Category Archives: Members ADIA & IAA

Bore broken, Bore Repairs & Service, Bores & Pumps, Checking bore and reticulation for summer, Members ADIA & IAA

Why is my old Perth bore running out of water?

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Some Perth bore owners are telling us their very old water bores are running out of water or that it runs for a minute or two then it runs out.  We can help on 9246 0111.

This can be a a problem with the reticulation system or with the pump.

Slotted PVC bore casing
Slotted PVC bore casing

 

Commonly it is an issue with the yield of the bore itself and the pump is pumping water out faster than it is flowing in to the bore casing.

Many people think the bore is not deep enough. At times the water table does drop & it is a depth related issue. More often the stainless steel bore screen or slotted PVC bore casing has become blocked. Sometimes the ground around the bore has reduced the water it will “allow” to flow through it.

We would try air-developing, a process where large volumes of compressed air are pumped down the bore. We can also chemically clean and restore the bore with a combination of special cleaning compounds, surfactants and clay dispersants.

If your old Perth water bore is running out of water call us on 9246 0111 and we will talk through the problem or book a service online

Bore broken, Bores & Pumps, Members ADIA & IAA, New Water Bores, Water bore Wilson

New bore Wilson

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Today we attended a house in Wilson. Wilson is a suburb near Riverton and Shelley on the Canning River.

The couple had lived in the house for 12 years and had a shallow old well style bore with a centrifugal pump in one concrete liner. They told us that on average they had spent $400 a year on “bandaid” fixes to the old bore which appeared to be an original DYI attempt. The centrifugal  pump constantly lost prime and the water flow from the bore had been marginal. The couple have decided to bite the bullet and invest in a new trouble free submersible style water bore

Next week we will be drilling an 18 metre bore hole specifically designed for the ground conditions of Wilson. Wilson’s proximity to the river means our bore design must pay due regard to avoiding potential saline intrusion. We will install a submersible stainless steel pump that will have the same or greater flow than the existing pump so we can connect it straight into the customers existing reticulation sprinkler system with little modification. The bore will continue to be run from their existing retic controller.

The drilling sand from the new bore will be used to fill the old well.

For new water bores or bore service and repair in Wilson, Shelley or Riverton call us on 9246 0111 or visit www.virginbores.com.au for further info.

Shallow old well style bore
Shallow old well style bore

Old centrifugal pump in one liner well
Old centrifugal pump in one liner well

Fix retic controller, Members ADIA & IAA, Reticulation systems

Failed reticulation controller South Perth

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We had a call today from a customer in South Perth who reported her submersible bore was not working. She thought her Rain Master reticulation controller was OK because the screen still had a display.

Fix Retic controller
Rain Master Reticulation controller

We took out the 9 volt back up battery and the display disappeared. This simple home test showed there was either no mains power to the reticulation controller or its internal 24 volt transformer had failed. The reticulation controller needs a 24 volt output to switch the relay, that in turn starts the 240 volt single phase bore or 440 volt DOL starter in the case of a 3 phase pumps.

A bit of an investigation by our servicemen at the South Perth call out revealed that in this case the controller transformer HAD failed. We replaced the controller and there were smiles all round as the bore fired up and the sprinkler came on.

For any bore or reticulation repairs or maintenance in South Perth, Kensington, Como area and surrounds call us on 9246 0111 or book a retic service online HERE

bore saves money, Fix reticulation, Members ADIA & IAA

Fixing reticulation problem in Piara Waters

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We attended a service call to a new home in Piara Waters (a southern suburb of Perth in between Forrestfield, Harrisdale and Banjup near Jandakot Airport) to fix a reticulation problem. They called 9246 0111

They had a recently installed water bore. Unfortunately when the bore had been connected to the reticulation system it had been incorrectly balanced. The output from the submersible pump was over 90 litres per minute as the water table in Piara Waters is only about 2 metres down.

However the reticulation system was using about 20 litres per minute. We combined several stations to come on at once and now their reticulation system is using nearly 80 litres per minute. A far more comfortable flow for the submersible pump and now well within it’s designed operating range.

Piara Waters

Fixing reticulation in Piara Waters

If you have a bore, pump or reticulation problem in Piara Waters or surrounds call our team on 92460111 or if you would like a reticulation service book online HERE

Bores & Pumps, Members ADIA & IAA, New Water Bores

What is a submersible pump?

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Assembling a submersible pump
Assembling a submersible pump

People often get confused about what is a submersible pump. A picture tells
a thousand words.

Most Perth garden bores use a 1.1 kilowatt (1.5 horsepower), 1.5kw (2 hp) or
2.2kw (3 hp) submersible motor connected to a matching pump or more
correctly a matching “wet-end”. Where the confusion comes in is generally
people refer to the two units combined as a pump. Here our bore service man
has assembled a single phase motor to a 12 stage pump (wet-end ). The motor
is the bottom part furthest from his hand. The wet end is the part he is
gripping whilst he tightens the fitting where the rising 40mm poly pipe
mainline will be connected to deliver the water to the surface. Note the
black rubberized bore cable is connected to the blue lead connected to the
motor. This delivers the 240v power down the borehole to the motor. The
stainless wire is used to support the weight of everything down the bore
hole.

