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Old 08-31-09, 06:19 PM   #91
AC_Hacker
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Default The Swivel Story...

Daox,

Sure, the water swivel is used to transfer water (or drilling mud) down a rotating drilling pipe. The purpose of this is to lubricate and cool the drill bit, and to flush cuttings up and out of the hole.

They can be purchased on ebay currently at this link:

water well swivel, great deals on Business Industrial on eBay!

I've been trying to reduce cost on this project at every step, so I made my own.

I don't currently have a lathe, so I tried to find off the shelf parts to do the trick. I made two different kinds, here's the best...

Against all advice I decided to use 3/4 inch drill pipe. I now realize that for really serious drilling 3/4 is too narrow and constrictive to transfer the amount of water required to drill deep. However, for depths such as I'm undertaking, it works just fine.

Here's a drawing:


I forgot to label the holes that are drilled in staggered positions (for strength) on opposite sides of the pipe.

Here's a photo of the drilling in process:


...so you'll want to stagger the holes and both holes should have a combined area a bit bigger than the ID of your drill pipe.

Now the trick is to find a shell and a bearing that require minimum machining to fit up properly.

Here's what I came up with:


The white shell and screw-on end caps are from Ace Hardware and are called a 'PVC 1 1/4 inch compression T'. Throw the rubber compression thingies away, you won't need them.

Here was the real breakthrough: The bearings are not measured in millimeters as bearings usually are, but are inch bearings. Get one that has an ID of 1 inch. The bearing OD must be specified to be the same as or just slightly smaller than the ID of the compression T. I found one (sorry, I forget the exact OD of the bearing) that was a perfect snug fit inside the PVC plastic compression fitting.

The 3/4 pipe OD will have to be skimmed down a few thousandths to be a proper press-on fit to the inside of the sealed bearing. This will take off the tops of the threads, but not enough to affect strength.


I stuck some bread dough about an inch down into the top end pipe and filled it up with J.B. Weld to form a plug so the water wouldn't get out.

If you want to use the rotary mud drilling technique, your rotating motor doesn't do much of the work, the water and mud become the real tool.

If you need to drill through sand/clay, mud drilling progress is really fast. However, the mud does obscure the soil you're going through. I really learned a lot about the soil characteristics, sand characteristics & soil moisture zones etc, by digging dry.

Hope this helps...

Regards,

-AC_Hacker

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Last edited by AC_Hacker; 09-02-09 at 01:05 AM.. Reason: improve wording...
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Old 09-02-09, 01:02 PM   #92
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Default Drilling Report Aug 31, 2009 Part Two

(continuation...)

After I have managed to get through the layer of clay at 4 feet, the soil composition becomes a mixture of brown sand and clay, with the percentage of sand increasing as I go deeper. Here the electric auger works just fine, and has saved me loads of hard manual work.

I've tried lots of different bit designs on the electric auger, but the one that works the best is the bit from a manual post hole auger bit.


I make a temporary mark on the electric auger's vertical tube to keep track of drilling progress and let the auger do the work. I have found that after it has dug about 4 inches, the auger bucket is full, so I use the shop vac down the hole to vacuum out the debris and then drill down another 4 inches, etc.

Sometimes when working in this mode, the auger is turning but stops progressing, so I have found that rocking the auger stand back and forth seems to concentrate the force on an edge of the auger blade, and the auger digs on down again.

I can usually get from 5 feet to 8 feet pretty fast, maybe an hour's time.

6 FEET TO 9 FEET
At about eight feet, I start seeing black sand grains mixed in with the brown sand, so I know that the wet black sand layer is not far away.

After every five or ten buckets, I try removing the auger from the hole and try using the shop vac alone. If it works poorly, I continue with the auger, if it works well, I switch methods and use the shop vac alone. I put the 45 degree tip on and rotate the PVC pipe back and forth. This way the pipe acts both as a drill and as a debris remover, in one operation. The shop vac method is easy, fast and much safer than the electric auger.

I have used two shop vacs, one is from Lowe's and is rated at 4 HP. The other is a Rigid rated at 5.5 HP. Using a shop vac for drilling a borehole into the earth is at the very least 'cruel and unusual punishment'. As I said before, I estimated that the dirt removed from each 17 foot deep hole weighs about a half ton of dirt and rocks. The Rigid is up to the task, the Lowe's shop vac is not. This is not necessarily an endorsement for Rigid shop vacs, rather advice on choosing the right tool for the job.

