Help with Sprinkler/Irrigation Problem

[Blue bio balls]

Could it be a leak before your meter on the city side of the pipe?

 

[jeep78]

Could also be a gray water leak from your house, or a water leak from your neighbor's water line.

 

[spamcastle]

I’ll look more closely towards the meter box but I’ve yet to see anything. It’s definitly on my side of the property. Here’s a crude drawing of location.

 

[teearr]

Could also be a gray water leak from your house, or a water leak from your neighbor's water line.

Yep, could also be a natural spring or maybe even the beginning of a sinkhole (j/k)

 

[spamcastle]

I had another chance to not use water in the house this morning. I took a picture of the meter at around 0830 this morning.

Here is the meter again at 1400. There appears to have been some movement but it doesnt look like it was alot. Should I be concerned over this amount of movement in a 5 1/2 hour time period?

 

[spamcastle]

Here is a video of the leak detector. It seems like it moves back and forth in both directions. It does not do it constantly and usually is just very little but it certainly moves a little to the left and then back a little to the right. Is this normal?

 

[Kahrnut]

That's 130 gallons per 24 hours.

 

[spamcastle]

That's 130 gallons per 24 hours.

Well crap, and I thought I wasn't in as bad of shape as I thought. How did you figure that usage? I thought from my internet research that one rotation of the dial was 1 cubic foot/7.48 gallons? Is that not correct? I figured 100 dashes on the dial per rotation equals 0.0748 gallons used per dash so I had wasted 3 dashes or 0.2244 gallons in roughly 6 hours or an estimated 0.8976 gallons daily.

 

[Bushwick100]

I had a large area in my yard that I covered with black landscape fabric and planted a couple of plants because water runoff and shade were killing the grass. Shortly after finishing I started having an area of the driveway with a small puddle on it. At first I thought maybe it was rain runoff accumulating under the fabric and leaking out of the ground but Ive received a few higher than average water bills that now have me wondering if its something else.Over the last few weeks the puddle has gradually gotten larger. I'm thinking maybe I nicked a irrigation water line with a landscape spike or something? We do not use the sprinkler system and it is not turned on but a few times a year.

I found what I believe is the irrigation control box.I could not find any large valve to cut off the system. I did however find these 3 little turn valves next to each little stack. Are these the correct shut offs? After turning them all clockwise until they stopped the sprinkler system no longer turns on.

Instead of moving all the pine straw and removing the black fabric to try and locate the source of the water I figured I would turn off the system and see if the area dries up. Is this my best option at this time? Is there anything else I should try?

Figured someone with some experience maybe able to offer some ideas/help before I waste to much time going in possibly the wring direction..

i had the same problem, I had to call the Water company to turn of my Sprinkler System. I was getting a $550-800 water bill a month. I did have a break in the line. To get it fixed it would have cost allot of money. I haven't had a Water bill over $50 , in 8 years, but I did have my Water Pressure system GO down, but thats a different story.

 

[JSoko]

I had another chance to not use water in the house this morning.

your 1st two photos above; Water went through the meter

by what you say; your irrigation system is feed from the same meter/line that supplies the house;

if this is correct

do what you did again, this time turn off the main valve in the house,
and check meter again using photos