Irrigation issue
 

[[/B] I have noticed the charge for irrigation has increased, as has the alleged number of gallons. I looked in my irrigation box to get a reading on the number of gallons but the dial window was blank. How can I keep tabs on the number of gallons day-to-day ?

:icon_wink: Good question for the WATER DEPT. :oops:

Some meters have a flop top lid that must be closed and then opened for the numbers to display. Since the irrigation system only uses water on a programmed schedule, it will be difficult to monitor it on a day by day basis.

Unless he has a continuous leak which might be why it could keep increasing which could be why his cost and gallons went up.

Yes, but even if there is a continuous leak, the leak could only be located between the meter and the electronic zone valves, assuming the zone valves are shutting off properly. When the zone valves are closed, more than 90 percent of the irrigation piping will have no water pressure.

You can keep tabs of the water usage yourself with a water monitor. It is impossible for you to have any usage of any kind, including leaks, without being able to see it.

Despite what you have read here in this thread it is extremely easy to monitor water daily, hourly or even smaller time units.

Effectively you have two choices if you have a separate irrigation line. One, Flume water monitor, amazon 200.00 monitors at the meter, no plumbing, no fees. Installation is three minutes, maybe ten. No tools required.

Two, Rachio irrigation controller with a water monitor option. Plumbing, required. You cut into the irrigation line on your side of the meter.

I recommend the Flume option.

Ask any questions you have.

+1 for Flume.

Discovered my rain sensor was not working with the recent rains.

Also detects broken heads.

Fyi an avg 4 heads per zone can be 10-20 gallons per minute . sixty minutes on means maybe 600-1200 gallons or more times twice a week . just an estimate .

you can take the sensor apart and adjust,,,there is like flat Cheerios in there that swell up when wet,flatten when dry..careful how you take it apart...pay attention

you can water manually if you want 1 zone at a time and check the gallons. you don't need to use the pre-programmed timer

Replacement rain sensor
 

You can buy a new sensor or just the "flat Cheerios" from Amazon. I replace mind every spring. Takes all of a minute.

Mine also keeps going up. Had my system tested- absolutely no leaks. After complaining online here , it suddenly went down the next month? I think something is going on with the water company

Have you had your irrigation system inspected and maintained or repaired (including the rain sensor)? That should be done about twice a years. Lots of companies providing that service advertise locally. Usually, the inspection is a reasonable cost, replacement of broken or defective parts can be pricey. Remember, your whole irrigation system is mostly plastic and doesn’t stand up well to lawnmowers, nor does it last forever.

If you have water running down street for 30 mins plus, you wasting water when watering you’re lawn. After about 15 or 20 minutes all you’re doing is watering the street drain. IMO it best to monitor and adjust time so you don’t have runoff. As mentioned if you have the digital display meter you have to flip the lid cover couple times to get it to display. I’d you have leak before the meter you will see eventually see water from the meter out to street. If you have leak after the meter, you should see the meter numbers slowing moving. I don’t have separate irrigation water system from retention ponds, but same principle should apply IMO. As others have said The rain sensor probably don’t work, You’re run times are running on A,B, C systems, run times are probably running too long, pop ups may need adjusting so you’re watering yard and not street, house, or driveway, and you may have leaks?

Maybe averaging you’re bill. You should be able to see meter numbers at start of pay cycle and what you used at end of the pay cycle.

If it’s running A, B, C cycle that could be tripled?

If the rain sensor is working properly, about 4 hours after a heavy rain you can check the screen on your irrigation panel. It should show "OFF" in the window, After a day it should go back to normal.

Tried.
 

Over the past few years, we have received outrageous bills on separate occasions for irrigation and house water. Called water dept and got the "its your problem" speech. Gave me all the scenarios that it could be on MY side. "Better get it fixed before the next billing cycle". Since we had been on vacation, the next bill was already in my hand, and normal again. Apparently the broken lines, water left on, leaking valves, running toilets and broken sprinkler heads miraculously fixed themselves. Impossible.
How about the possibility of reader error, accounting error, office/billing error? "Absolutely not"! Asked to speak with supervisor, was told she's busy. Asked for her to call me back on original and several follow up calls. NEVER got to speak with a supervisor. Did, finally, get a tech to come check the meter which was reading high beyond their accepted range. My bills were over triple when they should have been normal (irrigation) and near zero (house).
My opinion of the water company is pretty low. Since they are the only option we, the customers, are held hostage.
Over the years here I have heard numerous complaints and have yet to hear of the water company ever acknowledging problems on their side.

And they never will. They hold all the cards. I have suspected the readings are not right but get the same response. I think we are being fleeced!!

I had a very large bill (37,000 gallons!), and had a very different experience with the water company. First the meter reader happened to be taking the meter reading while I was out front and mentioned that I had used a lot of irrigation water. So I manually ran each zone and checked every spray head, found one not working correctly. Called CSU, and asked if they could double check the reading, to my surprise they already had done that and over a 3 day period I had already used 3500 gallons. I then contacted my lawn company and had them do a complete system check. Here is what they found:
1. There was a leaking sprinkler (small leak) and below grade, hard to find
2. Two other sprinklers were out of adjustment.
3. Then the kicker, my Hunter controller was running 3 addition programs ALL ON THE A program, I was watering 12 times per week!
The system was completely erased, and reprogrammed, and bills have returned to normal. I have no idea how the orginial program was duplicated twice. I have now arranged for a yearly system check.

Agree.
 

Agree, but by whom? Is the company occasionally, randomly over billing to increase their revenue, or is it possible that an individual or group are doing some "creative" accounting/billing and syphoning off or redirecting funds. Or, is it just the miss-translation somewhere in the reporting and billing process?
Certainly there are on-site problems in many cases, but they don't generally fix themselves.
My biggest peeve is that they won't even acknowledge the possibility the problem could be at their end, never call, never say they will look into it at their end. Maybe for some customers they do, but I've heard of them doing so.

Well I think with all the borrowing & what’s going on in the U.S. everything will be going up. I know to some people this has nothing to do with water rates, but everything will be going up, groceries have already went up considerably. I live in Texas & the same thing here is going on just like in TV. Paying higher taxes won’t start in a generation or 2, it can’t wait that long & the Dem. really think they can fix our economy. Well I better shut up because TOTV has already banned me once about talking about someone or the govt. Have a good day & just pay the higher water bill.

There have been many class-action suits regarding faulty water meters.
Meters fail and are not all 100% accurate.
faulty water meter class action suits - Google Search

You need to check the seasonal adjustment and solar sync on your controller. This will change the time for each zone and could lead to increases in the water used, especially this time of year. I over road mine because I couldn't get the times I wanted.