NOT LOOKING FORWARD TO NEXT WATER ACCOUNT

[1950landy]

I am not looking forward to our next water account , I have had to set our automatic watering system to come on morning & night . These hot days & dry winds in Brisbane are burning all out plants , especially the ones around the pool , the heat from the pool capping is burning the leaves . :angry2: & now the lawn grubs have attacked the lawn. :BigCry:

[Ferret]

I have had to set our automatic watering system to come on morning & night...

Sounds like your doing OK. In Perth we are only allowed to use auto sprinklers on 2 days each week and then only once (morning or afternoon but not both), on those particular days.

[1950landy]

Urban utilities don't care how much you use they are in business to make money , lots of money.

[AK83]

Urban utilities don't care how much you use they are in business to make money , lots of money.

I reckon about (maybe) 3-4 yrs ago my usual quarterly bill used to be about $70-90 .. I remember it wasn't all that much.
One very quiet night, I was outside having a smoko .. and I could hear the hissing and tapping of a tap running.
Went to meter and noted it was running. Checked all taps in the house, all off. Turned out I had a leak in the main line to the house in the front yard.
Water company helped me estimate my actual usage minus the excess usage of the leak over about 3-6 months or so, and they gave me a refund of about $70odd.

Fast forward 3 or 4 years now and my minimum water bill per quarter is now $300 or more!
I know I'm a bit more careful of my water use and I'm a low consumption household(usually only myself and two kids part time .. shared custody).
back 3 or 4 years ago I never really gave a thought to water usage,, although always been a low usage household .. never water gardens, or wash car etc .. just my consumption, dishes, clothing and showers.

So for me, that utility has increased close to 400% in about 4 years! .. so much for 'CPI' [bighmmm]

Almost certainly thanks to a desal plant we're never going to ever make use of I'm guessing.

[1950landy]

I recon I have two choices , either pay for the water or let the pants die & buy new plants when the weather gets a bit cooler . I think the plants are the more expensive though. I have 3 x 3000lLit tanks that I use for hand hosing all the pots & topping up the pool .

[austastar]

Hi,
The connection fee is the killer, usage is peanuts.
Can't avoid it by going to tanks either, if it is in the street, you pay.
Cheers

[Saitch]

How much do you pay a quarter?
We are on tank water only and had to buy 24,000 litres when one of the pumps malfunctioned (my fault, long story) and worked overnight trying to empty the two 22,000 litre tanks on the bottom shed. Cost was $135 per 12,000 litre (one truck load).
May be cheaper to keep your tanks topped up by delivery.
The main problem with it is that it is "Town" water and hence has all the added chemicals in it. Smells and tastes terrible!

Hope you get some relief soon.

Steve

[austastar]

Hi,
Last quarterly from Tas water.
Fixed 20mm supply $82.37
Fixed Sewerage $158.06

44 kL @ $1.0202/kL = $44.89

So average use per day = 480L at 49 cents.

Cheers

[bemm52]

Not sure where West Lake is but if your near the coast you don't need to go down to far with a bore to find water

I got good irrigation water at 1.8 meters but sunk casing 6.5 meters(plastic sewer pipe.)....plenty of info on goggle how to do this) then all you need is a foot valve and a capable pump...I pump from my bore to rainwater tanks then reticulate from there

Cheers Paul

[1950landy]

How much do you pay a quarter?
We are on tank water only and had to buy 24,000 litres when one of the pumps malfunctioned (my fault, long story) and worked overnight trying to empty the two 22,000 litre tanks on the bottom shed. Cost was $135 per 12,000 litre (one truck load).
May be cheaper to keep your tanks topped up by delivery.
The main problem with it is that it is "Town" water and hence has all the added chemicals in it. Smells and tastes terrible!

Hope you get some relief soon.

Steve
Our last 1/4 account was $629.43 , take off the $131.97 sewerage charge , so out water charge for a high rain fall 1/4 was $497.46. so the next !/4 were we have not had any rain should be bigger .:thumbsdown:

[mick88]

Our last 1/4 account was $629.43 , take off the $131.97 sewerage charge , so out water charge for a high rain fall 1/4 was $497.46. so the next !/4 were we have not had any rain should be bigger .:thumbsdown:
Is that for actual water used or service fees etc. as well?
How much a Kl are you paying?

Cheers, Mick.

[DiscoMick]

It rained here in Brissie last night - who hoo! Big relief after 35 degree heat for weeks. We only water plants in pots. The lawn and shrubs have to take care of themselves.
At our Maleny place we plan to install a bore. The neighbors only had to go down 15 metres to get good water.