Alright let’s get into it. Saw my water bill creeping up last month and figured enough was enough. Time to actually figure out this watering thing in Pinellas County.
Started simple: I just stood at my kitchen window one Tuesday morning, coffee in hand, watching the sprinklers kick on at 7 AM like clockwork. Watched for maybe 15 minutes. Saw so much water just running straight down the driveway into the gutter. Total waste. Felt kinda stupid, honestly.
Did what anyone does next – hit the Pinellas County Utilities website. Needed to know the darn rules. Found out Pinellas has year-round watering restrictions. Who knew? Apparently, not me, until last week. Turns out my Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday sprinkler schedule? Only partially right.
Figuring Out My Messy Schedule
Took a walk around my yard. Realized my “system” was chaos. Front yard got soaked Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday at 7 AM. The sad patch of grass out back? Whenever I remembered, usually Sunday afternoon. Garden beds? When they looked droopy. Zero consistency, probably wasted a ton.
Dug deeper into the county site. Found the specific watering days based on my street address. Turns out my house falls on Wednesday and Saturday before 8 AM or after 6 PM. Also, learned you can water once per week if you use a hose with a shutoff nozzle or a handheld container anytime… but who wants to do that for a whole lawn? Not practical.
Getting My Act Together
Grabbed my phone and adjusted the timer on the front yard sprinklers first thing. Shifted them to run Wednesday and Saturday mornings at 6:30 AM. Why 6:30? Gives ’em enough time to finish before 8 AM, avoids the hottest sun that just evaporates everything, and hopefully misses the peak water pressure times the county mentions.
Put a big sticky note on the back door: “Watering Day Wed & Sat!” Reminds me to check the timer didn’t glitch and to maybe give my potted plants a drink by hand during those days too, since the sprinklers don’t hit them well.
Next up: that sad backyard. Doesn’t have an in-ground system. Pulled out the old oscillating sprinkler. Set a reminder on my phone for Saturday at 6:45 AM to drag it out and hook it up to the hose for 30 minutes, then move it around. This way it falls on an allowable day and time. Made the kid help once for “training” – they moaned but hey, it worked.
The Water Saving Tricks That Actually Help (So Far)
Been doing this for a couple of weeks now. Besides just getting on the proper schedule, learned a few tricks that are easy and seem to make a difference:
- Listen for the squish: Seriously. If you walk on the grass and it sounds or feels squishy? You watered too much. Cut it back next time.
- Point that nozzle down: Watering garden beds? Point the hose nozzle at the soil, not up in the air. Less lost to wind and evaporation.
- Mulch is your cheap friend: Threw some cheap pine bark nuggets around the bushes and garden plants again. Holds the water in the soil longer so I don’t need to soak it as often. Seems obvious, but I’d let it get thin.
- The tuna can test: Saw this online. Put an empty tuna can on the lawn while watering. When it fills up, you’ve put down about an inch of water – usually enough for the week (if it doesn’t rain). Mine filled way faster than I expected! Adjusted my sprinkler timer duration down immediately.
Way too early to see the full impact on the bill, gotta wait for next month. But feels better just knowing I’m doing it right according to the rules. Feels less wasteful already. Plus, waking up early to move sprinklers? Actually kinda peaceful without the summer heat beating down. Fingers crossed it saves those bucks!
