Morse family and they aren't perfect for sure. But I have become a real admirer of HOW they made all of their money. They could have really stopped improving or learning new and better ways. That is my opinion, but you will see that my post will bring out the ....other opinions.

I still can't believe how wonderful this place is. We golfed with a couple on Thanksgiving (never met them) and she said several times things like.... Isn't this wonderful? Isn't this day wonderful? Isn't the weather wonderful? Isn't the villages perfect? They had lived here longer than us.

So please come down and see for yourself. Be sure to stop by our house.
And keep asking any and all questions. That is what this forum is for.

You will just love it here in lower paradise, Richie B!

Everything Gracie is saying is true. This place is great