just across the street put out 30 gpm at the 400
ft depth. Barrage says he likes to see at least
five to ten gpm for a residence.
For a residential location, BL Myers sets 8-inch
surface casing to bed rock, which in this case
in 32 ft. From there the crew will continue to
air drill with a 6-inch bit to total depth.
Barrage has been drilling for 2-1/2 years and
said that with the T4W, he was able to begin
drilling with little training. “Understanding
the fundamentals of drilling and rigs, I was
able to jump right on the rig and go to work,”
he says.
Quite different in comparison to the Bentley
home, Gerald and Siri Hurst are building their
retirement home. Jokingly, Siri calls it their
“green AARP-friendly” home. After living in a
two-story Tudor style home for years, the Hursts
spent significant time researching their dream
home. They wanted to go as green as possible,
“without being silly,” says Gerald. The home
they found to remodel fit their lifestyle and
budget, but 95% of the home that exists today
was built from scratch. Other than a few
external walls and a fireplace, the home is very
modern and cozy. The Hursts found that
remodeling allowed for easier permitting, as
opposed to totally knocking the old structure
down.
From recycled-bottle carpeting and bamboo and
bio-resin materials for flooring to a modern
geo-thermal heating and cooling system, the
|
|
Originally, the Hursts thought geothermal would
be too expensive but after working out the
numbers, they saw the payback was possible.
Gerald liked the fact that he could realize a
return on the geothermal system in six to eight
years, “This is, if oil prices stay where they
are today,” Gerald comments.
Gerald wants to talk about building green to
anyone who will listen. “We are really committed
to this,” says Gerald. He thinks geo-thermal
systems are the way of the future.
The engineer who designed their system specified
two 600 ft wells, but BL Myers cam back with the
suggestion for three 400 ft wells. The home sits
along a creek, and with the high water level and
potential backpressure, the deeper holes might
have caused the wells to be more expensive to
drill. “I like that the driller cam back with
the change. It shows their expertise,” says
Gerald.
Expertise
is what makes BL Myers Bros of PA the successful
business that it is. With all the capabilities
for drilling and using the right equipment, like
the T4W, they will be in business for many years
to come.
Reprinted from the Deep Hole Driller. February
2008. |