[Altavia]

With a Flume, you can monitor your water usage real time remotely.

It can catch leaks and broken irrigation heads/pipes.


Flume Water | Smart Home Water Monitor | Water Leak Detector

But, I don't know if it will be compatible with the new meters. Compatibility list here:

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

[twoplanekid]

Originally Posted by Bill14564

Yep, it's you, but I didn't want to call anyone out. Thank you for commenting.

Multiple readings per month would be much better than what we have now. Daily readings would be ideal if that was possible. HOWEVER, this only helps if the residents can get access to those meetings during the month.

The new meters can internally log activity to the hour or quarter hour. Regardless, a monthly reading only shows the end of the month value. While the additional information is available, it is not normally pulled from the meter. It is there but it does me no good if I can't get access to it throughout the month.

Likewise with the additional readings you are proposing - if I cannot get access to those during the month then they do me no good and might just as well not happen.

My next reading should be December 5 with the next NSCUDD meeting on December 9. I'll pass along anything I hear.

If we could take additional readings by driving down the street more often with the data collector device in a car or truck, it is my understanding that the data collection software would then alert NSCUDD staff and or Jacobs that a leak may be occurring. Action would then be taken by NSCUDD to check for a leak. No action need by our customers. Daily reads would be much better than one reading a month to help quickly find water leaks. I wanted to have a AMi system but the increase in cost was just too great. So, if we can have a hybrid system taking meter reading more often to then be closer to the best system which is a AMI system. SECO is now using an AMI meter reading system.

[Bill14564]

Originally Posted by twoplanekid

If we could take additional readings by driving down the street more often with the data collector device in a car or truck, it is my understanding that the data collection software would then alert NSCUDD staff and or Jacobs that a leak may be occurring. Action would then be taken by NSCUDD to check for a leak. No action need by our customers. Daily reads would be much better than one reading a month to help quickly find water leaks. I wanted to have a AMi system but the increase in cost was just too great. So, if we can have a hybrid system taking meter reading more often to then be closer to the best system which is a AMI system. SECO is now using an AMI meter reading system.

*IF* that was done then it would certainly be better than today. Actually, it would be better than relying on the homeowners since I'm not likely to check the reading everyday anyway. But given the reluctance of the District (VCCDD staff) to accept that the electronics in the meters can glitch, I'm not ready to trust a District-based detection/alerting/action system yet.

AMI would have been better but the study showed it would be more expensive and it would also require fewer workers. I would have been ready to accept the higher amount the cynical side of me says that was never in the cards. The more expensive, better system had the potential to detect leaks faster. Detecting leaks faster would reasonably lead to alerting the homeowner sooner, fixing the problem sooner, using/wasting less water, and saving the homeowner money. Of course, while this means less spent by the homeowner it also means less collected by the District. It may not be in the District's best interest to reduce the amount it collects, certainly not when it costs more to collect less. Also, AMI would not be in the utility contractor's best interest since it would take them out of the meter-reading business entirely.

[Birdrm]

$90 for irrigation only sounds like a lot of water, earlier in the year I had a leak in my system and was using close to 10,000 gallons a month and my bill was only $42 dollars. Now I have my system fixed and water 3 times a week my bill in down to $24 a month. Are you sure that there is not a leak if your irrigation bill is $90?

[DoreenH]

If you used your outside hose to wash your golf cart, then that was not irrigation water. All faucets, inside and out, use potable house water. Only the sprinkler system uses irrigation water. So, if your irrigation bill is abnormally high, then maybe you have a leak in one of your sprinkler lines.

[G.R.I.T.S.]

Us too. Got a new meter and they didn’t charge us for water usage.

[Dexterconfetti]

For at least 25 years in suburban Philly, our meters have been read by radio signal. No human involvement. Very accurate.

[dsattazahn]

Just asking the question, I have a home in Sumter County, I see the total water usage on my monthly bill, but it is not broken down with irrigation water? Is that just something they don’t do where I’m at or what am I missing? Thank you.

[retiredguy123]

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[retiredguy123]

Originally Posted by dsattazahn

Just asking the question, I have a home in Sumter County, I see the total water usage on my monthly bill, but it is not broken down with irrigation water? Is that just something they don’t do where I’m at or what am I missing? Thank you.

Ask your neighbors. If your house is old, you may not have a separate irrigation water service. The county where you live has nothing to do with it.