FINDING a way to stop bore water stains qualified a WA company for the finals of this year’s Yellow Pages Business Ideas Grants.
Aquabiotics managing director David Bennett said the idea was simple. Like most “simple” ideas, it took two years to develop.
The company installs a tank containing chemicals close to the customer’s bore. A vacuum injection mechanism mixes the tank chemicals with the water coming from the bore.
There are two major causes of bore stain – iron and calcium carbonate. Iron particles cause the red stain when they make contact with the air, while calcium carbonate leaves a white residue.
The chemicals lock the iron and calcium carbonate molecules into the water, stopping them from creating a stain.
They also remove the bacteria that cause pumps to rot and block.
Mr Bennett said based on average residential use, the chemicals would need to be changed about once a year.
He said the system had even helped to neutralise soils and boost plant growth in certain areas.
Mr Bennet said the chemicals were all food-grade.
“Our bottom line is we ‘do no harm’,” Mr Bennett said.
The system costs $1,650 to install.
The first step is to analyse the water from the bore, which determines the chemical mix needed to correct the staining problem.
He hopes this system will encourage people to use low-grade bore water, which is replenished each year through rainfall, on their gardens.
“The idea of people splashing drinking water around on their gardens seems crazy to me,” he said.
The company also sells an organic acid-based bore stain remover solution.
The Business Ideas Grants competition was won by Brisbane-based Cannon Concrete, which was awarded $50,000, and Sydney-based electronic commerce company Innovit was runner-up, winning a $25,000 grant.
