I hate water.

We moved, in August, to a brand new house here in CS. Of course, I got the final bill for my old house after we had moved and it was insane - 20,000 gallons in 32 days. CSU said I must have had a leak. It was well over 2x a normal month's usage...what could I do but pay it, though? I no longer owned that property.

Fast forward to my new house's bills. First month was 16,000 gallons - not unreal considering move-in stuff and watering in a new lawn.

But then I just got the most recent bill - 37,000 gallons?! Are you kidding me? We have been checking the meter this afternoon (once we got the bill) and are at a total loss. I guess we will have to run the sprinkler system to look at the usage.

Anyone have a ballpark on how much water a sprinkler system uses per minute/per sq ft? This is obviously a nightmare because leaks can be tricky to find. We don't have any obvious areas - marshy or very green - in the yard that would signal a leak.

Off to redo the budget to find a way to pay the bill.

long story short, had an astronomical bill in our Austin house during a drought year. There was a leak from where the copper pipe met the PVC pipe. The water was draining under or around the house (big hill) so it was not visible. Very knowledgeable Blackmon Mooring plumber found it. I would get a plumber out because if there is a leak your already behind and into the next billing cycle and it will continue to add up. Best of Luck!!

How big of a house? We're in a 2900 sq ft home with 3.5 baths and sprinkler system. In August we used 35K running the sprinkler system daily. How often were you running the sprinklers.

In this area, you can usually assume that each irrigation zone pushes 16-18 gals./minute. Check your controller and total the number of minutes per zone... multiply by 18 for the high end. Then multiply that by the number of times/month your system is running. This should give you a relatively accurate number.

A typical 4 zone system, running for 1½ hours, twice/week or about 8 times per month will use approximately 13,000 gals per month. If your system is much larger (10 or 12 zones) then 37,000 gals. doesn't sound out of line.

If these numbers ARE out of line, turn off all water using appliances and check your meter. It has a two dials on the meter face. Both should not be moving at all. If the very small, round dial (not the long needle but the leak indicator dial) is creeping around, you have a leak. It might be an irrigation leak, swimming pool valve or more likely a leaky toilet valve.

Hope this helps! If not, I would be glad to help with an irrigation system audit. Give me a call.

Sponsor Message: IDC Irrigation, LLC (979)218-2219 / Mention myBCS for a 5% discount!


[This message has been edited by IDCirrigation (edited 10/27/2010 8:02p).]

we once had a bill for 32,000,000 gallons in a month...

Turned out the meter reader, instead of entering the number in thousands, he entered in ones...

IDC, that info is quite helpful. We have 5 zones and 2 of them run 30 min, the other 3 run 15 min. We do it 3x a week right now. (But I'm going to have my husband knock it down to 1-2x/week because it won't matter if the grass is dead if I am in the poorhouse!) When we first got the sod we did it 2x/day per the turf company recs. This bill had 9 of the 14 days of that 2x/day schedule. How much do you charge for a system audit?

I guess I just want to know if it is in the realm of possibility before I start dragging plumbers and the builder out here. Residents of the house: 2 adults, 1 toddler. I usually take a shower with the toddler since that's water conservation + babysitting all in one.

New sod, running sprinklers twice a day for a while, 37000 gallons is completely understandable.

I have a 9 zone sprinkler system and hate August! I had a 54000 gallon month last year during our drought. During the winter months, when I usually turn the sprinklers off, it has gone as low as 5,000 gallons for one month.

Doing the math, it looks like 3x/week = 22,680 gals./month. If you were running it 2x/day for the new turf.... I think you found the explanation to your high water usage. Did you check your meter?

Once your lawn is established your water usage should decrease significantly. Your zone run-time sounds correct, 30 min. for rotors zones and 15 min. for pop-up spray heads. 2x/week should be more than adequate for this time of year. Call me & I will be glad to quote a price for a water audit.

Sponsor Message: IDC Irrigation, LLC (979)218-2219 / Mention myBCS for a 5% discount!

IDC 4TW.

My first full month in new house this Summer we used 61,000 gallons. My fault for not checking but trusted irrigation guy who told me set to water twice a day when in reality it was 4 times overnight. Learned a quick lesson in college station water pricing.

thanks for the advice, all. I guess in a way it would be a relief to not have a leak, and just a killer one time bill.

I haven't read all the replies. But, look at your water meter and make sure they read it correctly. CSU misread my water meter a few months back and charged me an extra 30,000 gallons for one month.

We've only been in the house 2 months so it's not too hard to verify that the meter read is ok.

I believe I might have an irrigation leak. One line of uncommonly green (damp soil, but not marshy) grass in the backyard about 5-6 feet in length. No overly high bills or outrageous water consumption (avg. about 14,100g/mo.) and nothing else out of the ordinary. How serious is this and what is the best course of action?

I'm comfortable digging up the turf and investigating myself, but I'd like to avoid doing damage if possible. IDC? Thoughts?

Informed-Ag: Don't dig yet...Read my earlier post (above) about how to check your meter. If the "leak indicator" on your meter is moving (even slightly) you have a leak. If you dont mind getting your hands dirty, turn "off" the irrigation isolation valve.... if the meter stops turning, you know its an irrigation leak. Call me, I'll take a look!

Sponsor Message: IDC Irrigation, LLC (979)218-2219 / Mention myBCS for a 5% discount!

Do you do free quotes on irrigation system installation? If so, I might be in the market.

Maroon Argyle: Yes! Please call and we can arrange a meeting time to discuss your new irrigation system! Thanks!

Sponsor Message: IDC Irrigation, LLC (979)218-2219 / Mention myBCS for a 5% discount!