I have found that the 2 inch PVC pipe works best. It sucks up great volumes of dirt and a surprising amount of stones get drawn up as well. I finally wised up and added a larger-radius PVC 90 degree turn (NOTE: large radius turns have less friction loss than sharp 90 degree elbows) to the top of the PVC pipe, and use a 2 inch rubber plumbing adapter to connect the shop vac hose to the PVC.


I use the hose clamp on the shop vac side, and use the rubber side loose on the PVC side. When the shop vac is running, the suction keeps it all together very well. The surprise benefit is that the 90 degree bend gives me a handle for rotating the pipe. And best of all, no more vacuum-hose kinks.

Blockage of the suction line is a very common occurrence. It usually occurs from stones, but can be a glop of wet sand, a leaf fallen into the hole and wet sand can do it to.


At first I thought blockage was a setback, but now I see that every blockage removed is just that much more material that is not in the hole any more.

The rubber slip-fit mentioned above, allows me to quickly disconnect the shop vac from the PVC to determine the location of blockage. I can tell when things get blocked because the shop vac will increase its RPMs dramatically. If the RPMs reduce to normal when the slip-fit is separated, it means that the vertical pipe (see photo on left above) or the PVC 90 degree bend is plugged (see photo on right above), usually but not always at the tip.

If the shop vac is still reving very high, it means that the hose is blocked or a stone has gotten lodged near the opening of the vac unit.

I have become so attuned to this process, that I can tell if the blockage is a round stone completely blocking things, or a flat stone causing a partial blockage.

9 TO 12 FEET
In my situation, more black sand means less clay and very fast removal, but it also means more and larger stones, which present unique problems.

William_Hackerson suggested that we needed some kind of down-the-hole claw to remove rocks. Here's what I came up with:


Here's another shot with a carpenter's tape for scale, along with a rock I hauled out of the hole using the claw:


If part of the claw looks like a wrecking bar, there's a very good reason.

(* Drilling Report Aug 31, 2009 Part Three ... coming soon)

Best Regards,

AC_Hacker
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Old 09-03-09, 11:22 PM   #93
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Hey there AC_Hacker, loving this thread! Just wondering... what ever became of the heat pump you were going to show us? Did i miss something? I'm on the edge of my seat, don't leave us hangin!

Thanks for all the info so far, looks like you've done a ton of work on this.
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Old 09-04-09, 12:59 PM   #94
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Thanks for all the great info!

Last edited by bma1984; 09-04-09 at 01:02 PM..
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Old 09-04-09, 02:01 PM   #95
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Default Converting the Air Conditioner to a Heat Pump

CDIG,

I don't mean to leave you hanging...

The loop field is taking me longer to complete than I had estimated. My plan was to complete the loop field, then dress the water lines into the basement and then go to work on the conversion.

But I tell you what, let me know when you (or anyone else who is reading this) have the air conditioner and the heat exchangers ready to go, and I'll break what I am doing and go into the full glory of the AC-to-Heat_Pump conversion process. It's really pretty interesting and easier than you might think.

Your AC might cost from $10 to $50 depending on your luck. Your heat exchangers might be anywhere from $10 (if you scrounge copper tubing and make your own) to $40 and up (if you buy them on ebay, etc). If you make your own, don't forget to braze rather than solder (NOT EVEN SILVER SOLDER). Solder won't hold up to the vibration.

You don't want to break into your AC system until you have everything ready to re-assemble, braze, pump down and charge. The longer the system stays open, the more water from the air gets into the compressor oil. You don't want that to happen.

In return, all I ask is that you post your results to this blog, so that others can learn from your experiences, as you are learning from mine.

Deal?

Best Regards,

AC_Hacker

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Old 09-04-09, 08:46 PM   #96
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Default Drilling Report Aug 31, 2009 Part Three

As stated in previous entries, clay is really tough to get through. But I have had some success as of late.

I got to thinking about my earlier efforts in using a water drill or water and/or mud drill and remembered how easily it cut through the clay layer. So I designed and built another very agressive water bit to be used just to get through the clay, thinking that then I'd go back to the shop vac for sand & gravel removal.

