[mtanz6]

watering the lawn, a small lawn...we are billed for 35,000 gal per month. Is this excessive? thx.

[chuckinca]

For period 4/15 thru 5/15 (not much rain) we used 22,000 gal on our 8,500 SF lot.


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[angiefox10]

So... What does that amount to in $$$$ We are on well water here and have never paid a water bill.

[raynan]

Are you watering more than 2x a week?? If not, check your irrigation system. Our neighbors had that problem and discovered a buried head leaking under their landscaping.

[Uptown Girl]

Originally Posted by angiefox10

So... What does that amount to in $$$$ We are on well water here and have never paid a water bill.

Where is "here" Angie? In Cook County?

[angiefox10]

Originally Posted by Uptown Girl

Where is "here" Angie? In Cook County?

No... I'm in Will... Will PM you!

[chuckinca]

Last time I checked, Chicago was only in Cook County.


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[Bryan]

I used 29,150 gallons over 33 days on an oversized corner lot north of 466. That was my highest usage in a long long time but I had some sod replaced and used supplemental sprinklers to provide extra water to the new sod for the first 30 days. For that much usage, my bill was a little over $90.00. The rates are based on usage. There is a base water charge ($6.52 on my bill), then $1.29 per 1000 gallons for the first 11,000 gallons ($1.29 X 11 = $14.08), then $3.20 per 1000 gallons for 11 - 18K gallons (3.20 X 7 = $22.40), then the expensive water starts at $4.44 per 1000 gallons for all over 18K gallons (11.15 X 4.44 = $49.50). Based on my experience, I would say your usage for a small yard was high. If this was your first water bill, look at the days of usage. Sometimes they play "catch up" on the first bill and it may have been for 45 days or so and not a "regular" month. If it was a pretty regular month, around 30 days of usage, look for a leak some place. You may need a licensed plumber who has equipment to "listen" to the pipes to locate an underground leak.

[rosazzg]

I moved to the villages from PA. I wasn't here for my closing on May 23rd of this year. I didn't arrive at my house until June 24th. On May 25th, while still living and working in PA., I received a letter from my builder telling me that I may want to check on my irrigation system because of excess water use which could lead to a high water bill. I called my broker and the Home Warranty Office to inquire about this. I was told the irrigation system was running everyday in order to establish the turf. I figured everything was OK. I recently received my monthly bill for the time period following my closing. It totalled over $1000.

Once arriving at the villages, I immediately scheduled my "walk through." At that time, I hadn't received my huge water bill. In addition, my builder was on vacation, so I had a substitute. Once I got my bill a few days later, I contacted the HWO and arranged to speak with my builder. He too told me that the water had to run everyday in order to establish the lawn. When I told him the amount of the water bill, he told me that once I closed, the responsibility for turing off the water or adjusting the irrigation schedule was mine. I explained my circumstances to him. I told him I called to inquire about my water usage and relayed to him what I was told. He still insisted that the responsibility was mine. I'm currently trying to work this out with my builder. By the way, my builder told me that he'd never seen or heard this large of a bill.

Should I have to pay this?

Glenn

[getdul981]

Don't you have a meter that you can watch to seeif there's an underground leak?

[angiefox10]

Originally Posted by chuckinca

Last time I checked, Chicago was only in Cook County.


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Yep.... You are correct..... Chicago is in Cook County...

Home-schoolers... That ends our geography lesson for today!

[angiefox10]

Originally Posted by Bryan

I used 29,150 gallons over 33 days on an oversized corner lot north of 466. That was my highest usage in a long long time but I had some sod replaced and used supplemental sprinklers to provide extra water to the new sod for the first 30 days. For that much usage, my bill was a little over $90.00. The rates are based on usage. There is a base water charge ($6.52 on my bill), then $1.29 per 1000 gallons for the first 11,000 gallons ($1.29 X 11 = $14.08), then $3.20 per 1000 gallons for 11 - 18K gallons (3.20 X 7 = $22.40), then the expensive water starts at $4.44 per 1000 gallons for all over 18K gallons (11.15 X 4.44 = $49.50). Based on my experience, I would say your usage for a small yard was high. If this was your first water bill, look at the days of usage. Sometimes they play "catch up" on the first bill and it may have been for 45 days or so and not a "regular" month. If it was a pretty regular month, around 30 days of usage, look for a leak some place. You may need a licensed plumber who has equipment to "listen" to the pipes to locate an underground leak.

Thanks Bryan!!!

[starflyte1]

We live in an older village and both my neighbor and I had a water leak, a month apart. Both were by the meter. The meter box filled with water and overflowed.

[tom60]

mtanz6.. You made me take a look at my water usage. Your using too much . I had a leak at the meter and found it right when i moved in. You can take the cover off and look at the meter on the older ones. New meters might be different . All you have to do is make sure nobody in the house is using any water and watch the meter. If the meter moves theres a leak. If no leak is found then have your settings all rechecked . Probably way too much irrigation. To give you an idea heres what i used so far this year in gallons per month.

jan 3200
feb 8400
mar 8400
apr 7100
may 4020
june 14670

I had to realy increase it in june since it was so hot and dry. 35000 is too much. I have 5 sprinkeling zones on my irrigation. Hope this helps.

[tomkat]

I have an oversized corner lot in Duval - my system has seven zones and if I water twice per week my useage generally runs around 17,000 gallons. During periods when we've watered every day (ex: new landscaping installed) my water useage has been as high as 22,000 gallons . And when we water once per week my useage is around 8,000 gallons .

Keep in mind that your useage not only consists of how many days you run your irrigation system but also is impacted by how many zones you have and how long each zone runs.