Almost 50 THOUSAND GALLONS
 

Just got my new bill for water (both household and irrigation)
Seems my patio villa irrigation bill came to nearly 50K gallons.
Or course this is a meter mistake.
I did call into the office and was asked a few simple questions
and told they will come out and check the meter.
I did call the contractor who installed the irrigation system
and they said "this happens often and expect to argue"
REALLY? I pray this is not going to turn into my first grudge with TV
in nearly three years.
Has anyone had this experience in the area?
If so my E mail is Neal2tire@yahoo.com
Thanks in advance

Did you check to see how often your irrigation is running and for how long each zone is running?
I have been in new homes where the owners closed remotely and have seen irrigation boxes set to run every day, for overly long periods of time.
How much of that 50,000 gallons was irrigation and how much was potable water?

New Construction???
 

I built this year, moved in during September. First bill was 35,000 gallons, the next was 48,000 gallons. Good to over water with new grass and plants. I backed the watering down and expect it to be cut in half.

we have a premier over sized lot and watering twice per week, with 8 stations with 6+ heads per station for 40 minutes per station runs around 20,000 gallons per month.

Have them come out and check your meter. The guy who does it is very knowledgeable and will educate you about your set up.

Things that have happened to us over 10 years to cause erratic meter readings:
lightning strike (nearby)
our account number assigned to a neighbors meter
leaks in the irrigation system valves
auto fill on the pool stuck in flow position (we don't use it anymore....too unreliable)

This past May 2013 new meters were installed and low and behold our non irrigation consumption has been reduced by over 1000 gallons per month. I have been discussing the higher useage with the water folks for a couple of years. And now using their own records and the new meter install.....I finally got em.

They are very well intended but let there be no mistake the owner MUST take the initiative and challenge where appropriate.

btk

Maybe not. When I first moved in I accidentally set my timer for 10 hours instead of 10 minutes (yes, I know I'm a technological idiot). Also, I have heard of some homes that have leaks in their irrigation systems that can run up a hefty bill.

One easy check is to shut off all water outlets. sinks, toilets ect then go out and check your meter. If it still runs, you have a leak most likely in the irrigation. Might save some time. It doesn't take much to run up the bill.

Bill
 

I have a large lot and was using over 24,000 gallons. When I looked closely at the bill the charges for the non-potable water was over twice as much as potable per gallon. To pay upwards of $2000 a year to water the yard is a bit much; much more than my yard in Los Angeles! As I explored this situation I ran into a new term, xeriscape.... Florida friendly landscaping. Anyone have experience with it?

Water bills are all relative. Cheaper here than West Chester, Ohio. I know the term xeriscape, but before you make any changes, check first with Architectural Review Board.

I am slowly replacing much of my landscaping with drought tolerant plants and with as much river rock stone as we can afford and are allowed to use. My grass is drought tolerant. It is known as the Florida Friendly Landscaping Program: UF/IFAS Extension: Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ Program - FFL

Florida Friendly: Ugly
 

Every example of "Florida Friendly" landscaping that I have seen is ugly. Looks like weeds.

I've seen some beautiful weeds in my day, but seriously, take a look at some of these images. I think that the idea is splendid and I'm giving it a whirl. florida friendly landscaping - Google Search

Some of the images look pretty nice. Much better than what was tried at the condo association where I first experienced "Florida Friendly". I wonder if anyone has experienced the deeper ground covers as becoming snake habitats?

Amen

We bought our Gardenia with a decent sized lot nearly 3 years ago. Our irrigation system has 7 zones and the monthly usage has never reached 30,000 gals even following a large landscaping job last year. The month that came closest to the 30,000 gal. usage was the month we first filled the :icon_bored:pool, which incidentally has the auto-fill feature. Last week we had our irrigation serviced and was told we had been over watering for some time.

You are making a huge mistake by installing rock instead of a mulch. Besides the expense, stones of any type get boiling hot in the summer and fry your soil (sand) and plants and do nothing to enrich the soil. If a barrier is used, water does not freely drain and if a barrier isn't used, the stones sink and eventually collect leaves and dirt and look terrible.

A cypress mulch looks good, doesn't blow away or wash away in heavy rain. It also is beneficial to the soil. Try it!

You have been misinformed and need to be educated. Not everything in your garden has to be "Florida Friendly." There are many plants, shrubs and trees that work and will still fit the bill of being "Florida Friendly." Even within the realm of being "Florida Friendly" there are many things from which to choose that don't look like weeds.

Check out plants that are good for our area 9a. I'm sure there are many that will please you.