Ventures into Drilled Water Wells with Geoprobe® 7822DT

Eichelbergers Inc., Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, was approached by a municipal client who needed to do some exploratory water supply well drilling in a remote, environmentally sensitive area in northern Pennsylvania. No rubber-tired vehicle access was permitted at this wooded location. After considering a variety of options to install these wells, the decision was made to use one of the company’s Geoprobe^® 7822DT machines.

The crew tracked the 7822DT through the steep, mountainous terrain following a crude path and weaving between trees so as not to cause any damage. Once the machine was maneuvered to the site, the crew assembled 500 feet of 2-inch air line from a high pressure auxiliary air compressor to transport the supply of air to the 7822DT for the air hammer drilling.

All tooling, casings, and water supply tanks were moved to the well location with a track skid steer.

The crew began the job by augering a 12-inch hole through the overburden to a depth of 35 feet to accommodate the installation of the 10-inch steel surface casing.

“I thought that installing the 10-inch string of casing would be the most challenging part of the project,” Ted Gayman, executive vice president, said. “But the Geoprobe^® machine performed flawlessly to complete this portion of the job.”

Following the installation of 35 feet of 10-inch casing, a nominal 9-inch diameter hole was drilled to a depth of 60 feet using a percussion air hammer. The crew then installed 60 feet of 5-inch steel casing with a drive shoe. After seating the casing into the bedrock, a nominal 5-inch open rock hole was advanced to a final depth of 182 feet using a percussion air hammer.

“The crew did an outstanding job as we ventured into the water well market with the 7822DT machine,” Gayman said.