It was a great feeling to turn the new submersible pump on and see such a great result. Client in Dianella had a very large centrifugal pump down a 7 liner well. The centrifugal pump had failed and it was not practical or economical to replace or recondition the pump. Fortunately a few years ago the bore hole at the bottom of the old well had been redrilled and replaced with a 100 mm PVC casing. This was compatible with a new submersible pump. The 3 phase centrifugal system was converted to a submersible pump 3kw ( 4hp ) three phase. The old two stage starter on the wall was replaced by a new 415 vDOL starter. While we were at it we converted the gentlemans old manual gate valve sprinkler system to a modern automated one. A fully programmable reticulation controller now turns on the new submersible pump at the same time it opens solenoid valves to controll the 3 separate sprinkler stations. He had the old mountain mist metal disc sprinklers that are common with old well systems all over Perth. Those sprinklers use about 17 litres per minute each. We had to take this into account when specifying the new submersible pump for the old well conversion. We had to make sure the new pump had the power to adequately run all his sprinklers as configured without modification. As the picture shows its great when a plan comes together! Call us on 1300 734 300 for help with any Perth bore or reticulation system or visit our main Virgin Bores Perth website here.
Perth bores are our passion. Because we install and repair bores AND reticulation systems we are Perth’s go-to guys for anything to do with water bores or watering systems. We’ve been drilling and repairing Perth bores for well over a decade. Our local knowledge guarantees you the best groundwater retrieval system tailored to suit wherever you are in Perth. Bores and reticulation systems are what we do. We are members of both Irrigation Australia and the Australian Drilling Industry Association (ADIA). Our experience means we can guarantee prompt and efficient Perth bore repairs in all suburbs from Lancelin down to Mandurah.
At this time of year we always get a handful of calls from Perth bore owners along the lines of ” my bore is running out of water” or “my bore works for a minute or so then the bore water runs out”. Sometimes it is not the bore water running out that is the problem but actually a problem with the reticulation system or pump but I address that in other blogs or call us on 1300 734 300 for help with other bore problems.
slotted PVC bore casing
Sometimes it is in fact the yield of the bore itself and the pump is pumping water out faster than it is flowing in to the bore casing. Then it is truly running out of water. Knee-jerk reaction is to think the bore is not deep enough. Sometimes the water table has dropped and it is a depth related issue. Often though, it is that the stainless steel bore screen or slotted PVC bore casing of the bore (or spear) has become blocked. Sometimes the ground surrounding the bore has reduced the water it will “allow” to flow through it. These problems can sometimes be solved by air-developing a process where we pump large volumes of compressed air down the bore hole. Other times we chemically clean and restore the bore with a combination of special cleaning compounds, surfactants and clay dispersants depending on the conditions diagnosed.
Got called to a water bore in Joondalup today. Quite deep for a Perth garden water bore even for the highest parts of Joondalup. Bore total depth was 66 metres with the pump sitting at 60 metres. Unfortunately the submersible pump that had originally been specified was inadequate for that depth. It had never had enough power to deliver the flow ( litres per minute is how we typically measure domestic bores). We winched it up and replaced it all in only a 4 hour turnaround. For bore repairs Joondalup, Connolly, Edgewater and surrounding suburbs give us a call on 1300 734 300 as we can normally attend promptly and with our local knowledge and experience have your broken water bore up and running with the minimum of fuss.
Familiar call today from a lady who happened to live in Sorrento, but we get similar calls from bore owners all over Perth. “the light on my bore box on the wall has stayed on even after I have turned the reticulation controller off “. This can turn in to a bigger problem so first things first, if you are reading this blog and your bore box light is on but there is no water pumping out anywhere please straight away turn the bore mains power off. Turn it off by either turning off the circuit breaker ( or pulling the fuse) labelled “bore” or “pump” that you will hopefully see in your meter box. Or turn off the bore box isolation switch that is located on the bore box on the wall. ( this is called a bore start box, not to be confused with the reticulation controller). Worst case if you can’t turn it by either of these two methods then turn off your mains power master switch and call us pronto on 1300 734 300.
Lowara bore start box
What has most likely happened is that your automatic reticulation controller has correctly sent the 24 volt start signal to the relay in the bore start box and this has started the 240v bore at the same time as the reticulation controller has correctly sent a signal to open a solenoid valve allowing water to flow to the sprinklers. All good so far but then when the automatic reticulation controller has run through its cycle and shut the last solenoid valve the pump has continued to run. Most likely the start relay has stuck on and needs replacing. Prolonged operation of any bore pump with no water being able to flow (dead heading ) can cause a multitude of problems. Most commonly with submersible pumps the rising poly mainline will overheat and “blow”. With centrifugal well pumps overheating leads to several serious problems. Give our Perth bore service hotline a call on 1300 734 300 or visit our main website for more help on bores and reticulation.