Our bore service teams repair and replace submersible bores all over Perth.
We are specialists in electrical repairs and insurance fusion claims for all
types of water bores. Call us on 9246 0111 or visit our website – http://www.virginbores.com.au

Members ADIA & IAA, New Water Bores

New submersible water bore at South Perth units

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Today we attended a block of very nice units in South Perth with a lovely idyllic garden.  However their yearly water bill is $5,000 and that is why they are installing a new submersible bore – to save money! 9246 0111 

Our new bore installation team at Virgin Bores are putting in a submersible water bore which will be drilled to 22 metres. The new bore will be connected to the existing automatic reticulation system. Our electrician will interface the existing retic controller to start the bore via a 24 V relay. The submersible bore will be hidden under the lawn.

The unit owners will enjoy free water to keep their gardens greener and under Perth water rostering because they have a water bore will be able to water three days a week instead of the two days a week allowed on mains water. Bore drilling in South Perth requires specialist knowledge and local experience because of the proximity to the river on two sides.

You can get more informationon water bores on our main website HERE or call 9246 0111 if you require a bore quote in any Perth suburb.

Retic controller South Perth
Retic controller South Perth
Members ADIA & IAA, New water bore Mount Lawley, New Water Bores

New Submersible water bore Coolbinia

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There are many very deep old wells in Mt Lawley and Coolbinia. If they are not working ring us on 9246 0111 and we will try and talk you through a solution.

Often these old wells have a decades old with centrifugal pumps at the bottom of 15 or so metre well with a rickety old ladder. Beneath the pump is often an old galvanized pipe going down a further 5 to 10 metres. This pipe or spear is also often on the verge of collapse. If the well is too deep we may have an issue repairing because of safety issues but we can advise you about that when you call. Interestingly, some of the old wells in established suburbs were dug by the home owners many years ago.

After years of band-aid solutions, as was the case of our client in Coolbinia, it was time for a modern submersible water bore. In this case access was restricted but we managed to back our drilling rig so the drilling platform extended over the low front wall.

Once the bore box pictured here is covered over the new submersible bore will provide years of reliable service operating silently and invisbly deep beneath the lawn.

We have drilled many submersible water bores in the Coolbinia and Mount Lawley area. If we can help you please call us on 9246 0111 or visit our website on HERE

New submersible bore in Coolbinia
New submersible bore in Coolbinia
Bore electrician, Members ADIA & IAA, Submersible bore pump electrician, Water bore

Submersible bore pump electrical

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When a submersible pump is assembled one of the most critical thing to get  right is the electrical connection that will spend its life under water.  Our specialist bore electrician Dave will get it right – 9246 0111. 

Most submersible water bores in Perth have this underwater connection done using a  heat shrink kit. The submersible motor has a factory installed “blue lead”  which is connected to the electrical cable that will come all the way up from the pump to the bore head at the surface.

Crimping submersible bore electrical cable
Crimping submersible bore electrical cable

Seen here is the factory lead first being crimped to the electrical cable and then the waterproof heat shrink kit is applied. These are a series of sleeves which are essentially  shrunk over the cable joins provided a waterproof connection.

Waterproof heat shrink joining motor lead to bore electrical cable
Waterproof heat shrink joining motor lead to bore electrical cable

A separate stainless steel cable holds the weight of the submersible pump so
no stress is placed on this electrical joint. Sometimes in old submersible bores incorrectly joined electrical cables can be a source of trouble. Our  bore electricians are well equipped to diagnose and repair any electrical
problem you may have with your bore or pump.

For repair or installation or replacement of submersible pumps in any Perth suburb call us on 9246 0111 or Troy on 0408 454 130. Further info about our Perth submersible water bore services and drilling of new bores can be found here.

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

Unorthodox bore electrical work

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We won’t tell you where in Perth our service man came across this unorthodox bore and reticulation interface but it was north of the river.

The reticulation controller was an indoor model mounted outside. It “talked” to the 24 volt relay that turned on the old well style centrifugal pump. We were called because the old bore had stopped pumping water.

In this case ultimately the best solution was to replace the old well with a new style submersible style bore in the northern suburbs home. This was done by our Perth bore drilling arm Virgin Bores. Check out our website www.virginbores.com.au.

If you would like a quote for a new submersible water bore in any Perth suburb call one of our friendly team on 9246 0111

Unorthodox bore & reticulation interface
Unorthodox bore & reticulation interface
Electrical Problems, Members ADIA & IAA

Burnt start capacitor Ballajura

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This week we got a call to our Perth bore service team from a customer in Ballajura.
He said he switched his submersible water bore on and the box on the wall made a noise, the bore stopped and smoke started coming out of the box.
Our bore electrician attended and, as suspected, the start capacitor had blown.

Bore and retic service Perth
Blown start capacitor

The capacitor was quite burnt as evidenced in these pictures. This one was a 40 micrtofarad start run capacitor operating a 1.1kw submersible Sumoto pump motor.

bore start box burnt out

Our electrician replaced the capacitor for the Ballajura customer from stock we carry in the van. The electrician also fixed the affected connections and this Ballajura water bore was up and running again with the customer all smiles.
If we can help you with your water bore repair call on 92460111 or go to our website HERE. We service submersible bores and the old style wells with centrifugal pumps. All Perth suburbs.