Irrigation systems

[mramseyISU]

So I moved into a house a couple years ago with an irrigation system. It’s the first time I’ve ever had one. For those of you that have them how much does your water bill go up in a month vs the months you don’t use them? I’ve got mine set up to run 4 days a week for about 20 minutes and my water bill triples vs the months I don’t have it on. I’m thinking I have a leak somewhere in it because that seems crazy to me. Is that typical to see that big of a jump for the summer months or does seem really high to you guys that have them?

 

[ianoconnor]

Following. In the process of moving to a house with irrigation so this is of interest.

I was hoping to water a couple times per week. Is there a minimum to make it worth it?

 

[Cyclonesrule91]

Depends on where you live. When we lived in Waukee the water rates were way high and it wouldn’t take much watering to make the water bill fly higher. We moved to Clive a few years ago and I can irrigate 2-3 times a week and my water bill at the highest was double. Love the irrigation.
If you’re worried about a leak and have irrigation, your house should have a separate meter for the irrigation system so without watering your yard for a day check out the number on the meter in the morning and then again that night or next morning. That will tell you if you have a leak.

You will also notice wet soft spots in the yard if you have a leak you’ll see it in the yard

 

[serverguy]

It just really depends on what you have. The "system" we have right now covers 1/2 acre with six zones. Each zone waters between 30-50 minutes depending on what type of heads are in each zone. I roughly figured every time there was a full cycle that would run it would cost $15.00. With my system it is pretty easy to tell when you have a leak if you walk it. It will really be soggy were there is one.

Did you have a professional do the back flow and start up of the system? We are at a little over ten years and had to replace five heads this year do to them leaking. They last from 10-15 years.

 

[ISUTKD]

So I moved into a house a couple years ago with an irrigation system. It’s the first time I’ve ever had one. For those of you that have them how much does your water bill go up in a month vs the months you don’t use them? I’ve got mine set up to run 4 days a week for about 20 minutes and my water bill triples vs the months I don’t have it on. I’m thinking I have a leak somewhere in it because that seems crazy to me. Is that typical to see that big of a jump for the summer months or does seem really high to you guys that have them?

you should be able to estimate the expected water consumption by looking at the flow rating for each of your sprinkler heads. Most sprinklers will maintain those flow rates within a reasonable tolerance as long as your water pressure is normal. I think most designs are calibrated for 45 PSI.

If you do some basic math, you can at least get an idea of what you should be seeing. My gut instinct is to say that yes you have a leak.

Lots of you tube videos on this subject.

 

[mramseyISU]

It just really depends on what you have. The "system" we have right now covers 1/2 acre with six zones. Each zone waters between 30-50 minutes depending on what type of heads are in each zone. With my system it is pretty easy to tell when you have a leak if you walk it. It will really be soggy were there is one.

Did you have a professional do the back flow and start up of the system? Were are at a little over ten years and had to replace five heads this year do to them leaking. They last from 10-15 years.

I have had a backflow test done every year at start up because it’s a city ordnance. I do have one soggy spot when it rains but it’s a natural runoff area so it’s wet there before I turn the system on for the year.

 

[ripvdub]

Water gets expensive. In ankeny it is a racket. In my neighborhood, we have some dbags that spend 1k a month on watering a normal sized .3 acre lawn, but those idiots water everyday. I have .6 acres and barely water and it can almost run $300 in the summer. When I first moved to ankeny a bazillion years ago our water bill was $40.
I love a good looking lawn, but with no shade and clay filled sod, I try to spend money on other things like trees and improving soil quality.

 

[serverguy]

It runs at an average of about 12 gpm the last time I checked.

 

[serverguy]

Water gets expensive. In ankeny it is a racket. In my neighborhood, we have some dbags that spend 1k a month on watering a normal sized .3 acre lawn, but those idiots water everyday. I have .6 acres and barely water and it can almost run $300 in the summer. When I first moved to ankeny a bazillion years ago our water bill was $40.
I love a good looking lawn, but with no shade and clay filled sod, I try to spend money on other things like trees and improving soil quality.

I am sure Ankeny is not in the minority with their water rates. The more you use the more expensive it gets. Once you hit 5,000 gallons it goes up another $2.23 per thousand gallons.

 

[Tailg8er]

Our highest bill last year was ~$250, which is right about 3x our normal monthly amount. That was in July, used 14,600 in irrigation. We did just have a system check including a few repairs last April, so pretty sure there were no leaks. We run ours 3x a week @ 15 mins per station (might have been more that particular month), so I could see 4x @ 20 mins getting you to 3x your normal cost (unless your 20 mins is total time & not each station). I'm in Johnston, FWIW.