So here's the bit I welded up. I took the photo with one hand while I held the bit with the other hand, because the bit was still too hot to touch.


I had considered tempering the cutting edges, but figured that the bit will see only limited use so I decided to use as is.

Here's a pic of the business end of the bit so you can see how I left the end open for water flow.



And here's a shot of the business end with water running through it.


As you can imagine from a dirt's eye view, with this thing coming at you, rotating away, and water blasting out all the clay and sand debris, the clay just doesn't stand a ghost of a chance.

What had formerly taken me an hour or two of arduous hacking and vacuuming, took maybe 5 minutes of watching the auger do all the work.

If I were in a situation of digging a loop field in ground that was all sand and clay, I wouldn't hesitate to use a rotating water bit. I would also not use water as I did today, but I woud use drilling mud, because it prevents fluid loss through the sand, and it inhibits cave-in of sand.

Here's a link to the stuff I used before:

QuiK-Gel, 50lb. Bag, 200 mesh Wyoming sodium bentonite, drilling mud : Mud - Directional Drilling : Atlantic Supply

I was having the problems of fluid loss, and cave in and the mud cured both of those problems. But the problem of rocks it just couldn't help. It also obscured the soil characteristics so that I really couldn't tell what was going on.

You might overlook the need for a husky flow of water or mud down the drill pipe. With rotary mud drilling, the fluid becomes at least as much of the tool as the metal and motor. So you'll want to minimize friction losses and get a pump that will really gush. For my pruposes, I used a 1.5 HP electric pump that worked pretty well. I measured it's flow rate against that of city water andd found it was 2x the volume. Worked great. Mud and sand and bits of gravel are really hard on pumps, so get one called a "trash pump":

trash pump - Google Search

...or get a really, really good guarantee.

So if you're going to go the route of mud/rotary drilling, you'll want to set up some kind of recirculating system so that debris settles out of the fluid that is forced to the top and will send the liquid mud forcibly back down the drill pipe.

Here are some links regarding rotary mud drilling:

Mud Rotary Drilling

Mud Rotary

There's plenty more on the web, but the gigantic size of what the professionals use is not always easy to reduce to DIY scale.

There are some church groups who have done some reasonable work on small scale drilling. Some videos also on youtube:

YouTube - well drilling

Some are crafty, some are crap, mine them for ideas.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

So for me, getting through the clay, I figured I'd be going through about 2 cubic feet of clay per hole, and decided to just use water and just let the clay wash up onto the ground.

After I made it through the clay, I used the shop vac again in "wet mode": and sucked out the water and as much of the mud as I could. It took 2 or 3 vac loads per hole, but it sure beat bashing away relentlessly with a sharp iron rod.

It was a bit sticky for the first few feet going through clay/sand, but again better than clay bashing.

I'm working on the last four holes simultaneously, gas augered them all, used the water bit on them all and am now electric augering down to black sand where I can start in with the shop vac.

One thing that I learned previously that I need to include is that there is wet drilling and there is dry drilling and as I have found, each has it's benefits and its drawbacks.

The spiral auger bits like you might find on post hole diggers are fine for dry drilling, but all of those radiating "fins" can really work against you if you want to drill wet. If you have mud and water in the hole and a spiral bit, the bit can become stuck in the ground, due to all those horizontal surfaces.

I found out the hard way at the beginning of last winter, when I got a nice new $100 spiral bit stuck 8 feet down in a cold, muddy hole. I tried to pry it out of the ground with a hydrolic engine hoist and very heavy chain fastened real close to the hydrolic cylinder.

There was straining and groaning of the hoist and then a peace-shattering bang as some substantial steel failed in shear.

That new auger bit is still 8 feet down in the ground, and on cold winter nights, I can still hear it calling my name...


Best Regards,

-AC_Hacker
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Old 09-04-09, 11:16 PM   #97
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Sorry for my enthusiasm AC... I'm no where near ready to start converting an a/c unit into a heat pump. I guess I'm just eager to find out of this is something that I can actually build. I'm currently doing research and collecting/shopping for materials for a solar furnace for my garage... haven't had alot of time though, got other renovations in the works right now that take priority.

