Installing private water supplies and drilling boreholes for our customers often involves the installation of underground pipework to deliver water from the source to the area of its intended use.
Traditional methods of installing pipework can often be very disruptive and have various limitations so one technique our engineers are using more and more is that of horizontal directional drilling or trenchless drilling.
What is Horizontal Directional Drilling?
Horizontal Direction Drilling is a trenchless method of installing piping and cable systems underground along a predetermined path by the use of highly specialized drilling equipment.
This approach to drilling provides a great way of installing pipes and cables where conventional open cut methods are not permitted, practical, environmentally or economically viable.
This is very useful in built up urban areas or where various obstacles prevent pipework installations running smoothly and often mean costs or delays spiral out of control.
By using trenchless methods we can save costs, lessen the environmental impact and ensure that the general publics and our operative’s exposure to potential hazards are significantly reduced.
Are there any Advantages of Trenchless Drilling compared to Traditional Methods?
The benefits of Horizontal Directional Drilling are extensive which is why it’s now the method of choice for our pipework installations here at Dales Water and for many other companies across the world that install oil, gas and water pipework systems.
- Pipework can be installed either in straight lines or curved to avoid any obstacles
- Working area is confined to the points of entry and exit only causing less disruption and aiding
- No disruption to road, river or rail traffic and less impact on landscapes
- Short, medium or long lengths of pipe can be installed without the need for intermediate pits
- Our trenchless drilling equipment works from surface with no need for deep excavations
- Horizontal Directions Drilling is a much quicker process and in many cases has lower overall costs due to fewer workmen required
- It’s unaffected by surface obstacles
- Can be used to install pipes in changeable ground conditions
Some Directional Drilling Case Studies
New Water Supply for domestic Customer – West Yorkshire
A new borehole water supply was to be installed for one of our domestic water supply customer in West Yorkshire.
The land available for the borehole was in a field opposite the house separated by a path, tree line and drive way to the point of use in the house.
To carry out the installation of the pipeline by normal excavation via a trench would have involved a lot of disruption, the removal of several large trees and the excavation of the driveway all at considerable cost.
Directional drilling and installation of the pipeline meant that the pipeline to the property could be installed with just two excavation pits at either end of the run, the pipeline could go under the trees, path and drive with no mess and no fuss, and in a much shorter amount of time compared to trenching saving on labour costs.
The final connections were made and the customer supplied with great water through their new pipeline.
Religious premises – West Yorkshire
A new borehole water supply was drilled for a religious premises in West Yorkshire. The final connection point into the building was several hundred meters away from the best drilling position located by our geological experts. In between the two positions was an extensive concreted drive way and yard area which also had several other services running through it.
Directional drilling removed the need for significant & extensive trenching that would have been required to install both the pipeline and the electrical cable for the pump. Our engineers decided that directional drilling could be used here to good effect and we were able to install both the pipeline and cabling in the same duct.
Furthermore, because there were various other utility services running through the area it was concluded that the best method to avoid these was to install the duct using the directional drilling at greater depth, thus going underneath the services and avoiding the hazard.
If you have a question about how directional drilling could be used to save time and money or you need our advice on installing pipework please contact us.
