
The Cost of a Borehole
A common question that we are asked is “How much does a borehole cost?” While this might seem like a straightforward question to ask, the answer certainly isn’t. It is the equivalent of asking how much a car costs.
The answer is dependent on various factors. What kind of car do you need? What do you want to use the car for? There isn’t a blanket price for a car, and likewise there isn’t one for a borehole either.
The cost of a borehole is largely dependent on its depth and the amount of casing to be used. The type of rock that we have to rill through also influences the price, as does the actual ground conditions.
While most people expect the easiest drilling to be into soft and loose geologies, the opposite is generally true. A great difficulty of the drilling process is to keep the borehole open during the process, which is made more difficult when the hole is collapsing in on itself because of unstable and loose ground.
We itemise all our quotes, however, in a logical manner that makes them easy to understand, so that the customer is aware of the costs at every stage of the project. A breakdown of the quote is detailed below for your reference.
The Cost of Mobilisation To and From the Site – And the Cost of Drilling
Most rock types are drilled at the same rate. Quartzite, however, because of its abrasiveness, is charged at a higher price, since it wears the drill bit down faster. Some loose ground conditions will also require a different drilling method, such as ODEX – but this is not commonly used in Gauteng.
Cost for Casing and Gravel Packing the Borehole
Cost of Supply and Installation of Well Head
Cost of Developing and Flushing of the Borehole
Cost of Site Clean Up
Cost of Chemical Analysis
The test for potability is known as the SANS-241 test which analyses for major cations & anions, selected micro elements, selected metals and microbial counts. Make sure that the person who interprets and reports on the chemistry has some form of qualification to interpret the results.
Cost of filtration & treatment
The Cost of a Pumping System
From the borehole the water is pumped into a holding tank (Jo-Jo) where a significant volume (usually between 1000 – 10 000L) is stored. A pressure pump, which is connected to the home reticulation system draws water from the tank which passes through the filter/treatment system and supplies water to the home reticulation system. This means that every tap you open in your home or garden will trigger the pressure pump to come on and supply water at a good pressure.
The municipal supply is kept as a back up but isolated with a valve. The day that your borehole system has a problem or there is no power, your water supply can easily be restored by means of opening the municipal supply valve again.
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