FAQ
How deep and in what soil types is The Village Drill effective?
The Village Drill is designed to drill up to 90 meters (270 ft.). The Rig includes 50 meters of drill string. The average depth is 45 meters. The drill is able to penetrate all water bearing soil types, including sand, silts, medium/hard grade rock, coral and clay.
How much does The Village Drill cost?
The costs with all tools and commercial drilling components required to start your drilling activities is $29,900 USD, plus shipping and various taxes (based on destination).
Where is The Village Drill Manufactured?
The Village Drill is currently manufactured in Utah, USA.
What is the drilling method?
The Village Drill is a rotary, “wet drill” process. This technology allows us to bore into the ground very quickly and remove the cuttings as we are drilling. Cable tooling and auguring have long been replaced in the drilling industry by the more efficient and effective wet rotary method.
How long will it take to drill a borehole with The Village Drill?
Under ideal conditions, just a couple of days. In softer soils, The Village Drill can average 30-40 meters (90-120 feet) or more per day. In denser formations depths of 3-5 meters (9-16 feet) a day are more likely.
How do I learn to use The Village Drill?
Learning how to operate The Village Drill only takes a couple of hours. General drilling principles like where to drill or how to install a pump is best done with a local experienced driller. Operational training is available upon request. Various training materials and videos are included with every drill.
What is the cost to drill a borehole?
To drill then develop a borehole, exact cost will vary regionally based on the prices of necessary materials. We advise groups new to drilling who purchase The Village Drill, that they should expect the wrapped up cost for drilling to not exceed $3,000.
Will all drilling techniques reach the water aquifers?
Ironically, one of the Achilles heels of cable and auger drilling is water. Typical cable and auguring techniques cannot pass through “ground water” levels to reach aquifer levels. The problem with ground water is it is still commonly shallow and is still contaminated from runoff and two, groundwater is prone to drying up in the dry seasons. The Village Drill has the capability to pass right through groundwater levels and can easily reach aquifer levels which are typically pure from biological contaminates and much less susceptible to dry season variations.
How do you get the cuttings out of the hole?
The Village Drill method of removing the cuttings from the borehole is a huge advantage. The Village Drill removes the cuttings as it drill’s, as part of the drilling process. With the auger you have to lift every bite section completely out of the ground, with the cable you have to pound and cut the ground and then change tools to remove the rubble and then go back to pounding. This is a very slow and arduous process by comparison.
Is the diameter of the borehole wide enough to install a submersible solar powered pump?
The Village Drill uses commercial sized bits, of which the largest one creates a 7″ borehole which will take just about any style pump. The most common hand pumps are the India Mark II and the Afridev (they usually cost between $600-$900 USD). Most submersible pumps, whether solar or electric are 3″ to 4″ in diameter and as long as you use the proper size casing available, you won’t have any problems with either (submersible pumps usually go for between $200-$400 USD).
At the end of the day we suggest Village Drill owners use whatever is most common for their area as replacement parts will be far easier to come by.