 

[CY88]

Do you have split meters or a single water meter? If you only have one water meter then you are paying for both water and sewer when you irrigate. Sewer rates are typically as high or higher than water rates. If you don't have a split meter check with your city to see if they allow split metering. It could cut your irrigation costs in half.

In terms of how much to water, the general rule of thumb is 1 inch/week. Don't fall into the trap of over watering. Depending on the size of the zone, the type of heads and number of heads, your run times will very by zone. If you don't know the run times for your zones to get an inch of water, then use a rain gauge and time how long it takes to collect an inch.

The typical watering schedule would be 3 times/week. You want the grass to dry out between waterings. Set your schedule to run 3 times/week and run times to be 1/3 the total time it takes to get an inch. If you don't have a rain sensor connected to your controller, invest in one. It will prevent you from watering after a rain shower.

Also you should look at adjusting your run times through out the season depending on the weather. Right now I'm running at 60% because of the cooler temps. In August, I typically run at 120%. In Sept. I will drop back to 100% or less depending on temps.

 

[dosry5]

I love a good looking lawn, but with no shade and clay filled sod, I try to spend money on other things like trees and improving soil quality.

this. I have neighbors who still run their sprinklers in the rain. I’d rather spend the money elsewhere. Clover is still green.

 

[IcSyU]

Infrequent and deep watering >>>> frequent shallow watering.

 

[clone4life82]

Do you have split meters or a single water meter? If you only have one water meter then you are paying for both water and sewer when you irrigate. Sewer rates are typically as high or higher than water rates. If you don't have a split meter check with your city to see if they allow split metering. It could cut your irrigation costs in half.

In terms of how much to water, the general rule of thumb is 1 inch/week. Don't fall into the trap of over watering. Depending on the size of the zone, the type of heads and number of heads, your run times will very by zone. If you don't know the run times for your zones to get an inch of water, then use a rain gauge and time how long it takes to collect an inch.

The typical watering schedule would be 3 times/week. You want the grass to dry out between waterings. Set your schedule to run 3 times/week and run times to be 1/3 the total time it takes to get an inch. If you don't have a rain sensor connected to your controller, invest in one. It will prevent you from watering after a rain shower.

Also you should look at adjusting your run times through out the season depending on the weather. Right now I'm running at 60% because of the cooler temps. In August, I typically run at 120%. In Sept. I will drop back to 100% or less depending on temps.

that depends on where you live and how you bill you.... in some cities (including Ankeny), they will average your water/sewer usage throughout the year and then only charge you water usage for the summer months when you have a higher demand.

 

[Yaz]

You should have a separate waterline for your irrigation system, so your cost is lower. Also, I am not sure if you are running all of your zones 20 minutes or you just have one zone? Typically your time is based on water output and heads being used....some zones may take 45 minutes each while others as little as 10 minutes. Then that all will change based on the season. Less water in the spring, more in July. Regardless, 4 times a week is probably too much and you will start fight fungus and other issues by over watering. Water heavy only a couple times of week. Start early morning. Mine starts up at 3:00AM and depending of time of year, shuts down between 6 and 7AM. I adjust times and frequency as needed.

 

[ruxCYtable]

We moved into a home with irrigation system two years ago. I hate it. I've had to spend money on repairs each year, including $300 this year. If I have to spend another dime on it I'm shutting it down and going back to the good old hose and sprinkler.

 

[IcSyU]

We moved into a home with irrigation system two years ago. I hate it. I've had to spend money on repairs each year, including $300 this year. If I have to spend another dime on it I'm shutting it down and going back to the good old hose and sprinkler.

Depending on the type of repair most sprinkler stuff is painfully simple to fix yourself.

 

[FallOf81]

You should have a separate waterline for your irrigation system, so your cost is lower. Also, I am not sure if you are running all of your zones 20 minutes or you just have one zone? Typically your time is based on water output and heads being used....some zones may take 45 minutes each while others as little as 10 minutes. Then that all will change based on the season. Less water in the spring, more in July. Regardless, 4 times a week is probably too much and you will start fight fungus and other issues by over watering. Water heavy only a couple times of week. Start early morning. Mine starts up at 3:00AM and depending of time of year, shuts down between 6 and 7AM. I adjust times and frequency as needed.

This for sure.
Was told a long time ago by a veteran yard man the grass should be dry by 10 a.m. And quit scalping your yard over the summer trying to get that golf course fairway look. Cut it tall. 4 inches minimum. Will help reduce watering cost as well as your soil will be better guarded. The longer the grass, the deeper the roots, the healthier the yard.

 

[cyfan92]

Sounds like you are watering for too short and too frequently. That will result in shallow roots and heavy stress during the summer heat

I'm beyond happy with letting my lawn go dormant when it's hot and saving thousands of dollars a year and not wasting the most precious resource on planet earth

 

[CyOps]