Category Archives: Members ADIA & IAA

Fix retic controller, Fix reticulation, Members ADIA & IAA, New reticulation system, Reticulation controller, ReticulationPerth

What is my reticulation controller battery for?

3 Comments

 

Why does it matter that my reticulation controller battery has gone flat? The answer is that it really matters if you have a water bore. Call us on 9246 0111.

Perth Reticulation controller
Pro 469 Reticulation controller

 

What does a retic timer need a battery for anyway? There is a lot of misunderstanding about what a retic controller’s 9 volt battery does. Retic controllers have batteries to preserve the memory of that has been programmed in the event of a mains power fail.

The battery is normally only 9 volts and does not have the power to operate solenoid valves or pump start relays. Solenoid valves and most other irrigation devices operate on 24 volts. Most retic controllers are 240 volt mains powered with a transformer that steps down to 24 volt to operate the individual irrigation devices. It may seem like a minor inconvenience if you have a flat 9 volt battery in your controller as at first glance one would think it is not a big issue if you lose mains power and the controller has to be reprogrammed.

9 volt battery

BUT it can have nasty consequences if the controller operates a bore.

If mains power is lost to quite a few brands of reticulation controllers and there is no back up battery then when mains power is restored the controller resets all programming to factory default which is often 10 minutes per station per day. This may then turn the bore on to stations that don’t exist and the pump runs with nowhere for the water to go. This can damage the pump or pipe work of the bore.

This season we attended 3 bores that had been affected like this from Ocean Reef alone. All after a power fail. These bores, incidentally should have had the unused stations ‘looped out’ to safeguard against this. Remember it is wise to change your disposable 9 volt battery at least once a year. Some newer model controllers have rechargeable batteries. You can test both types by simply turning mains power off and checking whether the display to the retic controller is still working and whether customer program’s have been retained when mains power is turned back on.

Please call us for any help on  9246 0111 or go to  our website.

Clear bore water, coastal water bores, Members ADIA & IAA

Bore water is clear in Perth coastal suburbs

Leave a comment

This article in a Saturday edition of the West Australian newspaper told us how clear the bore water is in the Perth suburb of Trigg. If you would like to save money with a water bore call us on 9246 0111

image

We have always known that bores can help sell houses but here they are a Trigg suburb highlight.

All along the coast we have installed and services hundreds of water bores. Even on West Coast Drive right next to the ocean. Often people are stunned when we drill a coastal water bore and the salt level of the ground water is less than that of tap water. We are Perth’s coastal water bore specialists for drilling new bores and servicing water bores and bore pumps.

Call us on 9246 0111 with any bore water query. New Perth bores cost between $3,000 & $8,000 depending on depth to water and bore pump size. Depth to water is commonly dependent on how high your property is above sea level. Coastal bores are usually relatively cheap unless on elevated positions like the hills in City Beach.

if you live in Trigg or North Beach and have been thinking about a water bore read more HERE

 

Bore Perth, Members ADIA & IAA, New Water Bores

Wembley Downs bore water with great flow and clear water

Leave a comment

This could be you. Cool, clear free water for your garden 9246 0111.

Great flow and crystal clear water from a Perth water bore.

Home owner has clear Wembley bore water
Clear bore water from new bore in Wembley

Here Virgin Bores are testing the flow from a recently drilled submersible water bore in Wembley Downs, a coastal suburb of Perth.

The bore was drilled and cased to a total depth of 30 metres, the static water table was at 17 metres and the submersible pump was hung at 23 metres, just above the slotted screen. This is an average depth for Wembley Downs.

It has just been wired up by the electrician and the home owner was excited to be fresh new bore water gush out on the first test pumping.

We also service and repair water bores in Wembley Downs so give us a call anytime on 9246 0111 or read more about water bores HERE

Members ADIA & IAA, New Water Bores

New water bore Ellenbrook

Leave a comment

Today we drilled a successful water bore in Ellenbrook.

If you are thinking of getting a submersible water bore in the Ellenbrook or surrounding suburbs it is good to know what is happening in your area.

When we drilled this Ellenbrook bore it was 13 metres to water. So we drilled the bore 27 metres deep to maximise flow and guarentee longevity of the supply of water. The 1.1 kw submersible pump we installed easily delivered 95 litres per minute. We will join some of the existing reticulation stations together to accommodate this flow which is nearly triple that being delivered by mains scheme water. Our driller marked the water quality eight of ten for clarity.

Ellenbrook bore just drilled and cased
Ellenbrook bore just drilled and cased

The picture here is of the bore just after drilling and casing. It was air developed and gravel packed and is now waiting for our team to install the submersible pump. After pump installation the casing will be cut down and everything will be finished off underground with the lawn replaced. In a few weeks time you won’t be able to have seen we have even been there. The submersible pump will operate silently at the bottom of the bore casing delivering fresh, free ground water to this Elelnbrook garden.

If we can help you with a water bore in the Ellenbrook area call us on 92460111 and we would be happy to help you.

Members ADIA & IAA, New Water Bores

New submersible water bore Marangaroo

Leave a comment
Drilling a new water bore in Marangaroo
Drilling a new water bore in Marangaroo

Drilling a new submersible garden bore today in Marangaroo.

The depth to water (static water table) was quite deep at 42 metres, because the house was high up on a hill. We drilled to 54  metres in total. This gives 12 metres of water in the bore casing.

We will be installing a 1.5 kw (2hp) submersible pump which at this depth will deliver about 80 litres a minute. This will be double what the customer currently gets from mains water supply.

