Excessive irrigation water usage?
 

I just purchased a house in the Villages and have not moved in yet. The sprinklers were on according to the prior owner's settings (and lawn crew said the lan was not getting enough water). I got my first month's water bill and was shocked by the usage - over 39,000 gallons. We have a large lot (pie shaped 150' x 131' x 110') so I know usage will be on the higher side but is this a reasonable "gallons per month"?

Unreasonable, you should be 18,000 or less.

Previous guy must have been overwatering or there is a leak or irrigation head broken.

Get more info. Look up historical water usage online at districtgov.org
You can query your address and see bills from the previous owner's account, and neighbors' usage too.
Can you (or a friend) turn them on and visually inspect for a broken head - dumping a lot of water in one place.
Are you in the newer area where irrigation is metered separately from potable (drinking) water?
What are the irrigation controller zone run times, and watering days?

That's too much water.

Prior owner may have beefed up the water for better curb appeal.

A Flume will let you monitor irrigation remotely.

Flume Water | Smart Home Water Monitor | Water Leak Detector

Since we do not have a conventional water meter........does this unit work in The Villages???

I believe my system will put down about 600 gals per hour. If I run the system 1.5 hours per day and two days per week then that’s eight days per month, 12 hours of watering, and 7,200 gals on my bill.

Assuming all systems use about the same amount of water per hour, your 39,000 gals would mean 65 hours of watering. That seems like a tremendous amount.

As others have suggested, you should look for a broken head. Run the system manually and look for a geyser.

The Flume product is compatible with about 95% of water meters in the United States today. Works South of 44.

However, if your meter box fills with water, it will not work.

Is the Flume device compatible with all water meters? | Flume Help Center

Is it possible that bill is for 2 months? I know Duke made me pay a deposit when I first moved to TV. I forget about the water bill, but maybe you had to pay for an extra month?...

We have a corner lot and average between 15,000 - 22,000 per month depending on the weather.

My house is in DeLuna. My irrigation bill doubled last month. My heads are fine. I assumed I was just watering too much so I dialed it back. Total cost increase was $18. Hmmmm, maybe I should look into that. I kinda let it go since rain has finally been bestowed to us. I also thought I would see how it does this month by cutting time in half.

Without knowing how many Days per week, how many minutes per Stage, and is your house on the same meter , my answer would be a guess rather than a suggestion… but I agree with Mr. Wilson…. STREET APPEAL

A WiFi irrigation controller like b-Hyve can be set to automatically delay watering based on rain. Very easy to setup and adjust from your phone.

Smart Watering, Irrigation & Sprinkler Systems
– OrbitOnline

Call Austin White at Artisan Outdoor Living.
License #: SCC 131152788 9294 US-301
Wildwood, FL 34785
(352) 617-3444 artisanoutdoors.com austin@artisanoutdoors.com

He’s very well trained and does outstanding work. I moved into a house with your problem. He found two broken off sprinkler heads squirting out large amounts of water. He also found that my automatic system was set up to water for thirty minutes a day every day. In a courtyard villa. After reviewing my landscaping, he cut that back to 5 minutes twice a week in the back and ten minutes three times a week in the front. My irrigation water use dropped from 37,000 gallons to 5,000. He also cleaned out the control boxes and put in silicone shielded wire nuts that meet code and are less likely to short out if we get a lot of rain and wiring that will turn off the system if a leak is sensed.