Sand Spears

Haji-Baba · Senior Member

Sand Spears

Peter_n_Margaret · Guru

Never used one, but I know that their use is illegal in some places in Queensland. Not sure where.
Cheers,
Peter

Possum3 · Guru

Quick check on Ebay found one in Sydney at $350. In NSW where I reside a permit is required to sink a bore or spearpoint. www.waternsw.com.au/customer-service/water-licensing/about-licences/constructing-a-bore Don't know Qld regulations but I was under the belief that a permit to drill and to pump is required.
Also found a contractor that offers advice regarding bore/spearpoints www.rirrigation.com.au/services/borehole-and-spearpoint-pumping

jade46 · Senior Member

I have 2 spears in a sandy coastal area and they were put down with a hand auger 100mm dia. I guess it depends on your soil / sand and that would be local knowledge. No permit was required in Hervey Bay QLD Fraser Coast Council if used for domestic purposes.

-- Edited by jade46 on Friday 29th of November 2019 07:01:34 AM

Haji-Baba · Senior Member

Thanks for the response.

Yes it has all changed re: permits. I believe it is illegal to put down a spear at at Inskip Point now.
In past years that was the practice to get showeriing water and such.

I want to clean out an existing bore which has slowed down somewhat due to silting.

The electric pump is ok but the valves at the bottom of the spear may be blocked.

Anyway I am working on it. Hoping to recover my original volumes and pressure.

Have fun Haji-Baba

Iva Biggen · Senior Member

I put a bore casing down many years ago.

It was easy, I got a 6.5 mtr length of 150mm PVC which was the casing.
I cut one end so basically it had teeth shapes for cutting through the sand.
I got about a 7 mtr length of 90mm pvc and got some geo fabric and made a sock for the lower end after drilling a series of 19mm holes around the lower 600 mm of the pipe. This will be your pick up pipe.
I then got a sludge pump from Coates Hire and started the casing into the ground by turning it and letting the teeth cut through the sand.
While turning the casing I caused a slurry by having the hose run into the middle of the pipe.
In no time at all I was down 6 mtrs. I then pushed the pick it pipe into the casing right to the bottom which was in underground water and then lifted the bore casing about 600mm so that the pick up pipe was in the water with the sock on the end.
Secure the top of your new bore. I used a plastic 150 mm cap with a 90mm hole in it for the pick up pipe but some would mix a stiff mix of concrete and grout the top with about 50mm of the conc.
Connect your suction pump, I used a 1/2 hp 240 v pump which worked well and a 19mm pick up tubing which just dropped down the 90 mm pipe.

At the time it cost very little to have water for gardens and lawns but I did do the exercise of using a larger 3/4 hp pump and that was the difference between buying water from the water authority and pumping my own with the bigger pump and it was about the same cost of power to pump as it was to buy the water.
At that time there was a bloke that made a slurry pump which was a rubber piston fitted into a pvc pipe which he pumped up and down until his bore casing was installed. He took about a day and my sludge pump took about half an hour.

Permit, what permit...all these ways to gain revenue hav been introduced long after I put my bore down, as it is just another money grabbing method.

Good luck with it, I had fun doing mine.

Good luck with your bore

Bobdown · Guru

Haji-Baba wrote:

Thanks for the response.

Yes it has all changed re: permits. I believe it is illegal to put down a spear at at Inskip Point now.
In past years that was the practice to get showeriing water and such.

I want to clean out an existing bore which has slowed down somewhat due to silting.

The electric pump is ok but the valves at the bottom of the spear may be blocked.

Anyway I am working on it. Hoping to recover my original volumes and pressure.

Have fun Haji-Baba

Hi Haji-Baba,

Get a large trailer mounted compressor with a 6 m x 20 mm pipe attached (all fittings taped up) and blast the air down the bore.....stand back.

It will force the water out of the bore and suck in the fine silt blocking your spear that will be expelled, it's called developing the bore.

It will return your bore to original condition and be less trouble than putting in a new one.

Cheers Bob

Haji-Baba · Senior Member

Thank you forum members. Some very good advice coming in. That is just what I needed.
Pulled plenty of big bores in the back country but sand is another thing.
Never had any trouble with sand before except in my tucker.

Thanks.

Have fun Haji-Baba