He had sand coming out of his old submersible bore and blocking sprinklers. Three scenarios spring to mind. (1) Worst case it could be that the screen at the bottom of the submersible bore has been perforated or cracked to such an extent it lets sand in. This would most likely mean a new bore hole would need to be drilled. Sometimes though, we try setting the submersible pump inlet higher up the casing with some success. (2) Sometimes we find the check valve on the submersible pump is no longer holding prime whilst at the same time there is a faulty solenoid valve, open gate valve or cracked irrigation main line that causes sand to be sucked back down the rising main when the pump is turned off. (3) there is ingress of dry sand falling down an incorrectly covered bore head or wet sand being washed down with incorrect bore head exposure and drainage. There are other reasons. All can be addressed.
For old well style bores there are different reasons again that we will cover in another blog.
In the meantime if you are in Perth or surrounds and you need help with any bore problem give us a call on 9246 0111 or visit our main website.
From time to time we are called to attend a water bore repair job where we find a submersible pump stuck down a bore hole. Most commonly it would be a 25 year old plus bore. But sometimes we see it in more modern bores. Occasionally it is the result of a lightning strike or lighning induction and the pump motor has blistered or swollen. More commonly it would be because tree roots have managed to get in to the bore hole through a breach in the casing or from the top. Sometimes it is that the stainless steel draw-wire has snapped. Occasionally the electrical cable has become entangled. Sometimes the borecasing itself is no longer truly perpendicular.There are a host of other reasons we have encountered. More often than not we can recover the situation using our winch or other techniques.
For advice or to book our specialist Perth bore service team call us on 1300 734 300.
Today we had 3 calls from Perth customers with old well style bores. All had a similar story. They had not started their bores for quite a while and the pumps had lost prime. This indicates that most likely there is a slow leak in the check valve. No problems we can fix it…but it is wise to start thse old bores at least weekly. This is permitted up to 2 minutes per station for testing purposes during the Perth winter sprinkler bans.
On September 1, that’s only 15 days away, winter sprinkler bans end and 100’s of thousands of Perth homes will turn their bores and retic on for the first time for the season. A good many of these sprinkler systems or water bores will require attention. There will be the usual hectic rush by our servicemen to meet 100′ s of urgent calls and there will be invariable delays. But there’re is a solution.
Test your bore or reticulation system NOW.
Weekly testing is allowed during Perth sprinklers bans and it helps you keep your bore or retic in good working order. Pumps, check valves and solenoid valves all like frequent use as do sprinkler shafts. Testing now means there is plenty of time to call us if there is a problem. Remember also to change your reticulation controller battery if required. If you wish to book a reticulation or bore service call Troy on 0408454130.
Our mobile service teams do prompt repairs to ALL TYPES of Water Bores & Reticulation Sprinkler Systems Perth metro-wide. Free phone advice. Our experience saves you time and money. Bore repair HOTLINE 1300 734 300 North of River: Troy 0408454130 South of River: Brett 0411511611
It was a great feeling to turn the new submersible pump on and see such a great result. Client in Dianella had a very large centrifugal pump down a 7 liner well. The centrifugal pump had failed and it was not practical or economical to replace or recondition the pump. Fortunately a few years ago the bore hole at the bottom of the old well had been redrilled and replaced with a 100 mm PVC casing. This was compatible with a new submersible pump. The 3 phase centrifugal system was converted to a submersible pump 3kw ( 4hp ) three phase. The old two stage starter on the wall was replaced by a new 415 vDOL starter. While we were at it we converted the gentlemans old manual gate valve sprinkler system to a modern automated one. A fully programmable reticulation controller now turns on the new submersible pump at the same time it opens solenoid valves to controll the 3 separate sprinkler stations. He had the old mountain mist metal disc sprinklers that are common with old well systems all over Perth. Those sprinklers use about 17 litres per minute each. We had to take this into account when specifying the new submersible pump for the old well conversion. We had to make sure the new pump had the power to adequately run all his sprinklers as configured without modification. As the picture shows its great when a plan comes together! Call us on 1300 734 300 for help with any Perth bore or reticulation system or visit our main Virgin Bores Perth website here.
From time to time we are called to attend a water bore repair job where we find a submersible pump stuck down a bore hole. Most commonly it would be a 25 year old plus bore. But sometimes we see it in more modern bores. Occasionally it is the result of a lightning strike or lighning induction and the pump motor has blistered or swollen. More commonly it would be because tree roots have managed to get in to the bore hole through a breach in the casing or from the top. Sometimes it is that the stainless steel draw-wire has snapped. Occasionally the electrical cable has become entangled. Sometimes the borecasing itself is no longer truly perpendicular.There are a host of other reasons we have encountered. More often than not we can recover the situation using our winch or other techniques.
time for the season. A good many of these sprinkler systems or water bores will require attention. There will be the usual hectic rush by our servicemen to meet 100′ s of urgent calls and there will be invariable delays. But there’re is a solution.
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