Water boreholes access water from deep underground, extracting it from the soil and pumping it up to the surface for day-to-day use. They’re the perfect option for any property owner in need of a reliable and self-sufficient water supply.
Boreholes typically require installation by a specialist company – such as Teckna Group – but you may be wondering: is it possible to drill a water borehole by yourself?
The short answer to this question is: no! The water borehole drilling process presents a number of challenges that an unqualified person simply cannot resolve alone.
Overcoming these challenges requires a combination of modern technology, expert knowledge, and intricate design that only qualified industry workers will have.
In this article, we’ll explain exactly why it’s a good idea to hire a professional drilling company rather than attempting a DIY borehole.
3 challenges of the water borehole drilling process
1) Reaching a sufficient depth
In order to gather water effectively, a water borehole must reach down to about 200m below the surface. It’s virtually impossible to create a borehole using domestic DIY tools. Even if it were possible, the finished borehole would likely collapse over time.
We use heavy-duty drilling rigs at Teckna Group – which dig quickly, easily, and accurately until they reach the required depth. To add reinforcement, we then case the water borehole with high-quality stainless steel for a supportive and sanitary seal.
Drilling a borehole not only requires mobilising large and heavy equipment, but constructing and flushing water boreholes can also be a noisy and messy process. It’s best to leave it to the experts to keep disruption and damage to a minimum.
2) Successfully extracting groundwater
The main purpose of a borehole water system is to access and extract water from underground; however, due to the depth of the borehole, this in itself can be quite challenging. It requires a specialised water borehole pump as part of a professional drilling service.
We offer such a service at Teckna Group, with a wide range of water borehole pumps to choose from. All of these are specially designed for installation deep underground. We also supply and install ancillary equipment (such as auto shut-off options and pressure vessels) and water tanks that can hold between 1,000 and 20,000 litres of water.
Drilling a water borehole is a long process – even after a hydrogeological survey and up to 15 days of onsite construction work, any water drawn must be sent for laboratory testing to find out whether it’s safe to drink. Successfully extracting potable water, or filtering your borehole water to make it drinkable, can take at least 3-4 weeks in all.
3) Extracted water may be non-potable
A water borehole takes water from deep underground, which may be non-potable. This means that it won’t be suitable for drinking without a thorough filtration system, which quickly adds even more expenses to your borehole installation.
You can still use non-potable water for things like watering gardens, washing cars, and flushing toilets. However, it’s not really worth the cost of drilling a borehole if you can’t consume the water from it, or even wash your dishes with it.
To avoid this problem, our team of experts will assess the geological properties of your site before starting the water borehole drilling process. This assessment will identify the best location for your water borehole, with relatively low chances of groundwater pollution.
At Teckna Group, we also fit all of our water boreholes with an effective UV filtration system. This ultraviolet filter helps to eliminate bacteria in the borehole water, ensuring that it meets the national standards for clean and safe drinking water.
Don’t try a ‘DIY’ water borehole – contact Teckna Group
It may just seem like a hole in the ground, but the construction of a water borehole requires both industry expertise and sophisticated technology. If you would like a borehole water supply for your property, it’s definitely worth investing in a professional water borehole drilling service.
Teckna Group demonstrates a wealth of experience in this area, having completed numerous domestic and commercial projects. We can take care of every aspect of the water borehole drilling process for you, so why not get in touch today to find out more?
Either give us a call on 01257 421700 or send a message to enquiries@tecknagroup.co.uk and our team of water borehole installation experts will get back to you as soon as possible. You can also read through our FAQs below to find out more about drilling water boreholes.
Is a water borehole a good investment?
The cost of water boreholes depends on a variety of factors, including the ground conditions, drilling depth, and the type of equipment and casings used. Without the guarantee of finding potable water after drilling down, you might be on the fence about investing in a professional drilling service.
However, a hydrogeological survey can determine the likely presence of groundwater prior to any drilling. If you proceed with the boring process, and find water that proves to be non-potable, you can still use it. With the right advanced filtration system, your borehole water can be made safe.
Tapping into your own water borehole is cheaper than relying on mains water, removing the middleman and allowing you to become more self-sufficient. Since water boreholes can last for many years, the savings will stack up over time. They can also increase the value of the property.
Is borehole water safe for drinking?
It’s vital to test the quality of borehole water following successful drilling before anybody uses or consumes it. This expert chemical and microbiological analysis will inform the necessary filtration system to make the water from the borehole safe to drink, if it’s not considered potable as it is.
Groundwater is protected by a thick layer of rock that we have to drill through to reach it, so it’s less likely for this water to be contaminated than it is for water higher up. It can still contain potentially harmful bacteria, though, which is why it must be tested before your borehole can go into service.
If water treatment is required to make it drinkable, there are many effective ways to improve and maintain water quality. This includes things like sediment filtration, disinfection, iron removal, hard water softening, and other sterilisation procedures (which don’t include adding fluoride or chlorine).
Is my property suitable for drilling a water borehole?
Of course, we at Teckna Group want you to achieve the best possible yield for any borehole you invest in. This is why we carry out a borehole prognosis survey before committing to any drilling work. You won’t have to proceed with borehole drilling if the possibility of finding water is low.
To prevent misunderstandings and wasted resources, a hydrogeological survey will help to inform your decisions. Local borehole logs and data on ground conditions can tell us about the quality and quantity of groundwater available in your area, while geophysical equipment can scan the ground.
It’s also possible to drill test holes, though this is a more costly avenue to go down. In any case, before we do any drilling, we must assess the property first to find the most appropriate location. Power lines and pipes can prevent drilling in certain areas, as can limited space for the drill rig.
