Hey Fellow Floridians - Year 2

[Goldie321]

Originally Posted by Ricky Shaw

$65 was my water bill last month, 12000 gallons. Sewer is included in that total, as are all fees and taxes. There's a minimum billing of $32, even if no water is used.

I think our water costs a lot here, but your bill look in line. How many gallons?

Put in an irrigation well. It will pay for itself over time by keeping your irrigation water out of your water/sewer bill. Just be sure to put it deep enough that it won't go dry if you get a long dry spell. Here in Florida, we had neighbors with the same situation, but many played it cheap and didn't go deep enough when they put their wells in. A couple of summers with a poor rainy season and their wells went dry.

[Zone9b]

Originally Posted by Goldie321

Put in an irrigation well. It will pay for itself over time by keeping your irrigation water out of your water/sewer bill. Just be sure to put it deep enough that it won't go dry if you get a long dry spell. Here in Florida, we had neighbors with the same situation, but many played it cheap and didn't go deep enough when they put their wells in. A couple of summers with a poor rainy season and their wells went dry.

I've washed a few shallow wells here in the Orlando area, i.e. with garden hose and PVC.
Here I looked for a depth that gave me the cleanest water. Too deep and often dirty water, while some depths can give you what I assume is irony water which can turn sidewalks etc.red.
A number of years ago during a drought I had an irrigation pump start to suck air, because the water table had dropped below the highest holes in the point of the well. My solution was to dig down a bit, cut the pvc, attach a another piece of pvc and put a cap on it. Then I took a large rubber tipped hammer and beat the pvc well pipe a little over a foot deeper. Then I reattached the pvc to the pump and problem solved. A very cheap and fast solution.
Larry

[Goldie321]

Originally Posted by Zone9b

I've washed a few shallow wells here in the Orlando area, i.e. with garden hose and PVC.
Here I looked for a depth that gave me the cleanest water. Too deep and often dirty water, while some depths can give you what I assume is irony water which can turn sidewalks etc.red.
A number of years ago during a drought I had an irrigation pump start to suck air, because the water table had dropped below the highest holes in the point of the well. My solution was to dig down a bit, cut the pvc, attach a another piece of pvc and put a cap on it. Then I took a large rubber tipped hammer and beat the pvc well pipe a little over a foot deeper. Then I reattached the pvc to the pump and problem solved. A very cheap and fast solution.
Larry

I'm directly west of you Orlando on the Gulf Coast. I have a drinking water well, no city water in our area. Can't stand that chlorine bleach that comes out of the faucets in our neighboring town of Spring Hill - nasty stuff! Our well goes down into the aquifer.

[Ricky Shaw]

I'm in the city and couldn't sink a well, but there's a good chance it would be unusable unless it were RO'd because of high dissolved solids. After going thru that, it'd be less hassle to use city water. It's nice stuff, >90ppm solids, pH around 7

I was just surprised water bills there, seem like water bills here, and you guys have a lot of inland water.

[Goldie321]

Originally Posted by Ricky Shaw

I'm in the city and couldn't sink a well, but there's a good chance it would be unusable unless it were RO'd because of high dissolved solids. After going thru that, it'd be less hassle to use city water. It's nice stuff, >90ppm solids, pH around 7

I was just surprised water bills there, seem like water bills here, and you guys have a lot of inland water.

Our part of Florida, and probably other parts, are under strict water conservation. We've had some really bad drought years. We count on our summer rainy season for a lot of our water. This year, at least in our part of the state, it seems to be making up for lost time. Very wet July and these first days of August have been pretty wet as well. I don't know how many inches fell this July but I'll bet we are are way ahead of where we are normally. As a matter of fact, it sounds like another thunderstorm is gearing up - I hear thunder right now. We've had so many cloudy rainy days my tomatoe plants lasted over a full month longer than normal. They have usually had it by mid June. Some made it till the end of July and the rest are just starting to get wet rot.

[Zone9b]

Originally Posted by Goldie321

I'm directly west of you Orlando on the Gulf Coast. I have a drinking water well, no city water in our area. Can't stand that chlorine bleach that comes out of the faucets in our neighboring town of Spring Hill - nasty stuff! Our well goes down into the aquifer.

A deep well would appear to be a much more complicated affair than a shallow well, which is just a piece of pvc with a pvc point stuck in the ground, usually from 20 to 40 feet around here.

[Goldie321]

Originally Posted by Zone9b

A deep well would appear to be a much more complicated affair than a shallow well, which is just a piece of pvc with a pvc point stuck in the ground, usually from 20 to 40 feet around here.

Yeah but get a summer or two with less than normal rainfall and that searing daily heat and your well, which you will be counting on even more, is going to turn up dry by mid summer. Saw a lot of neighbors end up exactly that way.

