Rural water

When the pump stops

No water at the tap on a rural property is usually the pump, the pressure switch, or the tank being emptier than you thought. Ring and describe what you can hear at the pump shed, because that often narrows it down before we arrive.

Before you ring, two free checks. Look in the tank. And check the pump has power, because an RCD that has tripped in a shed nobody visits is a common and cheap answer.

Tanks

Supply and installation of water tanks, connections, overflows, and getting the catchment right so the tank actually fills. On a property relying on roof catchment, the plumbing between the roof and the tank matters as much as the tank itself.

Sizing is about how many people, how long the dry spell, and what the roof area actually delivers. Plenty of Hawke's Bay properties are sized for an average year and find out in a dry one.

First flush and keeping the tank clean

A first flush diverter sends the first of the rain, and everything it has washed off the roof with it, away from the tank. It is inexpensive and it does more for the water in the tank than most of what comes after it. Screens on the inlet and overflow keep out leaves and anything that would rather be in your tank than outside it.

Pumps and bore pumps

Supply, installation, repair and replacement of pressure pumps and bore pumps. Sizing matters here. An undersized pump gives you poor flow and a short life, an oversized one cycles itself to death.

A pump that starts and stops rapidly is usually a failed pressure vessel rather than a failed pump, and that is a much smaller bill. Worth having looked at before replacing anything.

Catchment and reticulation

Getting water from where it collects to where you need it, including across a block. Header tanks, gravity feed, and pipework runs for stock troughs and outbuildings. Long runs lose pressure, and the fix is usually pipe size rather than a bigger pump.

Rural realities

Russ has worked rural his whole career. Long runs, no town pressure, no mains to fall back on, and a callout that is not five minutes away. That shapes what gets specified. On a rural property the right answer is usually the one with the fewest things that can fail, not the one with the most features.

A note on drinking water

We install and maintain the hardware. We are not a drinking water supply assessor and we do not certify water as potable. If you want to know what is in your water, get it tested, and then we can talk about what treatment actually suits it.