With so much water usage, why not just contact VCDD Utilities and ask them to send a tech to your house for a flow test? It is a free service of theirs and could save you a lot of money.

It is hard to do this when I am in NY.

What a timely post. My wife and I are up in Toledo, Ohio and we just received a water bill from our home in the villages. We were wondering how our water bill could increase when we haven't been there. The leaking or broken sprinkler head theory makes sense. We will call our gardener first thing Monday morning. Thanks all!!!

Thanks Tom. I should be down for a visit shortly. See you then.

we also have a irrigation issue, high water bills
last two bills, 35,000gallons of water for irrigation???
i am also calling on monday, from cleveland ohio
with all the water our lawn still looks yellow, (i have been told)

We had this with post #12 :). Interesting your friend missed this who checked it out originally? Do I get a free week on TOTV for a correct guess?

Yes AJ. Your tip was the answer. Shortly after your suggestion - Bill (a non poster) sent me a PM about walking his dog by my house everyday and noticing the irrigation system running. When my friend first checked out the ststem, he knew nothing of Programs B and C. After I forwarded your post and Bill's PM he returned to the house and read up and programing.

Hopefully, my water use will be okay now. PS: Bill PM'd me again and said the system is not running everyday anymore. I guess i owe you and Bill a dinner.

You owe me nothing. It was just a lucky guess and happy to hear your neighbor helped out. In my short time in TV, it amazes me how many people (including "professionals") mis-program the hunter controller.....

Hopefully you are not posting "How come my lawn is brown" in two weeks :)

See Russ's post #39. He has used 50 k gallons. He might also have a program issue. His property is large but not much larger than mine.

When I get down there in November, I'll be able to monitor the lawn closer. I know I have one dead bush that needs replacing.

Sounds good to me, Tom!! Oh.......that's another Bill......... :1rotfl:

Bill :wave:

Why did I have to count on another Bill to discover my irrigation system running everyday? If you were doing your job, you'd have reported my problem before I wasted 30,000 gallons of water. There are only two answers. Either you were sleeping on the job or you're in Ohio. If you in Ohio, you have an excuse. Otherwise you owe me dinner. LOL

Ya never know, Tom - I might have been the guy who set up your Program B to run every day for you!!! :1rotfl:

We can discuss my failures/shortcomings over dinner when we get back down there. The wives can buy! Ha-ha!

Bill :wave:

Thanks
 

Thanks All-

Our home will be completed in January.

As we are still up North till July it has concerned us about a empty house and water bills!

Is there a service, someone who can check on the home and make sure nothing like this happens.

A new lawn in January? Won't that be dormant time and little needed.

Anyone interested in being a home sprinkler new lawn sitter for us? Tamarind Grove location

Maybe I can have TV hold off on landscaping until we move in?

PM me

Herv

Our home is also in Tamarind Grove and we have similar timing: closed Aug. 8, up north until Oct. 19.

I recommend that you contact Safe Home Watch, Ed & Mary Edwards, 352-603-5333. We have them watching our home and are very pleased with their care. They saved us money by watching the lawn and telling us when we should start to have it mowed - it was a few weeks longer than I expected. After the new sod became established, they adjusted the timers to water less frequently - another savings.

I have used Mary and Ed Edwards until I became full time. I can not say enough about what a great job they do and how they took care of things like my sprinklers and etc. Strongly recommended for those part timers.

Thanks
 

Will do, Appreciate your feedback

I think Redwitch does this kind of stuff too. Also, Massey will check your sprinklers and fix any broken ones for an extra fee.

Thanks to a few TOTV's my problem with the sprinkler system was diagnosed. My last bill went from 27,960 gallons to 11,100. Much more betterior.

When this threat started I stared thinking about my water bill and how a leaky sprinkler system might affect it. I have removed and tested every head for leaks. 12 leaked like a sieve plus 2 more did not work well so I replaced 14 all total. I just completed the project so I do not have any billing numbers yet. I plan to run a cycle and read the water meter before and after and come up with a good estimate. Thanks for the food for thought.
http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:A...IDpHS6iLG6k7MA

sounds like quality workmanship in The Villages. NOT !

Maybe some homeowners should get in touch with the contractors. Might be a widespread problem here.

Thanks to AJBROWN and a neighbor known as Bill. My irrigation system was using water because I had three programs running that I wouldn't have know about had it not been brought to my attention. There was no leak. I was running the system 14 days a week

I was following your situation, Tom, but "The Shadow" had a whole bunch of leaking heads. Maybe others have that same problem - where there's smoke, there's fire.

What makes it worse for me was, I was not in Florida at the time of the Village Nasty Letters and I was powerless to fix the problem, unless I knew what it was. I could then have a friend fix it. Yes, The Shadow had big issues.

With problems with all 14 heads, there's a REAL problem, and other homeowners may be in the same boat.

I should have pointed out today’s sprinkler heads are guaranteed 5 years. Do they last 3 years or 7 years I do not know. 10 of heads I replaced were Hunter heads that were originals, about 10 years old. As far as I am concerned I take full credit for not maintaining the system. My bill has been as high as $160.

You are welcome...
 

That is very nice Tom. I am glad to hear my suggestion helped. Watering 14 days a week? That must have been one great looking lawn :jester:

I am so sorry but I see a guy filling his gas can every day to mow his lawn and when he is mowing the lawn his wife is walking behind him holding an umbrella. It’s the coffee man.

Watering 14 days a week is a felony in FL.

RichieB,
I don't think this is a problem throughout TV. We had to replace a few leaky ones that were eight years old. Sometimes lawn mowers run over and damage them. It does pay to check them periodically, especially if a water bill suddenly shows unusual usage.

And then again it might be setting the clock right or having sprinkler heads that are ten years old.

Richie B.

Bless your dear heart, your posts remind me of my own when we were considering coming down for a life style visit. We had stopped by at friends for an afternoon visit and were very impressed and went back home and I found this forum.

I can tell by what you write that you are a kind soul who loves their animals and drinks coffee, so you are friend material right away.

This place is way too good to be true, and I kept asking questions on here way back in the beginning expecting to uncover the rot under the surface. Well That was four years ago and two houses ago and now we are full time residents.

There are those recently who have even accused me of working for the developer when at first I was posting all kinds of questions with the "REALLY" implied. I made a lot of people mad. They thought I was a "troll" because I was so sceptical.

I just did NOT believe all that the forum posters were saying and surely not all of the advertising. There are those who really hate the Morse family and they aren't perfect for sure. But I have become a real admirer of HOW they made all of their money. They could have really stopped improving or learning new and better ways. That is my opinion, but you will see that my post will bring out the ....other opinions.

I still can't believe how wonderful this place is. We golfed with a couple on Thanksgiving (never met them) and she said several times things like.... Isn't this wonderful? Isn't this day wonderful? Isn't the weather wonderful? Isn't the villages perfect? They had lived here longer than us.

So please come down and see for yourself. Be sure to stop by our house.
And keep asking any and all questions. That is what this forum is for.

You will just love it here in lower paradise, Richie B!

Everything Gracie is saying is true. This place is great