[Barb_FL]

Originally Posted by Ricky Shaw

$65 was my water bill last month, 12000 gallons. Sewer is included in that total, as are all fees and taxes. There's a minimum billing of $32, even if no water is used.

I think our water costs a lot here, but your bill look in line. How many gallons?

This was mine with billing due date 7/17/2017 so most of the garden was long gone. The earlier ones were more $.

Amount: $106.12 # of gallons 8300
Water part was $50.47
Sewer part was $55.65
No tax added (our tax rate is 7%)

Now the good one - lowest in years. $68.02 total for 4200 gallons.

So 12000 gallons (like you use) would be about $190.

-----------------
Goldie - We have an artesian well for the sprinkler system (lawn) but don't use that water for the garden.

[Zone9b]

Originally Posted by Barb_FL

This was mine with billing due date 7/17/2017 so most of the garden was long gone. The earlier ones were more $.Amount: $106.12 # of gallons 8300
Water part was $50.47
Sewer part was $55.65
No tax added (our tax rate is 7%)
Now the good one - lowest in years. $68.02 total for 4200 gallons.
So 12000 gallons (like you use) would be about $190.-----------------
Goldie - We have an artesian well for the sprinkler system (lawn) but don't use that water for the garden.

Right at 4000 gallon Water Service $12.03 for July
Taxes a bit over $8 but that was on both water and electricity.

[kurt]

Our bill comes every three months,water and sewer.Hard for me to dissect,I use combo,well,city for purposes here.Below for us Floridians are the guidelines contractors must endure for those permits.A new injection well here has set a record.

http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/files/...nstruction.pdf

http://miami.cbslocal.com/2015/02/13...orida-history/

[Ricky Shaw]

I will shut up about my water bills, did not realize how cheap our water is here. Now I'm feeling hoggish using 12000 gallons a month, even though we probably use the same as most neighbors. The front yard is partly xeriscaped and the back is reduced because of the garden, so it probably evens out as they tend to overwater.

[Barb_FL]

Originally Posted by Ricky Shaw

I will shut up about my water bills, did not realize how cheap our water is here. Now I'm feeling hoggish using 12000 gallons a month, even though we probably use the same as most neighbors. The front yard is partly xeriscaped and the back is reduced because of the garden, so it probably evens out as they tend to overwater.

Where I live no one uses city water to water their lawn. We all have artesean wells so that is $0 cost except electricity when the pump runs. Everyone owns their own well but it is still regulated with how often you can water. Even # houses can water on Sunday, Thursday only and odd number houses can water on Saturday and Wedsnesday. Then starting in October through April, it goes down to just 1 day a week allowed.

We also save on water usage because a few years ago we had our house re-plumped (due to leaks in the copper piping caused by corrosive water). The new PVC pipes are insulated in the attic instead of under the slab. It gets so hot up there and having a black tile roof doesn't help. When the sun is out (year round), we take 'SOLAR SHOWERS'. It is instant hot water so no wasted water waiting for it to get hot. In the hot months we can get the Solar showers until 11 PM. An unintended consequence.


LARRY - I can't believe how cheap your water bill is.

[Zone9b]

Originally Posted by Barb_FL

LARRY - I can't believe how cheap your water bill is.

Here is a more expensive bill from last May.
Consumption for 30 Days 3 KGAL @ 0.729 2.19
3 KGAL @ 1.239 3.72
Current OUC Water Charges 14.54 (Total)
Taxes on the bill for electricity and water were a little over 5 dollars.
Even though I'm just a few miles south of downtown Orlando I'm not a resident of the City but a resident of Orange County and I like it that way. Taxes for sure are less.
The plastic pipe in your house house plumbing is probably PEX. Much better than PVC.

My new tomato plants are looking good. I put two trays out to start hardening them off yesterday. More to put out tomorrow. I'm hoping that this fall garden will be as good as last fall. What a season, last fall.
Larry

[efisakov]

Originally Posted by Zone9b

Here is a more expensive bill from last May.
Consumption for 30 Days 3 KGAL @ 0.729 2.19
3 KGAL @ 1.239 3.72
Current OUC Water Charges 14.54 (Total)
Taxes on the bill for electricity and water were a little over 5 dollars.
Even though I'm just a few miles south of downtown Orlando I'm not a resident of the City but a resident of Orange County and I like it that way. Taxes for sure are less.
The plastic pipe in your house house plumbing is probably PECS. Much better than PVC.

My new tomato plants are looking good. I put two trays out to start hardening them off yesterday. More to put out tomorrow. I'm hoping that this fall garden will be as good as last fall. What a season, last fall.
Larry

sorry, were you talking about PEX pipes?

[efisakov]

Hi, Barb. Was picking my Buena mulata hot pepper for cooking and wanted to say thank you for the seeds. They are really beautiful and hot but just the right amount.
Only one Enjoya seed germinated and they are looking big, just not ripe yet. Will let you know. Thank you again.