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Garden Bores & Submersible Pumps in Perth
Your own underground water supply for a green garden – without the scheme-water bill. Here’s how garden bores and submersible pumps work, and how we keep yours running for life.
Questions about your garden bore? Call (08) 6263 4644
What is a garden bore?
A garden bore is a hole drilled down to the underground water supply – the aquifer – beneath your property, fitted with a casing and a pump so you can water your garden from that groundwater instead of using expensive mains (scheme) water. Around the Perth metro area, a water bore is an asset to any home with an irrigation/reticulation system.
Once a bore is drilled, a ‘submersible’ pump is installed below ground to reliably pump water up to your reticulation. The bore cover can sit level with your lawn or garden, or be buried and hidden from view.
We don’t drill or install new bores. What we do is everything that keeps an existing bore working – supplying, installing, servicing, repairing, cleaning and replacing the pump for the bore’s entire lifespan.
How a submersible pump works
A submersible pump sits down inside the bore casing, beneath the water line. The motor and pump are sealed together as one unit and cooled by the water around them, pushing water up the riser to the surface and out to your reticulation.
Because it lives underground and out of sight, a submersible pump runs quietly and efficiently – which is exactly why it’s the standard choice for the vast majority of Perth garden bores. For deeper bores especially, a submersible can lift water from levels an above-ground pump simply can’t reach.
When the time comes to fit one to a new bore or replace a tired pump, see our bore pump installation page for how we size and connect it.
Bore vs scheme water – and the waterwise roster
Bore water vs mains
Watering from a bore can save a lot of money over the years – you’re not paying scheme-water rates to keep a lawn and garden green through a Perth summer. Bore water often carries more iron and minerals, which gardens handle fine but which can cause some staining over time.
Most Perth homes run reticulation off the bore and keep mains water for the house. If iron staining becomes an issue, bore cleaning helps cut it at the source.
The watering roster still applies
Having a bore doesn’t exempt you from Perth’s permanent watering roster – you’re allocated certain days based on your address, with the winter sprinkler ban from 1 June to 31 August.
A correctly set up, waterwise system makes that effortless: the controller runs the right days, times and durations automatically. As a Waterwise-endorsed business and Irrigation Australia member, that’s exactly how we set every system up.
Your own water supply, used the waterwise way
Waterwise Endorsed | Irrigation Australia | Full Warranty
Water table, yield & siting
Two things shape how a bore performs: the water table– how far down the groundwater sits – and the yield, or how much water the bore can reliably supply. A deep water level needs a submersible pump that can lift water further; a limited yield means the pump shouldn’t be run so hard it draws the bore down faster than it recharges.
We factor both in whenever we assess a bore, so the pump and the watering schedule suit the bore you actually have – not a one-size-fits-all guess.
Drilling a new bore
Drilling the bore itself – siting it on your block, drilling down to the aquifer and installing the casing – is specialised, licensed work done by a bore driller. In Western Australia, garden bores may also need to be registered with the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation, and drillers handle that side of things.
We don’t drill new bores. But the moment your new bore is in and needs a pump – or your existing bore needs the pump serviced, cleaned or replaced – that’s our job, and we look after it for the life of the bore.
Got a bore and a watering problem? Start with our bore pump repairs & servicing page.
Everything we do for garden bores
From the day a pump goes in to the day it’s replaced, we cover the lot:
- Bore pump installation – supply, install and replace submersible and pressure pumps
- Bore pump repairs & servicing – fault-finding, repairs and preventive maintenance
- Bore cleaning – iron bacteria treatment, air developing and flow restoration
- Reticulation repairs – the system your bore feeds
Hear From Our Happy Customers...
"Justin was prompt, professional and efficient, and he didn't even laugh at me for my inability to program my retic controller - I couldn't recommend Perth Reticulation Experts highly enough."
"The technician worked hard to resolve issue whilst keeping us informed as the repair progressed."
"John was friendly and very helpful, I can't think of anything that could have been done better, I had a problem I could not fix, I needed an expert and would definitely recommend you guys to anyone who has retic issues!"
"Perth Reticulation have serviced my retic at a couple of my properties, including replacing a bore pump. Bookings are made easily, very fast service and always provide an understandable explanation for the work. I recommend this company to all! Thanks John!"
"I do not usually do posts, but I feel obligated to mention Amanda from PRE's customer service team who was so helpful and an absolute pleasure to deal with over the phone."
Garden Bore & Submersible Pump FAQs
A garden bore is a hole drilled down to the groundwater (the aquifer) beneath your property, fitted with a casing and a pump so you can use that underground water for your garden instead of mains scheme water. Across the greater Perth metro area, a garden bore is a real asset for any home with a reticulation system — cheaper watering and your own reliable supply.
A submersible pump sits down inside the bore casing, below the water line. The motor and pump are sealed together and cooled by the surrounding water, and the pump pushes water up the riser to the surface and out to your reticulation. Because it's underground and out of sight, it runs quietly and efficiently — which is why submersible pumps are the standard choice for most Perth garden bores.
For watering, a bore can save you a lot of money over time because you're not paying scheme-water rates to keep a lawn and garden green. Bore water often carries more iron and minerals, which is fine for gardens but can cause some staining. Most Perth homes use the bore for reticulation and keep mains water for the house. Watering with a bore still has to follow the Waterwise roster.
Yes. Perth's permanent watering roster applies to garden bores as well as scheme water — you're allocated certain days based on your address, with a winter sprinkler ban from 1 June to 31 August. A correctly set up, waterwise system makes roster compliance easy: the controller runs the right days, times and durations automatically.
No — we don't drill or install new bores. What we do is everything to do with the pump on an existing bore: supplying, installing, servicing, repairing, cleaning and replacing it for the life of the bore. If you need a new bore drilled, that's a licensed driller's job; once it's in and you need a pump, that's where we come in.
The water table is the level underground where the groundwater sits, and yield is how much water a bore can reliably supply. Both affect the pump you need and how hard it can be run. A deep water level needs a submersible pump that can lift water further; a limited yield means the pump shouldn't be run so hard it draws the bore down faster than it recharges. We factor both in when we assess your bore.
With the right sizing, water conditions and regular care, a quality submersible pump can run reliably for many years. Lifespan is shortened by iron bacteria and sediment build-up, running a poorly sized pump, or leaving small faults unattended — which is exactly why periodic servicing and bore cleaning pay off.
Yes — submersible pumps on garden bores are our bread and butter. We assess, repair, service, clean and replace them right across the greater Perth metropolitan area. Call (08) 6263 4644 to book.