Mick Hogan Excavations and Poly Irrigation co-owner Mark Langham. The Goulburn Valley business covers all aspects of irrigation, from channel maintenance and excavator hire to fabricating its own risers.
Photo by
Rechelle Zammit
Pipe-and-riser systems have a leaky problem, but a Numurkah invention has solved it.
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Mick Hogan Excavations and Poly Irrigation has been working with irrigators for a long time and designed its own riser after seeing leakage problems from riser seal failures.
The Numurkah business now sells the only riser on the market that works with the water pressure to hold the water seal against the sealing seat.
This means the stronger the pressure, the stronger the seal, as it’s the pressure which holds the seal in place until the irrigator wants it open.
This is different to typical risers which rely on actuators for seal strength.
The pressure seal risers, also called the ‘Hogan pressure seal risers’. The units use water pressure to seal, making them leak-proof.
Photo by
Rechelle Zammit
Mick Hogan Excavations and Poly Irrigation co-owner Mark Langham said their riser design seals from the inside out.
“We were seeing landowners having issues with their existing riser units, which were leaking,” Mr Langham said.
“The design wasn’t able to withstand the pressure of the (water) pumps and water was getting out when the irrigators didn’t want it ... it was damaging paddocks and costing farmers.”
Mick Hogan Excavations and Poly Irrigation has been bringing the pressure seal risers to Elmore Field Days for a couple of years now, giving farmers a chance to get an up-close with the craftsmanship.
The business manufactures its own risers, aluminium side door bay outlets and more.
Ant O'Dwyer doing poly-fabrication in the fully equipped and dedicated fabrication workshop. Mick Hogan Excavations and Poly Irrigation can cut, weld and fabricate HDPE pipe to meet custom specifications.
Photo by
Rechelle Zammit
“We are definitely offering these nationwide,” Mr Langham said.
“We are selling units into Maffra, NSW, Gippsland and other flood irrigation areas.”
The pressure seal risers have a vacuum and air relief value fitted to each unit for system protection, are robust enough to withstand cattle contact and can handle high flow rates.
They can also be manually operated — easily accessible from the four-wheeler seat or laneway — or fully automated.
Mark Langham with some slide door bay outlets.
Photo by
Rechelle Zammit