I have finished drilling part of the project about a week ago. Now looking back I can say it was fun.
I learned a lot of new things. I do agree with AC that people just limit themselves without even trying something new.
I have many projects in my mind but this one is very important for me because I tend to quit long and complicated projects. So this time I said to myself I have to finish this one whatever it takes.
As I said before I started thinking about geothermal heating about 2-3 years ago. I checked my ground loop options and realized that the best option for me is vertical loop. I called local drilling companies and figured it out that drilling part is well over 20K(in real life you should double what you hear).
Just like in many other situations I said "I can do it myself". I started googling and found that DIY drilling is possible but you need something to drill with. My options were
1 buy drilling thing.
2 build drilling thing.
1 buy one had some options:
a buy real rig. Even used one is too much money for DIY.
b buy toy rig. Some of them are not bad but again too much money. Unfortunately in 5000$ range I only could find real toys.
This toy rigs usually have:
1.5 hp gas engine. It is not enough for drilling.
2. reduction gear. Can spin only one way not like hydraulic drive. You need to have revers.
3. water swivel that restrict good water flow. This is the most important part in drilling rig. The more water you can circulate the better.
4. 1" drilling pipe. 1" pipe is a joke. First of all it is too weak for drilling, second you will never have good water flow.
5. toy drill bits. With this bits you can only drill sand in playground.
So after collecting enough info I decided to build my own drilling rig. One day I found video on YouTube:
I liked the way this rig was built.
My plan was to build a good rig that can drill, drill everything I needed and sell it after to somebody who wants to DIY drill water well or install a geothermal loop.
In 2010 I started building drilling rig. My original budget was 3000$. Just like always you will spend more then you think. I spent about 4500$.
I tried many hydraulic and engine options(including 5hp electric motor 220V). Finally I found as I think very good and reliable combination.
Building the rig and drilling was kind of process. I added and changed many many things. Even when I only had 5 holes left I decided to add one more detail that allowed me to lift up drilling pipe without running the main engine.
As I said in earlier posts I decided to drill 15 holes 60 feet each. At the end I was very confident that I could easily drill 120-150 feet holes and even dipper.
But I already had 60' holed drilled, so I decided to keep drilling the same depth.
I came to the point where I could drill 60 feet hole in 40 minutes.
This is not bad at all for DIY drilling. Experience experience experience....
Now some key points for somebody who wants to build drilling rig and drill his own well.
1. Frame. The bigger the stronger the heavier the better. My frame is made of 7" steel profile all welded and bolted with 1/2" bolts.
2. Water swivel. If you can find and afford buy professional swivel. This is the most critical part in your drilling rig.
I found and bought professional swivel that will last for many years everyday use. It has full 2" water pass.
3. Drill pipe. Don't go with less then 1 1/2 pipe. I used 2" pipe and I think this is just right. It is very strong and allows very good water flow.
4. Pipe couplings. I used 2" steel high pressure hydraulic couplings. They very expensive but will not crack or strip threads.
5. Drive. Go with hydraulic drive. Drilling is not an easy job. Hydraulic drive allows you do spin your pipe in reverse. This is very helpful when you add
more pipe.
6 Engine. For drill drive use 13-15 hp engine. I used 15 hp engine. I converted all my gas engines to run on propane or gasoline.
When you drill on the same spot and you have 2 engines running you have a chance to poison yourself with CO.
I was drilling 5-6 hours on propane and didn't even have headache. It is interesting fact to drill 15 holes 60 feet each I only used about 30 liters of propane(less than 25$).
This is very economical. But again I used propane for safety reason (CO poisoning) and not for saving more on fuel price.
7. Mud or water pump. You need good quality water/trash pump. I used Gorman Rupp - 80 Series pump and 6hp Brigs engine (propane converted). The bigger pump the better circulation.
8. You need some sort of winch to lift drilling head with pipe. I used 12V winch 3000lb rated. It is a bit slow but enough for DIY. Hand operated winch will make you sick.
In my previous posts you can find most of the specs for components I used. AC even put video on YouTube showing drilling process.
I don't know how many hours I spent building my rig I guess few hundred hours. It looks easy but It all takes time.
Now I can say I finished drilling all 15 holes a week ago and I only need to connect them all together. The weather this year is just horrible rain after rain.
I need a week of good weather before I can start digging tranches and connecting all loops together.
If somebody wants more details about drilling rig please ask your questions.
If somebody needs my rig please send me your offer via a message system. I will include everything you need for drilling and grouting(drilling rig, mud pump, grout pump, hoses...)