r/amarillo

Curious what happened

Could someone suggest a local business that does UV DTF stickers/ decals? Bonus if I can create a gang sheet online and pickup myself. A business that you have used yourself and been happy with their results. Thanks.

Okay, so with all of the hoopla surrounding the new water meters and billing system, I figured I would test out my meter to see if I was being had by The Man. This is going to be a long post, but hopefully worth it for those that are concerned about their bills. This post isn’t to say that ALL systems are functioning correctly/incorrectly, it’s just to say what my system is doing and maybe give some others ideas of how to test their own usage.

Forewarning: looking at my water bill, my usage doesn’t seem insane when taking into consideration I started watering the month that the new system went into place. That being said, I didn’t go into this thinking I would find a smoking gun.

So, my sources of water usage occur from the following (in order of what I assumed would be the largest usage): 1. Front yard sprinkler system with 3 zones, 2. Backyard above ground sprinkler system, 3. Backyard in ground sprinkler system, 4. Shower (inclusive of the water heater), 5. Washing Machine, 6. Dishwasher, 7. Toilet.

I don’t have any real way to measure my usage from the front yard sprinklers, toilet, dishwasher or washer but I can document when I’m using them and coordinate that with the hourly usage chart through the city’s portal. For the stuff that I can measure my usage, I bought an in-line water meter on Amazon that connects to 5/8 NPT (so water hose connections - the two sprinkler systems in the backyard). My idea here is that this will give me some insight into how accurate the readings from the meter are. Below is my sprinkler schedule followed by my hourly meter readings (from the online portal) paired with when I was using water. Sprinkler scheduling was done so that it would occur while water shouldn’t be being used (at work or asleep).

Sprinkler Schedule:
Front Yard:
Start: 0315 & 1715
Durations: 8, 8, 5 (21 total)
Backyard Above Ground:
Start: 0720 & 1920
Duration: 8
Backyard In-Ground:
Start: 0925 & 2125
Duration: 6

Hourly Usage per City’s Online Portal for 5/19/26:

Time: Gallons
Documented water usage

2-3: 0 gallons
3-4: 0 Gallons
Front Sprinklers @ 315
5-6: 199 Gallons
Shower
Toilet
6-7: 0 Gallons
7-8: 36 Gallons
Backyard above ground @ 720
8-9: 0 Gallons
9-10: 46 Gallons
Backyard in ground @ 925
10-11: 0 Gallons
11-12: 37 Gallons
12-13: 0 Gallons
13-14: 0 Gallons
14-15: 0 Gallons
15-16: 0 Gallons
Toilet
16-17: 0 Gallons
17-18: 3 Gallons
Front Yard Sprinklers @ 1715
18-19: 0 Gallons
Dishwasher
19-20: 194 Gallons
Backyard above ground @ 1920
20-21: 2 Gallons
21-22: 47 Gallons
Backyard in ground @ 2125
22-23: 2 Gallons
23-24: 40 Gallons
24-1: 0 Gallons

Based on my sprinkler scheduling, you can pretty easily see that the time reported by the meter is about +2ish hours compared to real time. To further drive that point, I have so far managed to get 1 reading (the meter was delivered while I was at work) from the backyard above ground sprinkler system. That reading was 47.78 Gallons beginning at 1920. The portal shows 47 gallons used between 2100 and 2200 - adjusted to mean between 1900 and 2000, aligning with the start time of 1920. I was honestly surprised to see the meters reading align so well with my in-line meters reading - granted, that is only one reading but I will continue to get some readings and compare them with the portal to make sure it remains accurate.

NOW, HEAR ME OUR - I am not siding with the city. I am not siding with anyone. I’m just reporting what I’ve found from a days worth of half assed assessing. Like I said, I’ll continue to monitor, and if I see anything weird, I’ll definitely come back here.

For those that are seeing crazy bill swings, I’m sorry, that sucks, I get it. I am absolutely not saying that it’s your fault or that you do or do not have a leak. That being said, I would love to see some hourly usage for those that the city said have a leak, because to me, you should be seeing a continuous usage with some surges when you’re actually using water.. Which could still point to a faulty meter, which seems easy enough for the city to swap out for another one to prove one way or the other. Some questions that those with concerns could pose to the city could revolve around whether or not each meter was tested prior to install and if the meters are calibrated/certified prior to install or calibrated on a scheduled basis.

