A: Local Drilling Methods – Dual Rotary Drilling in Chilliwack:

Well Drilling Method in Chilliwack: Over-burden and unconsolidated formations have constantly presented well drillers with both extremely costly and lengthy obstacles when drilling for water in the Chilliwack through cobbles, boulders, heaving sands, fractured sandstone, shale and within gravel formations consisting of large quantities of water.  Nonetheless, what would often require days or sometimes weeks to get the water well casing installed and drilled well finished can currently be finished in one simple procedure, and in a portion of the time with a Dual Rotary Drill (DR).

Dual rotary drilling is a modern drilling method that utilizes rotary drilling technology, which is defined a focusing a sharp and revolving drill bit driven into the ground with the impact of a hammer. Over the years, dual rotary drilling rigs have been refined and expanded to improve functionality and broaden the scope of applications.

Dual rotary features two drives including a unique lower rotary drive to advance the drill bit and casing through unconsolidated overburden, while the rotary pressure is transferred to the casing through the casing jaws equipped with a set of three carbide inserts.  The lower rotary drive feeds and rotates the casing independently of the top hydraulic drive and is used to transmit rotational, pull-down and pull-back forces to the steel casing.  

The top hydraulic drive works separate from the lower rotary drive with its own independent hydraulic feed system on separate hydraulic cylinders,  tilting for convenient loading of drill pipe and casing with the well driller working at  ground level. Once the required casing depth has been accomplished, the top head drive continues to drill an open borehole like a traditional top drive. Cuttings are typically removed with air through the discharge swivel and directed to a convenient safe dumping area or sampling point.  Dual Rotary drills can also be configured with pumps for mud or flooded reverse circulation drilling.

When encountering competent stratum, the drill casing may be advanced as the borehole is cut keeping the borehole open during the drilling process, hard rock can be drilled in an open hole without the necessity of utilizing will casing.

The Benefit of Drilling with a Dual Rotary Drill

Exceptional overburden drilling abilities are very valuable when drilling for water in the Chilliwack Valley region.  Dual Rotary Drills have been proven consistently in some of the most difficult unconsolidated overburden formations, including sand, gravel, glacial till, and boulders where other drilling methods would have a difficult time or fail.

The rotation of the steel well casing by the lower rotary drive provides a very straight whole, dual rotary drilling for water wells, shaft holes and foundation piles. This also minimizes stress on casing and casing welds, and eases the task of installing screens and water well pump installations in Chilliwack.

The Main Components Dual Rotary Drills:

• Hydraulic Feed System: used to raise and lower the top and lower drive
• Lower Rotary Drive: this drive is used as a breakout and spinner for drill pipe, hammers and thread casing.
• Hydraulic Top Drive: independent tilting hydraulic drive used to facilitate the loading of drill pipe and casing.
• Cuttings Discharge Swivel: used to divert all the cutting that rise up the space between the drill pipe and the casing.
• Casing Shoe: a carbide-studded shoe, which is welded onto the bottom of the steel casing, is used to cut through hard stratum as the casing rotates.
• Casing Jaw: these jaws are used to connect the lower rotary drive with the drive.

Dual Rotary Drilling Chilliwack – Used in a Broad Scope of Applications and Ground Conditions:

• Water well drilling, domestic wells, irrigation well, commercial wells with possible depths up to 2,500 ft.
• Well mud disposal, elimination of mud in wells.
• Construction Drilling, dual rotary allows to drill through debris or large boulders
• Dam rehabilitation, drilling of grout injection holes
• Tie-back holes
• Existing piling, dual rotary allows to re-drill existing piles
• Mine shafts
• Oilfields, dual rotary can be used to drill mouse holes and install conductor casings
• Environmentally sensitive drilling projects

Furthermore, the dual rotary rig can also be used as a conventional top-drive drill with the advantage of a tilting top drive.

Chilliwack Well Drilling provides equipment along with the experience to offer high quality dual rotary drilling throughout the Chilliwack Valley. 

The Dual Rotary drill rig was designed to drill through extremely coarse overburden formations. The offered casing sizes are 6” to 24”. The top drive travel is 26 ft. and the lower drive travel is 12 ft.

Dual Rotary Drill rigs have been successfully utilized to drill large diameter industrial & municipal wells to depths of 1,000 – 2,500 ft. (304 – 762m) by telescoping the casing method to accomplish the required casing depth.

Contact Chilliwack Well Drilling   604-670-4223

A: Chilliwack Aquifer and Groundwater Recharge:

An aquifer is a layer of sediment, such as sand or gravel, or a layer of rock, such as sandstone, that stores and transmits water to a well. A confining layer is a layer of sediment or rock that slows or prevents the downward movement of water — a thick layer of clay is an example of a confining layer.

Groundwater can be drawn from an aquifer by using a water well. Hydrogeology studies the flow of water and it characterizes aquifers.

The soil and geologic material that overlies the aquifer greatly influences the relationship between land use activities and groundwater quality. Deeper wells often pass through more restrictive or impermeable layers that reduces the rate at which surface water reaches the aquifer.

Groundwater Recharge

Rainfall and snow melt can runoff into streams or soak into the ground. The process of water soaking into the ground to become groundwater is known as groundwater recharge. The area on the surface where water soaks in is call the recharge area.

There are several ways that groundwater might be recharge by rain:

1. Rain soaks in where it falls and recharges the water table aquifer.
2. Rain soaks in where it fall and then moves into deep layers to recharge a confined aquifer.
3. Rain cannot soak in, so it moves over the ground as runoff into streams. When a stream flows through an area where water soaks in, some of the water from the stream may seep down to recharge the aquifer below.

Contact Chilliwack Well Drilling   604-670-4223

A: Real Estate with Water Wells in Chilliwack:

In rural areas of Chilliwack and surrounding communities many properties are not serviced by a municipal water system or sewer.

Thousands of properties in the Chilliwack region solely depend on private or shared water wells as their primary source or water.

When purchasing Real Estate with a Water Well in the Chilliwack Valley including Agassiz, Bridal Falls, Chilliwack River Valley, Columbia Valley, Chilliwack Mountain, Cultus Lake, Fairfield Island, Greendale, Kent, Little Mountain, Popkum, Promontory Heights, Rosedale, Ryder Lake, Yarrow, Sardis, Vedder Crossing and Hope it’s vital to ensure that the well water is deemed safe to drink, and that the water well system servicing the property has been properly maintained.

A malfunctioning water well or septic system can present a health threat to your family and neighbours.  Water well problems can be very costly to repair or replace. For that reason, it’s essential to conduct a detailed inspection of both the water well and septic system prior to purchasing a home in Chilliwack.

When you are purchasing a home with a private water supply (a well), there are three key items to consider:

• Water Well System
• Water Quantity
• Water Quality

We are soon releasing a comprehensive Real Estate and Water Well Resource Guide for both buyers and seller of such properties in the Chilliwack area.

This valuable guide will be available shortly… please request a copy, we will email a copy to you as soon as we have released it.

Contact Chilliwack Well Drilling & Water Well Services @ 604-670-4223