[Kdharley07@gmail.com]

What should be a good schedule for our sprinklers so we don’t get hit with a big water bill while we are back up not for the summer. Thanks Ken

[photo1902]

Originally Posted by Kdharley07@gmail.com

What should be a good schedule for our sprinklers so we don’t get hit with a big water bill while we are back up not for the summer. Thanks Ken

No one can give you any more than a WAG guess without knowing your lot size, type of grass you have, how many zones cover plants, shrubs, etc.

[Toymeister]

I suggest getting a WiFi irrigation controller, such as Rachio (Amazon). With this you select the type of plants, soil, and slope. It uses your address to get the weather including temp, rainfall and humidity to determine the evaporation rate and your lawns needs. Also a neighbor or home watch who can text you in case there is a lawn problem.

Rachio is 169.00 with no monthly charge.

[retiredguy123]

Originally Posted by Kdharley07@gmail.com

What should be a good schedule for our sprinklers so we don’t get hit with a big water bill while we are back up not for the summer. Thanks Ken

You can view your monthly water bill and historic usage online at districtgov.org. You can also view your neighbors' usage and compare it to yours.

[Bill14564]

Originally Posted by Kdharley07@gmail.com

What should be a good schedule for our sprinklers so we don’t get hit with a big water bill while we are back up not for the summer. Thanks Ken

Check out the Villages Water Wisdom page and especially the Irrigation Schedules.

My home is set to water two days per week. About 20 minutes for lawn zones and 12 minutes for plant zones gives a total of about 90 minutes runtime. My controller has the SolarSync sensor connected which adjust times based on date, sunshine, and rain.

My lawn stays green except for the dry period from May into June when some brown areas appear. Right now it has returned to green. I seem to be using about as much water as my neighbors but more than some have reported in other threads. I may be able to tweak mine a little but it seems pretty good right now.

[Michigan Farmer]

Originally Posted by Kdharley07@gmail.com

What should be a good schedule for our sprinklers so we don’t get hit with a big water bill while we are back up not for the summer. Thanks Ken

Rather than the two or three days a week I run mine one day, two days off, which works well for me. This time of year at least an inch a week as much as two.

I'd be happy to help, drop me a message.

[rjm1cc]

You are in the rainy season so I would go to one day a week. Probably cut back my time by 25%.
Can you get a neighbor to just turn on your system when the grass needs the water. My system is off most of the summer.

[Garywt]

The 2 days that you should water should be listed on your time clock. I only have 2 zones and I upped the time to about 14 minutes for the grass zone and 12 minutes for the bushes. I think they come on about 6 AM.

[RobertWR]

I concur, the Rachio can save much irrigation water.

We have a large corner lot with many landscape beds. Our system was scheduled to run almost 36 hours in June but actually ran 12 hours due to the Rachio device.

Easy to install and program.

[DARFAP]

Yep. I replaced my Hunter controller with a Hunter wifi controller. I can control it from my phone, and it also will use the weather forecast to water or not water per your set schedule. Best option.

[thevillages2013]

Originally Posted by Kdharley07@gmail.com

What should be a good schedule for our sprinklers so we don’t get hit with a big water bill while we are back up not for the summer. Thanks Ken

Set your irrigation to run twice a week but make sure your sensor is operating properly so it will shut your system off automatically so you won’t water after a good rain. Just because it is there doesn’t mean it is working properly and it has to be switched on to “active” in the control box

[Annie66]

Make sure your rain sensor is set to "ON" or "ACTIVE".

[Altavia]

Another vote for an internet WIFI controller.

B-Hyve is another option for less than $100.

Orbit b•hyve

A water monitoring systems like Flume can be helpful monitor water usage real time, detect leaks and broken heads.

Flume Water | Smart Home Water Monitor | Water Leak Detector

[J1ceasar]

Most landscapers will tell you the most you should water is twice a week depending on your watering heads typically 15 to 20 minutes per zone if they're putting out the correct amount of water. That's all you should need under any circumstances. If there's a lot of rain obviously there's no need to water it the day after. By the way the average home on our depending on their lot size typically found around here I E 50/100 is about 8:00-10,000 gallons a month when you're living in the home, roughly half of that it's put on your lawn and the rest is used by your washing machines and toilets etc and yes the more you use the higher the rate goes up per a thousand gallons great system huh! That's why so many people try to put in Florida friendly landscaping

[J1ceasar]

PS grass looks great until you get the bill, and you really only need grass if you walk your dog