WATER USE
From page 37
Few plot dwellers have a map
to show where their water
pipes were laid, so hours are
wasted digging for leaking
pipes. We also waste time
trying to find a leak because
it's often not where the water
is seen coming out of the
ground.
Often our pumps are old and
have not been serviced, so
they break down at times
when it's hot and dry and
water demand by the stock or
the homestead is high. And,
for those with old-style
bladder-based booster
pumps, checking and refilling
the air pressure in the
bladders is often neglected.
Sometimes the water system
cannot cope because stock
numbers have been increased
without the water system
being upgraded to meet the
extra demand.
Often the pipes are of varying
diameters, which makes it
almost impossible to calculate
Tree roots will damage and constrict plastic piping.
pressure and volume of the
flow. And, in an old and
frequently-repaired system
much volume is lost by
reduction in pipe diameter
caused by all the connectors
used to fix leaks, not to
mention to friction caused by
cheap, rough piping.
Water pipes are often far too
small to cope with demand so
our troughs are regularly
emptied and our animals are
left waiting for them to fill to
get a drink.
If you live on an older plot
and you want to install a new
project, such as drip irrigation
or a misting system, your
piping might be so inadequate or unsuitable that you
have to start all over again,
which will be costly.
Where water pipes are laid
38
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on the surface they are
damaged by machinery and
the water is heated by the
sun, making it unpalatable to
livestock.
There are several basic causes
of borehole water supply
problems, including improper
borehole design and installation, stability problems,
encrustation build-up, biofouling, corrosion of the
pipes, aquifer problems and
over-pumping. If you have no
backflow prevention in the
system, the bores become
contaminated from troughs
and hose suck-back.
If you are concerned about
the quality of your water, you
can have it tested to assess for
harmful impurities, including
bacteria, viruses, minerals,
chemicals and organic
substances. There are
laboratories run by stateowned enterprises such as
Erwat outside Kempton Park
and the CSIR in Pretoria.
Continued on page 39