Brighton Reticulation

Converting From Mains Retic to a Bore?

Easy to do! If you have recently moved and are wondering if this is a worthwhile option then my tip is to do it straight away. After 5 years in our last home we began debating the merits of a bore, but knowing we may not stay much longer than another year or two we decided against it. But when we moved to Yanchep, to a home with no retic it was the first thing on the agenda. And there have been no regrets. With a bore you get: – ‘free’ water in the sense that it is not part […]

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Converting From Community Bore to Mains in ‘The Green’, Butler

If you live in The Green Estate in Butler then you will probably have experienced the frustration most people do at not being able to control your own reticulation. You can only run tests at short times on a Saturday morning and no one can service your retic except for the designated company who charge an arm and a leg. This week I did my first conversion job in that area. I’m surprised I haven’t done more as I know the frustration people feel. This one was a direct change over which involved: a cut in by a plumber a new […]

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Shared Bores and Strange Problems in Yanchep

This week I had an early morning phone call from a regular client who lives at the top of our street.   ‘Andrew – my retic is on and it won’t go off. I’ve turned the controller off but it keeps running…’   If this were a system running off the mains then we would naturally presume a faulty master and station solenoid but this was a bore. I told him to turn the bore off at the mains and that stopped the flow.   Assuming it was the electrical contactor failing I told him to get the electrician out […]

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The Great Australian Backyard

Back in the olden days when blocks of land were large the typical backyard was big enough for a full length cricket pitch as well as the Hills Hoist. These days most backyards are compact and good for a game of chess… Last week we were in Lancelin and installed a bore, retic and turf in this property. We finished it on Thursday and it looks sensational. The sprinklers used are top quality MP Rotators (3000 series nozzle) on 2 stations and the 320m of turf was Sir Walter Buffalo. Its  a huge backyard ready for the kids to get […]

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How Much Do I Pay for Water in Perth?

The cost of Perth water increased another 10% in 2013 so it is more important than ever that you are careful with the use of your reticulation. It is estimated that up to 50% of household water usage is attributed to the sprinkler system so it pays not to waste any of that water. One option I encourage people to consider is the installation of a bore. While the upfront cost of around $4K is significant if you plan on being in the property long term then this is an option well worth considering. The price of water* is tiered […]

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What’s in Your Bore Water?

Check this out! Today we did a job on an old bore in Yokine. It involved removing the elbow from the top of the bore and as I inspected it this is what I saw. The mineral deposits from the water have formed a crusty inner skin that looks a bit like coconut inside the pipe. Obviously this has happened over a number of years, but its good to see what can form from bore water. It is about 5ml thick all round  

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How to Avoid Bore Stains

I drove past a school on the weekend that was painted blue, but had large red arcs around the paintwork – the result of sprinklers running off a bore. If you have a bore and you are worried about staining then the answer is to try and design a garden and lawn that can minimise the results of bore water on them. Some simple suggestions: Use either miniscape dripline or adjustable staked drippers in garden beds rather than sprays. Both of these methods target the plants and drop water in the areas needed rather than risking overspray. Have gardens close […]

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Can Water Quality Affect Solenoids?

I have a friend who lives in Quinns Rocks and is on a shared bore. In the last year we have replaced 3 solenoid coils on the same valve because they have corroded and become stuck open. I haven’t seen this happen before, but it seems that the minerals in the water (or perhaps the salt) may be corroding the solenoid piston and causing it to fail. At the moment I don’t have a suitable solution, but it may be that we need to find a solenoid that does not have any metallic parts. You obviously can’t change coils every […]

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My Bore Won’t Come on

Normally when your bore starts up you hear a ‘clunk’ sound as the bore starter kicks in. If you can’t hear this then chances are your relay to the starter is faulty or the problem is in your control box. If the control box looks ok then you will need to call an electrician to have a look at the relay switch.  

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Running Sprinklers off a Bore

Which sprinklers should you run from a bore? You have a couple of things to consider: a) Flow rate: often bores allow you to run much greater numbers of sprinklers than a standard mains pressure system. 80l/min is normal as opposed to 30 off the mains. b) Pump run time: every minute your bore is running is costing you money in electricity and wear and tear on your pump. That said you don’t want to simply be governed by the cheapest option. In my own backyard I have 3 different types of sprinklers running. We have 4 big heavy duty […]

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