Using conventional methods it would be impossible to install a water pipe in an impassable terrain without causing any damages. This looks very different when the mini HDD bore rig GRUNDOPIT PS60 by TRACTO-TECHNIK is applied: within only 1,5 days German contractor Pöllmann installed a new 45 m long water supply pipe from the road through a densely built-up steep slope directly into the house of his customer in the spa town of Cochem.
Oliver Pöllmann GmbH is a second-generation, family-run construction company, which has been involved in trenchless technologies since 2013. Managing Director Oliver Pöllmann relies on the competence of TRACTO-TECHNIK and their support in technical matters, enabling the contractor to continuously advance.
Power pack works its way through inhomogeneous soil
For the new water supply line, PE protection pipes ND 50 and ND 40 had to be installed. From a small pit in the road 46 m away, the GRUNDOPIT equipped with a "Hard Drill Head" worked its way through the underground to the target pit. The soil was rather inhomogeneous: rock, lava and clay layers often alternated often abruptly. The pilot hole for the house connection with a diameter of 88 mm ran under existing buildings up a steep slope - first under stairs, a hallway and a paved terrace, a garden bed, a meadow and various paths, before the drill head finally reached the target pit. The bore ran in depths between 1,0 and 3,5 m at inclination angles of up to 46%. During the upsizing process, a mixing ratio for the drilling fluid of 15 kg to 1000 l water was applied, as Oliver Pöllmann explained.
Surfaces remained intact
The position of the bore head was monitored using a Digitrak Falcon F2 detection system. With the compact and powerful GRUNDOPIT, the installation work was literally carried out in the most minimally invasive way, which meant that the surface in the surrounding area was not affected at all – completely different from what happens when conventional open trench contruction methods are applied. For this reason, the trenchless method was the only possible way to install a new supply line here at all. This way, all preparatory works and the pilot bore were already completed by the end of the first day.
On the morning of the second day in Cochem the bore head was exchanged against a backreamer Ø 105 mm and connected to the protection pipe, so upsizing and pipe installation could be carried out simultaneously. After the backreamer, together with the protection pipe arrived back in the starting pit, the ND 40 water pipe was pushed into the protection pipe from the top. The whole task was completed within only 1,5 days.
Grundopit perfectly suitable
Among the advantages of the GRUNDOPIT PS60 are its compact dimensions combined with a powerful performance: it fits into a very small starting pit, is easy to transport, or can launched directly from a basement Yet it provides a large stroke so that drill rods with an effective length of 75 cm can be applied. With its high torque of 1.500 Nm, a maximal rotational speed of 150 rpm as well as 60.000 N thrust and pulling force, the compact mini rig works very successfully, even in difficult underground conditions.
All these features make the use of this mini HDD rig is an economical alternative to conventional pipe installation methods, especially for the installation of all types of house connections, but also for crossings beneath roads, rivers and streams up to 100 m length. With its clearly arranged control panel, the fully automatic bore mode and the drill rod handling system it makes work easier for the user and guarantees on-target bores.
Oliver Pöllmann GmbH is a second-generation, family-run construction company, which has been involved in trenchless technologies since 2013. Managing Director Oliver Pöllmann relies on the competence of TRACTO-TECHNIK and their support in technical matters, enabling the contractor to continuously advance.
Power pack works its way through inhomogeneous soil
For the new water supply line, PE protection pipes ND 50 and ND 40 had to be installed. From a small pit in the road 46 m away, the GRUNDOPIT equipped with a "Hard Drill Head" worked its way through the underground to the target pit. The soil was rather inhomogeneous: rock, lava and clay layers often alternated often abruptly. The pilot hole for the house connection with a diameter of 88 mm ran under existing buildings up a steep slope - first under stairs, a hallway and a paved terrace, a garden bed, a meadow and various paths, before the drill head finally reached the target pit. The bore ran in depths between 1,0 and 3,5 m at inclination angles of up to 46%. During the upsizing process, a mixing ratio for the drilling fluid of 15 kg to 1000 l water was applied, as Oliver Pöllmann explained.
Surfaces remained intact
The position of the bore head was monitored using a Digitrak Falcon F2 detection system. With the compact and powerful GRUNDOPIT, the installation work was literally carried out in the most minimally invasive way, which meant that the surface in the surrounding area was not affected at all – completely different from what happens when conventional open trench contruction methods are applied. For this reason, the trenchless method was the only possible way to install a new supply line here at all. This way, all preparatory works and the pilot bore were already completed by the end of the first day.
On the morning of the second day in Cochem the bore head was exchanged against a backreamer Ø 105 mm and connected to the protection pipe, so upsizing and pipe installation could be carried out simultaneously. After the backreamer, together with the protection pipe arrived back in the starting pit, the ND 40 water pipe was pushed into the protection pipe from the top. The whole task was completed within only 1,5 days.
Grundopit perfectly suitable
Among the advantages of the GRUNDOPIT PS60 are its compact dimensions combined with a powerful performance: it fits into a very small starting pit, is easy to transport, or can launched directly from a basement Yet it provides a large stroke so that drill rods with an effective length of 75 cm can be applied. With its high torque of 1.500 Nm, a maximal rotational speed of 150 rpm as well as 60.000 N thrust and pulling force, the compact mini rig works very successfully, even in difficult underground conditions.
All these features make the use of this mini HDD rig is an economical alternative to conventional pipe installation methods, especially for the installation of all types of house connections, but also for crossings beneath roads, rivers and streams up to 100 m length. With its clearly arranged control panel, the fully automatic bore mode and the drill rod handling system it makes work easier for the user and guarantees on-target bores.
