Boreholes

FWT has over 20 years experience in installing and servicing borehole pumping equipment. Boreholes are an effective way of tapping into the water bearing aquifer below the ground and pumping the water to the surface, you can abstract up to 20,000 litres per day without an abstraction licence. FWT install service and maintain boreholes and pumping equipment for domestic use, country estates, golf clubs, open loop ground source heat pump installations,  farmers, and companies requiring a private supply for their own production processes or for irrigation. 

If you use a private borehole supply and require more than 20,000 litres per day you will need an abstraction licence. If the supply is in England you will need to obtain this through the Environment Agency, alternatively, if the supply is in Wales, you will need to contact Natural Resources Wales. FWT will be happy to provide you with more information regarding this if required.

 

Investment and payback

With rising utility costs and water bills, installing a borehole is fast becoming a viable way to obtain ‘cheaper’ water for many people. Depending on water usage, boreholes can generate a rapid investment payback, often cutting costs by up to 80% over a metered mains supply. Typically, the drilling of a basic 60 metre borehole and installation of the pump, control system and connecting pipe work costs between £7,500- £10,000 plus VAT. Typically per cubic metre of water a borehole costs less than 10% of average metered water prices. We would strongly recommend that a full hydrogeological assessment is undertaken. Typically the drilling contractors will require this information prior to submission of a quotation as this will indicate the anticipated depth and yield of the borehole.

Boreholes can also be used in conjunction with a ground source heat pump to provide both a private water supply and heat source for your home (please see open loop ground source heat pumps).

Borehole system main component parts and options

Please see the PDFs below that highlight the main component parts of a borehole system and some of the options available when a system is being installed.

Maintenance and Servicing

FWT offer full installation services along with a courtesy reminder service to assist you with the maintenance of the water supply. Often costs associated with keeping a borehole supply running can be avoided by a regular service and check up.

Compliance with regulations: We offer a control documentation system which is designed to assist you in keeping the required records and managing the water supply. This is supplied in a skeleton format for you to complete and maintain and is available for £95 plus VAT. This is designed to assist in the creation of an appropriate management and monitoring system and support with regard to water testing; we would be happy to provide you more information regarding this should you wish us to do so.

CCTV inspection of existing boreholes: FWT is able to offer full colour borehole imaging to a depth of 180 metres in zero light conditions. Using our fully portable equipment we can access even remote sites and provide start-to-finish DVD footage of inspections, as well as a stills gallery of important features. Inspection is highly recommended for ensuring the integrity of, for example, borehole liners and/or walls, and invaluable for the investigation of obstructions/fouled equipment etc.

Why choose FWT?

• FWT carry a wide range of spare parts and controls
• FWT stock a wide range of pumps and loan-pumps to ensure any interruption to your water supply is minimised
• FWT install and service filtration, purification and monitoring systems
• FWT can undertake borehole pump testing and yield analysis
• Analysis of water quality with any recommendations for quality improvement
• FWT can provide a skeleton management control documentation to assist you in the management of your water supply

We design systems in line with industry best practice taking a data-led approach to ensure the right specification for your needs. We install systems on a minimum of 32mm pipe work that will cope with the flow rates required of a modern system. The cables used in the installation will be of approved standards for the application, all water fittings used by FWT are WRAS (Water Regulations advisory scheme) approved including the sealed wellhead. Water treatment specification will be site specific to ensure that the equipment is sized correctly. Every installation is carried out by experienced engineers, so you can be sure it is carried out to the highest standard.

 

Further information is available
	Basic Borehole Layout Borehole Cross section Main component parts of a borehole system Step by step guide to installing a borehole

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