TL;DR: Over the course of a single day, my meters reading aligned with what I documented. This doesn’t necessarily prove anything and it certainly doesn’t mean that all meters are reading correctly/incorrectly. Eveyones situation is different and you should try to study your situation if you believe you are being cheated out of money. Just remember, nobody is going to be better at catching someone with their hand in your pocket than you are.

I would love to hear what everyone else is thinking, and ESPECIALLY if anyone else has done something like this.

UPDATE: I checked the city’s readings again for 5/20 in the same way as before and continued to get within a few gallons of what the city has reported. I have no way of telling if it’s my meter or the city’s meter where the discrepancy is originating, but so long as it stays within a couple of gallons, I’m not going to go chasing it. Also worth noting, sometime around mid-day on 5/20 my meter switched to reading to the tenth of a gallon. That means that previously, my meter had been rounding (I assume up). Not sure if everybody else’s meters did the same, but I would assume so.

Seeking small business craftsmen to purchase candles, plants, pottery, clothing and more. I want to keep my dollars in the community, and I want to purchase unique handmade items. Please leave links below to your shops, or information on how to purchase from you.

Swinging through town for a few days for a work trip.
My wife is tagging along for a change of scenery and we are looking for places to eat. We are not picky, any suggestions?

I will be staying in Amarillo for 12 weeks and I'm looking for good hotels. Any recommendations?

I moved to a little town outside of Amarillo about 6 months ago- I am finally about to get health insurance again (sadly had some financial difficulties that prevented me from getting it sooner) and I have several chronic illnesses to include PCOS, CPTSD, and Hashimoto’s. I need a primary care doctor that can both help me manage my current issues- but also help me with figuring out what the mystery underlying issue I’ve been experiencing for nearly 7 years is- I am almost certain it’s POTS. I need to find someone that is willing to listen and not write me off, and that’s happy to do referrals and help me with my disability case paperwork- all in all, someone that actually cares.

So any recommendations on PCP, but also potential cardiologists or neurologists (bonus points for experience with POTS) and lastly, psychiatrists!

I’m going to file for disability once established with new doctors here in Texas, so if anyone has experience with that here in Texas or knows of good disability lawyers- thats also highly appreciated 🙏

*I am willing to travel as well, I just want answers!

Having thoughts of moving to different states, currently considering places in the panhandle of Texas including Amarillo. That being said I'm well aware of the fact that this part of the state is located in tornado Alley, and I'm from the Sacramento valley where tornadoes are almost unheard of. I was curious, for reference, how long have you lived there and how many tornado warnings versus actual touchdowns in your area have occurred during your residency in Amarillo Texas?

Thank you all for any participation and input! 😊

Seems like every time I glance at one of their headlines, there's news about drag shows. This is from today. What kind of weirdos are running the Tribune?

https://preview.redd.it/jz4j27pax32h1.png?width=1237&format=png&auto=webp&s=e327f747c07129f5f72c442155db41d2629ce31b

They allow their male employees to sexually harass and joke about sexually assaulting their female employees, and when it’s brought to management attention , they do nothing about it and blame the employee who was harassed.

I was the only female on shift ever during nights and I was getting sexually harassed by two of my male coworkers and they joked about wanting to sexually assault me, and when I finally brought it to management’s attention, the two males lied,and I was blamed by management and asked “what did I do to provoke it?”

Just consider rethinking where you wanna go to eat before you go and give them business.

-a female who worked there for a month,and quit because I felt uncomfortable and unprotected.

Hey there I’ll be in Amarillo for the week and wondering if there’s any comedy open mics I can check out and do I’ll be there from Monday to Thursday

Went in there to grab a burger to go at around noon yesterday. The whole place smelt of a baboon's ass and I couldn't bare it. It's nasty.

Lay out a playlist description for the music on Amarillo College Radio in the 90tys.

I want to try out the description on the Spotify playlist creator.

It looks like some type of restaurant with a drive thru. Anyone know what this is going to be?

Looking for spots that offer good and/or cheap drink specials tonight lmk the details pls, preferably the less crowded the better