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Water usage?
Hi all, I need a general consensus on water usage. I live in a patio villa. The sprinkler system has three sections which are on 15 minutes each two times a week. My water usage bill for reclaimed water is close to 8000 gallons for a month and that seems extremely high. Does anybody know where to find the reclaimed water meter so I can check it when everything‘s off to make sure that I don’t have a leak. Or does this seem about right? Also my personal water usage seems high 2700 gallons a month for just one person so I would like to check that meter too.
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Page 3 of the May 9 District Weekly Bulletin has information on typical water usage.
I don't live in a patio villa so I can't help with the meter location. With two of us in the home and a smaller lawn watered twice a week at about 20mins for each of the four zones my monthly usage is: Potable water: a little less than 2,000gals Irrigation water: average of about 6,000 gals with peak months at 10,000 and low months around 3,500 |
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Funny, I’m a retired financial controller, and I never thought about doing the math…. Thanks for the website info. I checked that prior to the post. I find these websites underestimate usage and make me feel guilty.
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Your water usage seems a little high. I have a villa and use about 1,000 gallons of potable water and 4,000 gallons of irrigation water. However, I only use irrigation water for about 5 minutes in the shrub areas and 20 minutes in the grass area, two times per week. I would suggest that you view a few of your neighbors water bills by searching their addresses on districtgov.org. Water bills are public information. Also, I would suggest that you check your toilets because they are the most likely cause for leaks in a house. The gasket at the bottom of the canister inside the toilet tank needs to be replaced on a regular basis.
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A Flume will let you monitor water usage. It detects leaks and surges such as if a sprinkler head breaks off. It can pay for it's self detecting a major leak.
Flume Water | Smart Home Water Monitor | Water Leak Detector Self-install in under 10 minutes. No plumbing necessary! Detect leaks and get notified immediately. Monitor and manage your water use—indoors and out. Break down your water use by individual household appliances and water fixtures. Save money and conserve water with custom budgets and leak alerts. |
Your irrigation meters are buried in your lawn area….probably near the front or side of your villa. It may be covered over by grass or some type of landscaping materials (pine straw) So tap down on the areas (with a stick or pole)to find it. You should also have at least one if not two cut off valves. One for reclaimed water and the other potable.
You should really, really measure how much water your irrigation system (by zone) puts out. Finding an average from other villa owners on this forum could be wasteful. To do this put out cups or cans around your yard and measure out the accumulated water. If you have St Augustine grass, you need a minimum of 1” of water per week. I think 1.5” is best over a 3 times per week schedule. |
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I have a patio villa. I had new sod put down in front of house. I have been running front irrigation more to help get it growing. My last water report for irrigation was 6000 gallons. I think yours is very high.
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30 mins -> 4,000 gals -> 133 gals/minute avg over all runs 45 mins -> 8,000 gals -> 178 gals/minute avg over all runs 60 mins -> 6,000 gals -> 100 gals/minute avg over all run Mine is likely lower due to fewer heads in each zone; I have long, narrow lawn areas requiring more zones but fewer heads. If the 45 minutes and two times per week is accurate (no extra watering for new sod, no extra watering for high temps) then 178 does seems high. Another thing to look for would be a missing/broken head. A geyser in the lawn could account for a bit of extra water. |
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I highly recommend people try to let nature do its thing and stop their irrigation system for a while. Mine has been off for years and the grass is fine. It's Florida, things grow VERY WELL!!!
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Every once in a while T V likes to throw in some unexplained random rise of almost double water usage bill out of the blue. Saw a news clip on that phenomenon but didn't follow up. Only in T V do you pay for regular water in, AND WATER OUT plus sewer costs. Very strange to me but what are you gonna do??? Potable water is cheaper than reclaimed too... another anomaly for T V. Orlando reclaimed water used to be like $8 bucks a month once upon a time... |
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To put things in perspective, 1,000 gallons of irrigation water only costs about 3 dollars.
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Paying a sewer rate based on the amount of water used is not an anomaly for TV, it is a standard practice for the industry. |
Do the tuna can test to determine run times for each zone. Every system may be different.
1 to 1-1/2" per week total is recommended in the summer. One inch of water or rain is equivalent to 623 gallons per 1,000 square feet. how many gallons of water over 1000sq ft at 1 inch - Google Search Gallons per Square Foot Calculator |
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water
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7 zones * 20 minutes * 30 days = 4,200 minutes of watering in 30 days 2,013 gals used for watering in 30 days 2,013gals/4,200mins = 0.47gals/min 0.47gals/min is unbelievably low for anything other than maybe drip irrigation |
Water usage has always been astronomically high for us in two different homes. Seems unusual that happens only the Villages.
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Sir, you may want to check your figures or your system. :rolleyes: |
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Sprinkler heads
This seems like excessive water use. I can do 4 zones, 15 minutes each 3 times a week and get that much water. Best to call and have the meter checked.
The other issue is the type of sprinkler head. Both Zoysia and St Augustine grass require a minimum of 1 inch of water per week. If you have a rotor head then 15 minutes 3 times a week satisfies that. BUT, if you have a spray(Hunter) head, you will need at least 45 minutes per zone 3 times a week. I dropped some water catchers in each of my zones and got .3 inches in 15 minutes. I have rotors. You would need at least 45 minutes per zone with the Hunter Sprays. I dropped water catchers in the yard when it rained and it was said to have rained 1 inch. However, the catchers only got .3 inches, so, don't think the rain prediction relates 1 to 1 with what your yard will get. And I don't trust the sponge system in the rain detectors.......... My feeling is if you have Zoysia grass you need rotors. The water has to get down to the roots. If you have St. Augustine the Hunter Sprays are better as the grass has surface runners and best not to drench as rotors do. I don't believe there is any water amount difference between the 2 if your watering the grass you have properly. I put the water catchers in each zone to see how many minutes are required to get that .3. (watering 3 times per week) What you will find is that some zones need more and some less........best to find out as using the same time for all zones is not reality. Of course the watering time is less in the winter, BUT, your best to find your times needed and your grass type. If you have a small yard, think about getting rid of as much grass as possible. If a larger yard, you are just stuck. Recommendation is to get the meter checked. Quote:
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