If you have a high water bill — and an irrigation system — look no further than the irrigation controller. Nine times out of 10, that’s the culprit.
Have you had high water bills this summer? You’re not alone. Many people have been scratching their heads wondering how they’ve used so much water when there’s only two people living in the household. Or they haven’t even been in town to use water at home.
If you have a high water bill — and you have an irrigation system — look no further than the irrigation controller. Nine times out of ten, that’s the culprit.
Irrigation systems use a lot of water really fast, especially if they’re not programmed correctly. To give you an idea, here’s what I found on two separate irrigation consultations with actual customers.
Customer A was billed for 15,000 gallons last month despite not having been home the entire time. During the irrigation consultation, we learned that the irrigation system was programmed to water all six stations once a week for 20 minutes, both morning and night. The irrigation system was averaging 15 gallons per minute — more than 15,000 gallons of water per month.
Customer B lives in a new subdivision, with a brand new landscape. The customer was billed for using more than 75,000 gallons of water in one month. After numerous inquiries to the builder, the water softener company and a plumber — all of whom verified there were no leaks on the property — the customer suspected a faulty meter and reached out to SAWS. Since he had an irrigation system, he was offered a free irrigation consultation. We discovered the controller had been programmed to establish the new lawn. The sprinkler system was running every single day, twice a day for 15 minutes watering all seven zones. The average water use was about 12 gallons per minute.
The irrigation system controller is the monster in the garage and you need to tame it. It can use more water in one month than your family uses all year.
Don’t believe it? Book a free irrigation consultation and we’ll help you understand your irrigation system and set the controller correctly.
More importantly, we’ll help you make adjustments to use a reasonable amount of water while still maintaining a beautiful landscape! Call 210-704-SAVE or email us today for your free consultation.
