This is one of the team getting a submersible pump ready to put down a borehole in the Hamersley area.
Tag Archives: submersible pump
Perth Bore Quote
Who can give me a quote for a new bore?
When we are out and about repairing old water bores sometimes we find a bore is beyond economical repair. Often the only sensible thing to do is install a new submersible bore because the homes mains water pressure won’t be strong enough to power reticulation that was configured for the old bore. Of course we are asked who we can recommend to drill a new one. We always confidently recommend our installation division, Virgin Bores. Visit the website here for more new water bore info or a bore quote, 1300 734 300
Water Bore Fusion Insurance Claims
With the ending of Perth metro sprinkler bans for 2013 Perth bore owners are testing their water bores for the first time this season……and some aren’t working! We have had calls today all with similar stories. “I’m starting my bore and the circuit breaker is tripping ( or fuse is blowing), what do I do?”. First thing is we send a bore electrician ( one who is experienced in pumps and bores ) with special equipment to test the circuits and windings of the motor. With submersible motors this can be done without winching the pump up. Remember if it is a fused bore pump motor it may be covered under household insurance. Also if the fault can be traced back to one of winters electrical storms it may be related, even damage from lightning induction, and this too may be subject to an insurance claim. This is a very good reason to have the matter attended to first by specialist bore repairers who can correctly diagnose the fault and possible cause. 1300 734 300 will reach us 24/7
Submersible Bore LOST IN PERTH
We often get calls from Perth customers who know they have a submersible bore but have no idea where it is. They bought the house long after the submersible bore was drilled and no-one knows where the bore is let alone what they are looking for. This adjacent pic shows a submersible borehead we just uncovered in Nedlands. If the bore was installed in the last 20 years or so there will typically be a green lid just under the lawn like this one. Sometimes they are even flush with the lawn and visible. The lid normally conceals a box that is about 435 x 300 x 305mm as seen to the right. Older than 20 years and sometimes it is a small concrete lid on a concrete box of similar size.
Can’t find your submersible bore?
Call 1300 734 300. Our mobile service teams have special locating equipment and expert knowledge.
My submersible pump running with no water
From time to time we attend a Perth submersible bore where we test everything and find the submersible motor is running but no water is coming out. The first thing we do is disconnect the bore at the borehead and test it again. This ensures that it was not actually a problem with the delivery of water via the reticulation system. Often people leap to the conclusion that there is something wrong with the pump. Often though, it turns out to be a small hole blown in the rising poly main. That is the 40 or 50mm flexible black poly pipe that delivers the water to the surface from the submersible pump. Why would this poly blow? Commonly 
because, for one reason or another, the pump has been run against a closed head, that is where there is nowhere for the water to flow. Probably because a solenoid valve didn’t open or a tap was left inadvertently off. The motor overheats and heats up the surrounding water. The black poly pipe becomes malleable as it is affected by this heat and under pressure a hole blows in it. Normally this hole is just above the pump.
- Winching up a submersible pump Perth
Generally just the poly needs repairing (along of course with the underlying cause of the dead-heading). To do this we set up our portable which and winch the submersible pump to the surface. We cut off a section of the poly, rejoin it to the pump and reinstall everything back down the borehole. Bingo all fixed! Most Perth submersible boreholes are between 15 and 60 metres deep and a winch is required for the deeper holes.
Call us 24/7 on 1300 734 300 or visit us on our main website here.
Water Bore Troubleshooting Guide – pump not starting – Perth
If the pump is not starting at all
- check the fuse or circuitbreaker that should be in your meter box and labelled “bore” or “pump”
Single phase bore circuit breaker 
Single phase pump start box - if it is 3 phase reset the 415-440v D.O.L ( Direct Online Starter)
- if it is single phase there is most likely a separate 240v start box with a reset/over-ride switch. You should check that
- does the 240 V start box have a burnt smell?
3 phase DOL bore starter - if it is operated from a reticulation controller check that that has 240v power going to it. Just because the reticulation controller has a display does not mean it has 240v power. Remove the 9v back up battery and confirm there is still a display.
- can you hear the 24 v relay clicking in or the contacter make a clunk sound when you start the retic contoller? Starting the reic controller sends a 24v signal to a relay or contactor which turns on the “mains” power to the bore pump.
- if all the above seems OK and it is a submersible pump, perhaps the motor is starting and you can’t hear it but another related water delivery problem exists. Does your electricity meter speed up when you start the pump?
- if it is a centrifugal pump in a well have you checked the isolation switch?
- have you recently had electrical work done to any of the wiring on your house?
Call us on Perth 1300 734 300 if none of the above helped. We may be able to help further on the phone or we will send our mobile bore service teams to any Perth suburb. Further info is on our main website.
New Submersible Bore in Mount Pleasant
Today Virgin Bores (our installation division) drilled a new submersible borehole south of Perth near the river in Mount Pleasant. This new bore replaces a 50 year old well style bore with galvanised piping and an old centrifugal pump that was beyond repair. The new submersible bore needed a larger than normal 2.2 kilowatt pump to water the quarter acre block in two stations. The house was quite close to the Swan River so our local knowledge was valuable in ensuring we did not drill too deep to avoid potential salinity problems.
For more details on drilling a new submersible water bore in Perth and surrounds visit http://www.virginbores.com.au
Centrifugal to Submersible pump bore conversion and automation Perth
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.
Can a submersible pump replace a centrifugal or jet pump in a well?
Old well near WanerooToday we got a call from Hamilton Hill and another from Dianella. Both wanted to know whether could we replace their old centrifugal pump in their well style bore with a modern submersible pump. It is a common question from all over Perth in older suburbs where centrifugal pumps or jet pumps were common in the old well style bores and now need replacing. Answer….sometimes we can substitute with a submersible pump installation but ONLY if the casing at the bottom of the well liner(s) that goes into the ground ( some people may refer to this as a spear ) is of 100mm ( 4 inch ) or more. Typically that would be when it has freestanding suction ( where the pipe from the existing centrifugal pump suction side goes in to the ground inside a larger outside pipe) or where the bore has been redrilled within the last 15 or so years. We can also substitute a centrifugal or jet pump with a submersible in the (rarer) older wells with open water in the bottom. Call our Perth bore service hotline on 1300 734 300 for free advice or a quotation. You can also visit our main VIRGIN BORES website here.
Perth bores and bore repairs.
Perth Water Bore Troubleshooters are part of Virgin Bores. We are the go-to, can-do people when it comes to garden bore and reticulation in Perth. Because we install and repair reticulation and irrigation as well as install and repair water bores we can fix anything to do with Perth bores or sprinkler systems.
- insurance work including pump fusion claims and lighning and storm damage to reticulation and bore systems. Burnt out motors, damage from lightning induction and power surges.
- repair of rising main lines, poly and pvc
- lowering of boreheads necesitated by landscaping ground level changes
- bore water testing
- solenoid valve finding / locating
- all electrical repairs for pumps and reticulation systems
- replacement of reticulation controllers.
- leaking reticulation pipes
- broken sprinklers
- automation of sprinkler systems off bore or mains scheme water
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