bg water solutions
Bore Pump Installation and Irrigation Across NSW
Bore pump installation is where a water bore stops being a hole in the ground and starts being a water supply. BG Water Solutions has supplied, installed and serviced bore pumps across New South Wales and the ACT since 2008, for stock and domestic bores on rural blocks, irrigation systems on farms and vineyards, and production bores on golf courses and commercial sites.
We size every pump against the bore’s actual test pumping figures rather than a catalogue guess, install it with the headworks, metering and pipework it needs, and stay on to service it. If we drilled the bore, the pump is part of the same job. If someone else did, we will pump it anyway.
Why the pump has to match the bore
The most common bore pump failure we see is not a faulty pump. It is the wrong pump. A pump sized for more flow than the bore can sustain draws the water level down past the intake, runs dry and burns out. A pump sized too small never delivers the pressure the irrigation was designed for, so the system underperforms from day one and the pump runs longer hours than it should.
Both come from the same mistake: choosing the pump before knowing what the bore will give. Three numbers decide it, and they only come from test pumping the bore under load: the sustainable yield in litres per second, the standing water level, and the drawdown while the pump is running. Add the head the water has to climb and the distance it has to travel, and you have a pump specification. Skip any of those and you have a guess.
We test pump every bore we equip, whether we drilled it or not, and we size the pump from those figures. That is the whole difference between a bore pump installation that runs for fifteen years and one that fails in two.
What we install and maintain
Bore pump supply and installation
Submersible bore pumps for stock and domestic, irrigation and commercial supply. We select the pump against your test pumping figures and the duty you need, then install it with the riser, cable, headworks and controls. We supply pumps from established manufacturers with warranty support, built for Australian bore conditions.
Bore testing
Before any pump goes in, and periodically after, we test pump the bore to establish yield, drawdown and recovery. On an existing bore this tells you whether a performance problem is the pump or the bore itself, which is worth knowing before you spend money on either. You get the figures in writing.
Water meter installation
Water access licences in NSW carry metering conditions, and the non-urban water metering rules require compliant meters on many bores. We supply and install meters that meet the NSW requirements, fit them to your headworks, and advise on telemetry where the rules call for it. If you are unsure whether your bore needs a meter, ask and we will tell you.
Irrigation systems
Bore water irrigation for vineyards, orchards, cropping, pasture and turf. We design the system around the bore’s proven yield so the pump, the pipework and the emitters are matched, rather than building an irrigation layout and hoping the bore keeps up with it.
Servicing and maintenance
Scheduled servicing for pumps and irrigation on vineyards, golf courses, farms and commercial sites. Inspection, testing, preventative maintenance and repairs, so problems are found before the irrigation season rather than in the middle of it.
Signs your bore pump needs attention
- Pressure drops away through the day. Often the water level drawing down faster than the pump can cope with, or a partially blocked screen, rather than a pump fault.
- The pump cycles on and off. Usually a control, pressure tank or level problem. Sometimes a pump running dry, which will destroy it if left.
- Sand or grit in the water. Wears out impellers fast. Usually a bore development or screen issue, and replacing the pump alone will not fix it.
- Higher power bills for the same water. A worn pump working harder to deliver less.
- Reduced flow. Could be the pump, could be the bore. Test pumping tells you which before you buy anything.
If a problem turns out to be the bore rather than the pump, we deal with that too, and we will say so rather than sell you a pump you do not need.
One team, licence to pump
Most bore projects involve a driller, a pump supplier, an electrician and an irrigation contractor, and every handover between them is a delay and a chance for the pump to be specified against the wrong numbers. We handle the whole job in house, from the Water NSW licence and water bore drilling through to the pump, meter and irrigation, and the same crew that drilled the bore sizes the pump for it.
Where the water needs treatment before it is used, see bore water filtration and treatment. Iron, hardness and sediment all shorten a pump’s life as well as the equipment downstream of it, and the treatment is designed to sit between the pump and the tanks.
Bore pump questions
How do you choose the right bore pump?
From the bore’s test pumping figures: sustainable yield, standing water level and drawdown, plus the head and distance the water has to travel. We test pump every bore before specifying a pump, whether we drilled it or not.
Do I need a water meter on my bore?
If the bore is used under a water access licence, usually yes, and the NSW non-urban water metering rules set out the requirements. Stock and domestic bores under a basic landholder right generally do not need one. We will tell you which applies to your bore.
Can you install a pump on a bore you did not drill?
Yes. We test pump it first so the pump is sized against what the bore actually gives, then install it with the headworks and controls it needs.
How long does a bore pump last?
A correctly sized submersible pump in clean water commonly runs well over a decade. The things that shorten it are running dry, pumping sand, and being sized wrong for the bore in the first place.
Do you service pumps and irrigation on a schedule?
Yes, for vineyards, golf courses, farms and commercial sites. Scheduled inspection and testing before each season, and repairs when they are needed.
My pump is losing pressure. Is the pump the problem?
Not always. Falling pressure through the day is often the bore’s water level drawing down, or a partially blocked screen, rather than the pump. Test pumping tells us which, and it is worth knowing before replacing anything.
Need a pump sized properly, or one that is not performing looked at? Call 0408 915 449 or send an enquiry. We will tell you whether it is the pump, the bore or the irrigation, and quote in writing.