I've got friends who've gotten Geothermal installed in their house, they love it but it did come with a 15-20k price tag, which is why your project intrigues me so much. That and I have 4 old a/c unit laying around that I'm itching to tear apart now! I can understand that you're busy with the digging stage, so I'll be patient.

Thanks again for sharing all your work this. I'll be sure to share anything I learn and employ here.
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Old 09-05-09, 08:49 AM   #98
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AC_Hacker View Post
I found out the hard way at the beginning of last winter, when I got a nice new $100 spiral bit stuck 8 feet down in a cold, muddy hole. I tried to pry it out of the ground with a hydrolic engine hoist and very heavy chain fastened real close to the hydrolic cylinder.

There was straining and groaning of the hoist and then a peace-shattering bang as some substantial steel failed in shear.

That new auger bit is still 8 feet down in the ground, and on cold winter nights, I can still hear it calling my name...


Best Regards,

-AC_Hacker
lol, thats a great bit of story telling there. I love it!

Also, I'm very glad to see you got a bit that can get you through that tough clay! So, you should have the rest of those holes done in no time, right?
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Old 09-06-09, 12:15 PM   #99
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Default Response To cdig...

cdig,

OK, I know just how tough it is to wait for info, so I'm posting some links that ought to go a long way toward satisfying your burning curiosity.



Here is one of the most informative sources of refrigeration hacking I have ever come across:

Phase Change Building Guide - XtremeSystems Forums

It has been considerably expanded since I first discovered it.

I'd advise you to read the whole thing, and when you are through, go back and read the whole thing again. This is an absolute gold mine.

Make note of the tools required, and start nailing down access to the stuff you're gonna need. You may have friends or relatives who have some of these tools to lend or give or sell cheap.

Sometimes Chinese tools can get you by:

Harbor Freight Tools

(* hint: don't even consider the 'Air Vacuum Pump', not good enough *)

Ebay is a good source of refrigeration servicing equipment. Here's a good starting point:

eBay ? HVAC Tools, HVAC Meter and HVAC Gauge items on eBay.com. Find IT on eBay.

Also, sadly, due to the horrible economic situation, there are HVAC techs who are forced to pawn their working tools. So check out the pawn shops, but don't go there until you have studied ebay, to familiarize yourself with what the going prices are. The pawn shop owners do this as a matter of course. Prepared yourself for some lively bargaining.

Do they have garage and estate sales where you live? Another good source.

And lastly, I'd advise you to read well the section on brazing. Then get some copper tubing and a MAPS tourch (Propane will work, only slower) and some silver brazing rod, some brazing flux, and start practicing. The infra-red energy of brazing isn't so good for your eyes, so don't neglect eye protection. An old welder told me that even plastic-lens sun glasses will offer protection, but you should double check that.

Regarding brazing, the tools and materials aren't so expensive and you can get some practice right away. I tried all kinds of brazing rod for this and didn't have any luck until I tried 40% silver rod. The silver content makes it flow really nicely. This stuff isn't cheap but you can get "job packs" with about 5 or 6 sticks.

The temperature at which the brazing rod flows well isn't very far away from the temperature at which copper slumps, so there is some skill there that you will have to develop. You'll want to have this skill on tap and well-developed before you hack into your AC unit. Resign yourself to the prospect that you may have a half dozen failures before you learn how to get one really pretty brazed joint.

You may even want to tackle a homemade brazed tub-in-tube heat exchanger.

Be patient, be persistent, you can do this.

Hope this helps...


Best Regards,

-AC_Hacker
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Old 09-06-09, 12:45 PM   #100
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Daox View Post
Also, I'm very glad to see you got a bit that can get you through that tough clay! So, you should have the rest of those holes done in no time, right?
You aren't nearly as happy about the clay situation as I am!

Yes, here in Western Oregon we have two seasons, wet season and dry season. This weekend it is raining, it's the annual prelude to the wet season. I know that I don't have a lot of time left to work on the loop field this year, may 30 days if I'm really lucky. Working with homemade electric tools in the rain is not what one should do if a long life is desired.

After the last of the boreholes, there's still the trenching (with rented trencher) and final polyethelyene welding to go.

It's still possible that I can get it all done this year. I will be working toward that possibility.

Best Regards,

-AC_Hacker

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