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.
Lowara submersible pumps and motors are a good reliable Italian brand but, like anything, they can have their own idiosyncracies. We specialise in servicing Lowara submersible pumps and their stablemates, Centripro and Marlow. We have over a decade of practical in-the-field service and pump repair experience. A problem that does from time to time present itself with some of the earlier Lowara single phase motors is blown start capacitors in the bore start box. It is an easy fix for someone experienced in Lowara pumps and motors. Give our Perth bore service and repair hotline a call on 1300 734 300 and our mobile bore service team can help you. Or visit or main Virgin Bores website for more bore info and help.
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.
Seems today was “D” Day with many Perth bore owners turning their water bores on for the first time this season….or should I say trying to turn them on. Calls today from Joondalup, Floreat, Landsdale, Safety Bay and Armadale all with a similar story. Either the pump cicuitbreaker was tripping ( or fuse blowing ) when the bore was turned on or nothing was happening at all. Some simple tests and solutions can be found in our Perth bore troubleshooting guide in this blog or call our Perth Bore Service Hotline 1300 734 300 Perth metro-wide All Suburbs We are specialists in both water bores and reticulation ( irrigation ) systems so whatever your problem we can fix it!
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.
Perth bore owners are turning on their water bores for the first time after Perth sprinkler bans have ended. And some aren’t
Brass foot valve
working. A few calls today from people with the old well style bores that had lost prime after extended periods of no use. ( remember best to run them weekly for 2 minutes per station as allowed even during total sprinkl;er bans). Most likely a leaking check valve ( foot valve , clacker valve etc) or leaking gland packing. Not a worry for our Perth bore service teams. We specialize in bore repairs. Give us a call on 1300 734 300 for prompt and friendly service.
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.
As Perth metro sprinkler bans are about to end many Perth bore owners are testing their water bores for the first time this season……and some aren’t working! We has calls today from Fremantle, Lancelin, Two Rocks and Sorrento 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
Our water bore service hotline today received an anxious call from a gentleman in Two Rocks. He was doing the right thing and testing his water bore before sprinkler bans end in 5 days time (31/08/12). A bit of “interrogation” over the phone and we were able to diagnose a blown bore start capacitor. He had removed the cover of the start box himself, which we must emphasise is NOT to be done as it is 240 volt and dangerous. A few questions and we determined it was a 40 microfad start/run capacitor that had blown. It was swollen with evidence of grey “gunk” that had oozed out of it, typical when the start capacitor blisters and the end comes off or a hole gets blown in the side. No worries our bore service electrician will fit a new one on the way up to Mondays prebooked Woodridge bore repair. The bore electrician will test his bore pump motor and confirm if that is all that is wrong. The adjacent pic is of how a start capacitor in a bore start box shoud look. Perfectly cylindrical and not blistered or swollen.
Big day Monday in Woodridge as we are repairing an old water bore that had a fused pump motor. Our service team should have no problems winching it the 55 odd metres to the surface and changing the submersible motor. Meanwhile our parent company www.virginbores.com.au will be drilling a new water bore to a depth of 50 metres in Birdwood Dve Woodridge. Give us a call on 1300 734 3000 with any water bore requirements in the area.
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
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.
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