Is Borehole Installation Disruptive?
Borehole drilling is required for both water borehole and ground source heating installation. Both of these installations utilise natural energy sources to provide efficient water and heating into a residential or commercial property. An installation of this type is a long-term investment with many benefits but we find that a main concern amongst customers is potential disruption. Precautions may vary from business to business but here at Dragon Drilling, we ensure we have a strict set of measures in place to guarantee minimal disruption.
What is a borehole?
A borehole is a narrow, deep hole drilled vertically into the ground in order to extract water or heat from underground. This is carried out using a range of drilling rigs in a location where there is a viable source of energy. In most cases, this is rocks with fissures present through which water will flow and can be captured.
At Dragon Drilling, we use rotary drilling rigs for your borehole installation. They are compact, rubber-tracked and manoeuvrable, resulting in smooth operation and minimal disruption. Our fleet of 13 rigs ranging in size from 9 tonnes to 52 tonnes allow us to select the ideal equipment for projects depending on site access.
What is the installation process?
The planning, drilling and installation process for a borehole lasts around 3-4 weeks from start to finish. We will begin with a site visit to your property to scope the area after an initial desktop analysis at our HQ. Following this, you will receive a plan and a quote and can then decide if you’d like to go ahead.
When drilling your borehole, we will be on site at your property for around 4-5 days with the actual drilling taking approximately 3 days. Your borehole will be drilled with one of our rotary drilling rigs with a casing installed to support the newly drilled hole. We also add gravel and bentonite to prevent anything seeping into it and then cover with a manhole.
A pump will then be put into the borehole to begin retrieving water. This will be left for a week or two then be tested to ensure the quality of the water and if any additional treatment equipment is required to bring the water in line with UK regulatory requirements.
Precautionary measures to avoid disruption when borehole drilling
We take plenty of precautionary measures to ensure minimal damage and disruption to your property…
- Drilling rigs are cleaned between jobs so they arrive on site clean and tidy.
- Skips are used to catch the cuttings and any debris from the borehole.
- To avoid damaging grass or patio, matts are placed to track the rigs across your grass.
- Any nearby structures will be covered with tarpaulin.
- Our drilling crew use excavators to carry out a full site tidy up before they leave.
If you’re worried about your neighbours and surroundings, we will use traffic management in order to gain quick access to your property from the low loader vehicle. Noise level can also be another common concern. Our drilling rigs run between 96 and 108 decibels, however, the noise will not be constant. It may be worth warning neighbours of the upcoming installation as a courtesy.
If you live in a more built up area, we can use a fluid borehole drilling method which will contain any water or mess from the borehole. This essentially works by reusing the water we hit whilst drilling by putting it back down the borehole.
Overall, borehole drilling and installation is pretty quick to install when compared to other construction works. With our preventative measures, there is little disruption to your day to day life. If you’re interested in borehole installation, get in touch and we can discuss your options.