Borehole Man
Water in Cape Town

We do all types of drillingWater wells drillingMonitoring holes drillingEnviromental drilling.

We have drilled numerous very strong yielding boreholes for the Department of Agriculture in the Cedarberg under extremely difficult drilling condition. We have an upfront relationship with our clients, we inform the client of the progress at all times and offer the client all options available and therefore help the client make an informed decision on the best way forward. A borehole has a submersible pump that goes into the ground and not on top. There is no job to big or to small for us, we pride ourselves on keeping the client happy first. The difference between a borehole and a well point is that a borehole has a pump which goes into the hole and a well point has a centrifugal pump on the surface. We look forward to assisting you with all your water requirements. The appointed operator will set up his rig and equipment on your property, a process that takes up to half a day. During RMD water is flushed down the hole, carrying the drill cuttings to the surface where they are, deposited in flow pits (that are dug next to the rig for this purpose). Note that the drilling stops well past the point where water has been struck, as there may be variance in the exact water level over time and during periods of extended drought. The annular cavity surrounding the PVC is packed using a specific grade of filter pack depending on the formation. Should harder formation be encountered before water is found (which, depending on the area, is the case more often than not), the RMD process is halted and the hole cased with a steel sleeve, 6 or 8 inch in diameter depending on the depth. This steel pipe can be screened (slotted) to get benefit from any water in the unstable formation. A smaller diameter percussion drill bit is used, and drilling then continues inside the steel sleeve. During this process air is forced down the hole inside the drill. This compressed air drives a hammer that in turns actions the percussion drill bit, and the air then carries the pulverized cuttings to the top of the hole where it is blown out. in hard sandstone formation), but that is unlikely. Pressurized air is blown into the hole via a pipe fitted with a special nozzle. This process blows out the chemically treated water, clears all the muddy sediment from the screen and gravel pack and settles the surrounding formation. This process is continued until the water flowing from the hole is clear. (NB: Not developing the hole, or simply pumping out the mud, will have a severely negative impact on the yield of water from your borehole.) The last steps before the submersible pump is fitted are for the operator to do a yield estimate on the hole and to take a water sample for analysis. The electrical cord and return supply pipe runs to the surface, where it is connected to an electrical control box and a ball valve (on a base plate) respectively. The top section of the annular area is grouted and cement sealed in order to prevent ground water contamination. As the borehole is often sited on a lawn, a protective, green glass-fiber covering can be fitted over it so that it is flush with the ground.