How Does a Water Bore Work?

Though a well system seems straightforward, most people don’t fully understand how wells work. Let’s observe the key features of a home water system:

The Well: a deep hole bored through dirt and rock that extends down into the groundwater beneath. The average well is about 30m deep.
Casing: a protective outer layer added to the well. This prevents surface water and other contaminants from entering the well. Depending on the situation, casing may extend the entire length of the well to prevent it from caving in.
Well Screen: filters out particulate such as sand
Pump: brings water up out of the aquifer where it will be stored in a pressurised tank
Pressurised Tank: stores water for use when the pump is not running. From this tank, water is pumped to individual use points within the home or building.

When planning a new water system, the specialists at Stirling Irrigation will take geology and environmental factors into account. Proper planning is essential to determine the needs of water usage, the best location of the well and the best equipment to ensure steady water supply. A low-performing well may need to be dug deeper, but even a well that gives a litre per minute can still meet the needs of a standard household. Your drilling team will recommend the best plan of action, factoring in your soil and bedrock, as well as all city ordinances that affect the location of your well.

Water Bore Installations

If you’re thinking about adding a well to your property, you might wonder what steps the Stirling Irrigation team will take to install a new water bore. Read on so you know what to expect:

Before Drilling

At our initial site visit, we’ll come out and make an initial inspection of the property. Members of our team will talk with you about the proposed location of your new bore. We’ll calculate the pump size that will fit the best with your existing or planned reticulation system, and discuss any electrical preparations that will need to be made.

Our drill team will set up a day that is convenient for you to drill your new bore. Before the date of drilling, we may deliver some supplies (such as bagged drillers and bore-casing) to the site.

Day of Drilling

We have a variety of rigs to use depending on the ground conditions and access to the site. The drilling rig will most likely be truck-mounted, but sometimes other rigs may be called for.

Once our team drills the bore, it will be cased with the appropriate bore casing. The bottom section of this casing is slotted — this allows fresh groundwater in. As a primary filter, our team packs drillers gravel around the slotted bore casing. The final step of the day? The bore casing is left sticking out of the ground and the top of the bore casing temporarily sealed. Then this is connected to the reticulation system or discussed end solution for your bore water.

Pump Installation

A day or two after drilling, it is time to install the bore pump. Sometimes, with new building sites the owner may decide to hold off on the pump installation step until they are closer to the handover of the property and power is connected to the building.

Electrical Connections

The electrical connection from bore head to house power must be performed by a fully-licensed electrical contractor.

The Stirling Irrigation team includes contract electricians that specialise in bore installations. When you choose Stirling to organise the electrical connection, our electrician will get in touch with you to schedule a convenient appointment.

Reticulation Pipe-Work Connection & Handover

After electrical connections have been established, our workers return to your property to make the final connections. We get it up and running, test it out and hand over your new water system to you.

Water Bore Installation Projects Completed by Stirling Irrigation (WA Bore Services)

We work with local characteristics to ensure usable bore water solutions for a variety of locales. Bore water may be suitable for uses including stock watering, toilet flushing, crop irrigation and washing clothes or cars. Bore water may also be suitable for showering, food preparation and drinking. Here are a few customers who have benefited from our services:

BHP — An Australian multinational mining, metals and petroleum public company headquartered in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

Claremont Council — The local government authority for the beautiful, verdant riverside suburbs of Claremont and Swanbourne, located 9kms from the city centre.

Peppermint Grove Council — Peppermint Grove is one of the State’s most beautiful suburbs, known for its large character homes set in tranquil tree-lined streets.

South Perth Council — This historic suburb of Perth is located on the Swan River with unique needs for land development due to its location near the river and central business district.

Mosman Park Council — Mosman Park is a residential suburb located along Stirling Highway in the Perth Metropolitan area that contains many riverside parks with unique drilling needs.

East Fremantle Council — Fremantle is a historic port city in Western Australia. It’s part of the Perth metropolitan area known for maritime history and Victorian architecture.

Wanneroo Council — The City of Wanneroo is one of the fastest growing local governments in Australia. Each year, this suburb of Perth welcomes almost 8,000 new residents.

City of Nedlands Council — Nedlands is located 7km from Perth and stretching from the banks of the beautiful Swan River with a population of more than 21,000 lives in the suburbs of Nedlands.

University of Western Australia — A research-centred university, UWA attracts the highest level of research income of any Western Australian university. The majority all national competitive funding to the state goes to UWA.

Curtin University — Curtin University is Western Australia’s largest and most culturally diverse university with a large population of international students. As of 2018, Curtin is academically ranked in the top 1% of universities worldwide.

Boddington Gold Mine — The largest gold mine operating in Australia today. Boddington Gold Mine is owned and operated by Newmont Mining Corporation.

Fisheries Department of Western Australia — This governmental agency maintains fisheries and aquatic ecosystems, assesses fish stocks, enforces and educates. They are responsible for the licensing of commercial and recreational fishing activity.

Water Corporation — Owned by the Western Australian government, Water Corporation is the principal supplier of water, wastewater and drainage services in Western Australia. They supply water to hundreds of thousands of homes, businesses and farms.

Methodist Ladies College — Methodist is an all-girls’ boarding and day school in Claremont that has been offering girl-centric education for over 100 years. They value diversity and positive psychology.

Presbyterian Ladies College — This college was founded in 1915 in Peppermint Grove. It has an international reputation for academic excellence and success in preparing young women to lead purposeful and fulfilling lives.

Christchurch Grammar — Established in 1910, Christ Church Grammar School is a Pre-Primary to Year 12 Anglican day and boarding school for boys in Perth, Western Australia.

…and many more satisfied customers in our career as one of Perth’s leading water bore services.