Flood Control to Farming: Unlocking the Versatility of Water Pumps

Flood Control to Farming: Unlocking the Versatility of Water Pumps

“2022 will be remembered as the year of the Great Deluge, when record-breaking rain and floods lashed large parts of Eastern Australia, causing untold devastation for Australians and our economy…Climate change is consigning Australia to an era of climate disasters that we are not prepared for.” Climate Council, Australia.

This is a stark warning and if you were affected by this weather pattern last year, it is important to be prepared for the remainder of this year and for years to come.

The bigger picture is to try and stop climate change in its tracks. In the meantime, we need practical ideas to help with its consequences. Water pumps are useful tools primarily used to assist with floods and to ensure our crops get the water they need in times of drought.

Read on to find out how water pumps can play a significant role in controlling water levels and the distribution of water to exactly where farmers need it.

Water Pump Benefits When There’s Flooding

The mere presence of a water pump on a property acts as reassurance should there be a risk of flooding. Water and electricity tend not to be a good mix. Having a “stand-alone” petrol-powered water pump can come into own during an emergency or power failure.

Water pumps are ideal for draining bigger areas around a property or on worksites and for moving high volumes of water. Petrol pumps are a good choice for rural areas where power is not always accessible and for use with temporary flood barriers. Water pumps are an invaluable inclusion to your flood resilience plan.

Water pumps boast many benefits, one is stopping water from pooling in areas that it can’t drain from. Even minor flooding can cause serious damage.

In addition to flood management, you can use water pumps for:

  • Pumping water from a well or dam to fill a pool or water tank
  • Pumping water into a home where electricity is unavailable
  • When there’s a power outage or electrical failure
  • Fire water pumps

As the likelihood of flooding increases, keeping an emergency pump is becoming more and more common. It’s a sound investment as it can mitigate the risks to your property and business’s valuables.

When you tackle a flood early, there’s a far better chance of keeping damage to a minimum. Having a water pump handy gives you peace of mind that you’ve done your best to ensure you keep your property protected from the unexpected.

The Importance of Water Pumps on Farms

Farm water planning aims to get water to where you need it and when you need it. Farm water planning factors in levels of risk associated with water supply reliability. Critical elements of farm water planning include:

  • Understanding a farm’s entire water requirements
  • Weighing up the reliability of water sources
  • Deciding the sizes of storage units such as dams and tanks
  • Incorporating water pumps as part of the water supply system
  • Understanding how long water supplies will last during a drought

To produce healthy crops and look after their animals, farmers rely on the consistent distribution of clean water. Water pumps are the silent heroes that ensure a farm’s domestic consumption, irrigation and livestock care needs get taken care of.

Water pumps are vital in remote locations where commercial electrical power on the grid is not as readily accessible.

Water is integral to a successful crop. Key water pump uses include supplying irrigation systems with the water where farmers need it. By using water pumps, farms can efficiently get the right quantity of water to crops in every area of the land.

Here are some key considerations:

  • Pumping water to a single dam can mitigate water loss through evaporation
  • Use water pumps to redistribute water from farm sheds and rainwater tanks
  • Doubling pipe diameter from a water pump increases the flow rate 4-fold

Keeping Animals Fit and Healthy

Like us, cattle and livestock drink water when they need it. That means farmers require a steady supply of drinkable water for them at any time of the day. When animals get thirsty for too long, they can suffer quickly. The consequences can sometimes be devastating.

Water pumps provide essential cost-effective benefits to farmers. They give them a dependable way to consistently provide clean drinking water for their animals.

To give this some perspective, although daily water consumption patterns in lot-fed cattle change with the seasons, it can range from about 14 litres per head to per day to 75 litres per head per day. That’s according to Meat and Livestock Australia.

Using a water pump to fill large water troughs can mitigate the walking distances for stock and help reduce erosion.

As well as needing plenty of drinking water, animals need to bathe. Water pumps let farmers clean their animals far more efficiently. This is particularly important for larger farms.

Draining Swimming Pools and Tanks

The benefits of water pumps extend well beyond the farm life. They are beneficial for those of us on acreage properties.

You can use water pumps for your home to move water from dams to garden irrigation systems. They’ll help the grass turn from brown to green in the summer months.

Sunscreen, dirt and evaporation all have an impact on water quality along with simple ageing. The chemical makeup of your pool’s contents will alter over time and reduce its cleanliness and safety which is why the cooler months are a good opportunity to drain and replace swimming pool water. Water pumps are an excellent way to do this efficiently and easily.

The same principles apply to water tanks. You should check these for the build-up of sludge at least every 2-3 years. If there is sludge present in the tank, you should use a water pump to empty the tank before cleaning.

Make Yours a Maxwatt Water Pump

MaxWatt offers portable water pumps that are powerful, reliable, versatile and built to last. The wide variety of water pump uses means they are a must-have for farms, homes with swimming pools and to deal with flooding anywhere.

Petrol-powered water pumps will give you more power and a higher flow rate for water pumping. Check out Maxwatt’s water pumps and take advantage of all their water pump benefits today.

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