Homeowners and self-builders
Start with the property, heating requirement and space available for a ground-source system.
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In-house geothermal drilling
Borehole drilling, coordinated with the system above ground.
From site feasibility and borefield design to drilling, loop installation, grouting, testing and records, one Thermal Earth team joins up the ground array with the heat pump it must serve.
In-house drilling team
One scope from array to plant
Project-specific method and depth
Thermal Earth's in-house team drilling for a ground-source project.
- Heat pump
- Upgrades low-temperature energy from the sealed source circuit for the building.
- Manifold and buried headers
- Paired flow and return pipework joins the collector circuits to the plant.
- Thermal grout
- Specified grout seals the annulus and provides thermal contact between the collector and surrounding ground.
- Sealed vertical U-loop
- Two pipe legs descend together and connect at the base as one continuous tested circuit.
What sits below the surface
A ground heat exchanger designed for the building's demand.
A sealed collector loop is installed in the borehole and connected through buried headers and a manifold to the heat pump.
The borefield is not selected from a universal depth-per-house rule. Heat demand, annual energy use, geology, groundwater conditions, spacing and the system operating profile all influence the design.
Explore system designChoose your route
Start with the next step that fits your project.
Installers and trade partners
Coordinate a drilling and collector package with the system your team will install.
Discuss a drilling packageDevelopers and housing teams
Assess borefield strategy, shared infrastructure, access and programme at development scale.
Request a consultationCommercial project teams
Explore ground-source, groundwater or heat-recovery opportunities around the site's operational needs.
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Feasibility first
Is a borehole the right collector for this site?
Vertical boreholes can reduce the surface area needed for a ground array, but they still require suitable access, working space and a site-specific design.
Calculated demand
The building's peak load and annual energy requirement establish what the ground array must deliver.
Ground conditions
Available geological, hydrogeological and site information informs the likely drilling method and design assumptions.
Access and services
Rig access, working space, buried services, structures and the route to the plant room are reviewed early.
Permissions and neighbours
Planning, environmental, water, noise and site constraints vary by location and project type and must be checked.
From feasibility to records
A controlled route through the work below ground.
The detail changes with the geology and project, but the responsibilities and quality checks should be clear before mobilisation.
Assess and design
Review demand, ground information, access, services, borefield layout and permissions.
Plan mobilisation
Agree working areas, sequencing, site responsibilities and water or spoil management.
Drill and case
Select the drilling and casing approach around the ground conditions encountered.
Install and grout
Install the specified collector and grout the borehole using the agreed materials and method.
Connect and test
Join headers and manifold, then complete the specified pressure, flow and integrity checks.
Record and hand over
Provide the agreed borehole, collector and test information for the project record.
Prepare the site
Plan access, interfaces and site responsibilities before the rig arrives.
- Safe access and working area
Confirm the route for the rig and support equipment, bearing capacity, overhead restrictions and the space available to work.
- Services and structures
Provide accurate buried-service information and identify buildings, drainage, boundaries and other constraints.
- Water, spoil and housekeeping
Agree how drilling water, cuttings, surplus materials and protection of the surrounding site will be handled.
- Groundworks and plant-room route
Coordinate trenches, manifold position, headers, penetrations and reinstatement with the appointed groundworker or principal contractor.
Project-specific capability
Select the drilling approach around the source and the ground.
Final methods, materials and permissions are confirmed against the project information and conditions encountered.
Closed-loop boreholes
A sealed collector circuit exchanges heat with the surrounding ground. Collector configuration, pipe specification, grout and spacing form part of the design.
Open-loop systems
Groundwater is abstracted and returned under a project-specific hydrogeological and permitting strategy. Investigation, abstraction and discharge requirements may apply.
Difficult-ground methods
Drilling fluid, casing and bore construction are selected around stability, water and the ground conditions encountered rather than assumed in advance.
Quality below ground
Specify, test and record the parts that will be buried.
A borehole is long-lived infrastructure that cannot be inspected like plant in a room. Materials, jointing, grouting, testing and records therefore matter.
Specified materials
Collector, joints, thermal-transfer fluid and grout are selected for the agreed design and site conditions.
Documented checks
Required integrity, pressure and flow checks are completed and captured for handover.
Environmental controls
The project plan addresses groundwater protection, drilling materials and permissions relevant to the site.
Traceable records
Borehole and collector information supports commissioning, operation and future project decisions.
One connected system
The borefield is only one part of the energy pathway.
Collector, headers, manifold, heat pump, emitters, hot water and controls must be designed and commissioned together.
Explore ground source heat pumps
Proven at development scale
Fourteen 180m boreholes for Addison House.
At the 44-apartment community living scheme in Cardiff, Thermal Earth designed and installed a communal ground-source system supported by fourteen boreholes drilled to 180m.
The project demonstrates how borefield, plant and building requirements can be coordinated as one scheme.
View the projectDifferent sites, one controlled process
Domestic, live-site and shared-array experience.
Residential access
Plan rig access, work areas and the route from borehole to plant before mobilisation.
Live-site coordination
Sequencing, protection and interfaces are agreed around the wider site and its users.
Connected to the plant
The finished ground array must serve a coordinated plant room, distribution system and controls strategy.
Common questions
Borehole drilling, without the guesswork.
There is no universal depth. The building's demand, annual energy use, ground properties, borefield geometry and system operating conditions determine the required arrangement. We confirm the design for the project rather than applying a rule of thumb.
Drilling is construction work and requires access, support equipment, working space and management of noise, water and spoil. We set out the practical requirements so protection, responsibilities and reinstatement can be planned before mobilisation.
It depends on the site, country, system type and project scale. Domestic closed-loop projects are often treated differently from non-domestic or open-loop schemes. Listed buildings, protected areas, groundwater activities and local restrictions may change the route. The applicable checks should be completed for the specific project.
A closed loop circulates thermal-transfer fluid through sealed collector pipework. An open-loop system abstracts groundwater and returns it under an agreed hydrogeological design. Open loop can require investigation consent, abstraction licensing and a discharge permit or registered exemption.
Yes, subject to an agreed design, information and responsibility split. We can coordinate a drilling and collector scope with an installer or wider project team and define the required interfaces before work begins.
Plan the ground array before you plan the drilling date.
Tell us about the building, the site and the stage your project has reached.