We will connect the bore to the existing reticulation sprinkler systems. We will join several stations together to come on at the same time to use the extra flow.

This Marangaroo bore was drilled in a day and mainly drilled through compacted sand. This was a messy job due to the drilling muds flowing backwards on a forward sloping block. Fortunately we are licensed to use the street’s high pressure fire hydrant and will use this water to wash down and clean up.

If you have any questions about a water bore in Marangaroo or surrounding suburbs Girrawheen, Koondoola, Alexander Heights, Landsdale and Darch call one of the guys on 9246 0111.

 

Bores & Pumps, Members ADIA & IAA

New submersible motor and pump Doubleview

Leave a comment
Customer's submersible pump and 3 phase motor
Customer’s submersible pump and 3 phase motor

A Doubleview customer sent us this picture of his submersible pump and 3 phase motor. He and his electrician had pulled it out of his very old 32 metre submersible bore hole. They had disassembled it and electrically tested the motor.

The motor needed replacing. We attended and replaced the motor and while we were at it a new submersible pump. We replaced all down hole electrical cable which we heat shrunk to the new motor lead. We also replaced his old frayed stainless steel draw-wire but reused the existing 40 mm poly rising mainline that delivers the water. The poly pipe was all good even after several decades of service. At the same time we dosed the bore with 20 litres of chlorine to help kill the iron oxide bacteria that was evident.

Finished off with a new bore box at the bore head, reconnected and all set to go. Most Doubleview water bores are in the 30 to 60 metre deep range as a consequence of Doubleview’s elevation. If you have any questions call our team on 9246 0111.

Checking bore and reticulation for summer, Fix retic controller, Members ADIA & IAA, Reticulation systems

Perth reticulation controller needs replacing?

Leave a comment
Holman reticulation controller
Holman reticulation controller

Whether your retic timer is faulty or simply old and you are not able to program your required Perth watering days, we can help.

We replace reticulation timers in all Perth suburbs. We will fix your retic controller whether connected to mains water or a bore. If it is a plug-in style we send out our service man. If it needs hard-wiring to the mains power our electrician will attend.

Some retic controllers, like the Holman model pictured, look like they may be hard wired but this one actually had a plug pack transformer plugged into a power point in the roof.

We have compatible models to replace all brands of retic controllers including Holman, Rain Bird, Rainmaster, Hunter, Toro, Orbit, Richdel and Irritrol Rain Dial. We typically carry 6 and 9 station models in our mobile stock but we can get any size if required.

You can reach us on 9246 0111.

bore saves money, Bores & Pumps, Members ADIA & IAA, submersible bore pump

What size is my submersible bore pump?

Leave a comment

Most submersible bores in Perth have either a 1.1 kilowatt ( one and a half horsepower), 1.5 KW ( 2 HP ) or 2.2 KW ( 3 HP ) motor connected to a matching pump ( “wet-end” ) We can answer any questions on your submersible bore on 9246 0111

If the motor is a single phase then ordinarily it will have a start box mounted near the electrical meter box. This often has the kilowatts or horsepower marked on the front. These pictures show the common Sumoto pump start box where the kilowatt selection has been indicated in black markers. This one is 1.1 kilowatt.

Sumoto pump start box
Sumoto pump start box
Sumoto start box for 1.1 KW bore
Sumoto start box for 1.1 KW bore

For a three phase motor the only reliable way to determine the motor size is to pull up the motor and pump.

We repair modern submersible bores in all Perth suburbs.

If you need help with your submersible bore pump or electrical bore repairs in any Perth suburb give us a call on 9246 0111 or go HERE to learn more about submersible bore pumps

Bore broken, Members ADIA & IAA

How to replace a submersible bore pump

Leave a comment

Our team was called out to winch up a submersible water bore pump. They phoned on 9246 0111.

If your submersible water bore is not working we can winch up the pump and work out what needs repairing.

We carry purpose built portable winches to easily pull up modern submersible pumps even in restricted access locations. This allows us to quickly replace or repair submersible pumps in Perth water bores. You can see on this video part of the process of winching a submersible bore pump.

If we can help you with your bore problem phone Troy on 9246 0111 or visit our main website on http://www.virginbores.com.au.

Bore broken, Bore Repairs & Service, Bores & Pumps, Checking bore and reticulation for summer, Electrical Problems, Members ADIA & IAA, New Water Bores, Water bore Ballajura

New water bore Ballajura

Leave a comment
Water bore problem Ballajura
Stuffed water bore Ballajura

It was a busy day in Ballajura today. We got called to a couple of bore electrical problems which we sorted quite quickly. We couldn’t immediately help the last call though.

The gentleman had a submersible bore that was of dubious construction. Not only was the borehole itself drawing sand, something which incidentally does not happen if the correct screens and gravel packing is used, but also the submersible pump was stuck irretrievably down the bore hole. The submersible pump had been installed down the bore without a stainless steel draw wire. The owner had erected a tripod and attempted to retrieve the pump by hauling up the poly pipe on a block and tackle. Unfortunately the poly pipe had snapped some metres down the bore hole and the poly pipe and submersible pump were now completely stuck.

Next week we will be drilling a new water bore for him. We’ll be sure to do everything to best practice standards to avoid problems like this in the future. We suspect this original bore had been a DIY or at best done by a backyard operator. Make sure if you are having a bore drilled in Ballajura or surrounds you use a licensed driller and preferably one who is a member of the ADIA.

If you would like a quote on a new water bore or need repairs to your existing bore in Ballajura give Virgin Bores a call on 92460111 or visit http://www.virginbores.com.au