Case
Solar pump remote monitoring; a smart work tool on a remote outback cattle station
Kalala Station is situated in prime cattle country, 280 kilometres south of Katherine in the Northern Territory with the Stuart Highway running through the middle. The property runs a herd of more than 13 thousand brahman breeders and is a mix of large areas of very highly productive black soil. Eliza Pearson has a big job on her hands managing 67 bores on an outback station that spans almost one million acres.
THE PROBLEM
It’s Eliza’s job to manage the water on this remote property, and make sure none of the bores run dry and the cattle always have access to fresh water. On a station this size, a bore runner is a full-time job. Without the bores, Eliza says they couldn’t operate.
Being a bore runner involves driving huge distances across the station, checking troughs, tanks, and turkey nests, and fixing anything that’s broken.
The job of a bore runner is much more than just managing the water supply and the condition of the watering points. Eliza must also keep an eye on the fences, roads and most importantly the cattle. She’s the eyes and the ears of the station.
Conditions can also be challenging in this part of the Northern Territory. The wet season brings with it high humidity and extreme temperatures, often above 40 degrees. But it’s the dramatic monsoonal weather that delivers the biggest challenge with Kalala station receiving around 960 millimetres of rain. This means parts of property can be cut off for days.
THE SOLUTION
For Eliza, working smarter and getting ahead of any problems is key. That is why she has installed a Grundfos Solar Connect Pump Monitor, enabling her to remotely monitor and manage the bore and water levels using her mobile phone.
“I obviously can’t get to every bore on the property every day. There are huge distances to travel to check all the bores, so having this app makes it easier. If you have a leaking trough, the solar connect app will identify that the tank levels are dropping and you need to head out there, sooner rather than later”.
“Especially when it’s really hot, the sooner you know if there’s any kind of drama with the bore, the better”.
Being able to manage the bores remotely and better organise the time travelling has a huge upside. She can now see how much water the bore has been pumping that day thanks to a satellite pump monitoring system which sends and receives information without the need for cellular networks.
A reliable water supply is crucial for a property this size and for the health of the cattle.
Regular updates show tank levels, as well as the status of the pump. She says it’s this level of detail which makes the kit so effective and her life a lot easier.