Audrey
A home is the ultimate place one would like to have for an ideal family life. A home, therefore, needs to be comfortable and well-equipped with all the necessary gadgets and devices. But that’s not the end. A home has to undergo periodic improvements and renovations.
Home improvement is not a one-time affair. It is not even a periodic task. It’s a continuous process. You must add something new to your home or remove an obsolete item. On the other hand, home renovation is a periodic task.
Your home needs renovation and remodeling after some time, preferably after every 4-5 years. Whether it is a routine home improvement or a planned remodeling, it may involve some major alterations. It may also include laying pipes, cables, and wires or harnessing the existing network.
You might also be interested in the concealment of some open pipes and cables or wires for their protection and to give a better look to your home. This can be done with the latest technologies without disturbing much of the basic structure of your home.
Horizontal Boring is one of the most useful techniques for such tasks.
Understanding Horizontal Boring
Horizontal Boring, commonly known as Horizontal Drilling or Horizontal Directional Boring is a type of boring where the bore runs parallel to the surface but underneath it, at a pre-determined depth. It is also referred to as trenchless drilling. It is contrary to the traditional Vertical Boring.
Historically, the boring was done vertically to reach the targeted liquid resources, such as water or oil and gas. After technological advancement, the concept of boring shifted from vertical to horizontal.
Horizontal drilling is a trenchless excavation typically used for laying underground gas or water pipelines or underground electrical or telecommunication service lines. It is a boring method where the existing building structure, waterways, roads, and railway tracks are crossed without damaging them.
Methods Of Horizontal Boring
The latest technique combines vertical and horizontal types for large-scale oil and gas exploration. It starts with a vertical bore to a pre-determined depth. Then it takes a curve normally up to 80 degrees and runs underground vertically. But in small-scale projects like home improvements, the process is somewhat different.
For home improvement projects, horizontal drilling starts directly into the subsurface with an angle that goes gradually to the desired depth. Then it takes the underground route parallel to the ground level until it reaches the target. At the terminating end, it may remain underground or come out of the ground, as required.
Application Of Horizontal Boring In Home Renovation Projects
Home remodeling, renovation, and Improvement projects are quite complex, especially when you need to improve the existing pipelines and cable infrastructure with minimum possible disturbance to the basic structure of the building. The horizontal drilling technique has made it easy.
Let’s see how and where this technique can help you in your home improvement projects.
- If you own an old home, there’s every possibility that most of the water supply and gas pipes are placed on the floors and pavements alongside the walls. You may like to hide these pipes beneath the floors. But the major problem would be to do it without damaging the existing floor surface. Horizontal boring is the best option here.
- Similarly, some cables and wires such as electric or telephone lines, might also be hanging alongside the walls and you must be looking to hide them. It can be done with perfection with this technology.
- The horizontal drilling technique is also useful for laying new pipes and utility service lines. In this process, it is most likely that you have to lay them beneath the garage floor or garden. In the old open trench excavation method, the floors and garden were badly damaged in this process. Butwith this technology, you can do it all without visible destruction.
- You may also need to replace parts ofyour home’s drainage and sewerage system. Horizontal boring also comes into play to do it without any destruction to the floors.
Advantages Of Horizontal Boring InHome Improvement
Horizontal boring is useful and carries various advantages and benefits in home improvement projects. Here are some of the most prominent benefits.
Time-Saving
The task can be completed relatively less than the open trench for laying pipelines and service lines. The open trenching method involves the excavation of soil. Then lay the pipes and fill up the trench. The major problem is the removal and disposal of slurry. All these are time-consuming. Trenchless drilling saves your time and effort.
Lesser Cost Involved
It seems that using drilling machines and associated equipment might be a costly affair. But the fact is that you can accomplish the required task at a lesser cost while using the trenchless method for laying conduits, utility service lines, and pipes.
Reason? It involves less labor. It needs lesser time. It creates no displacement of the earth. And above all, the length of pipes and cables is also reduced compared to the open trench method.
The underground bore can run straight whereas the open trench has to follow the building structure, likely increasing the pipes’ length. All these factors are directly related to the overall cost of the project. So, the horizontal boring technique saves money for your home improvement project.
Reliable And Durable
The pipes, cables, and wires used in horizontal drilling are tougher and long-lasting. So, they are more reliable and durable and can last for many years underground. Moreover, they remain safe against weather hazards. Open pipes and wires risk damage due to harsh weather conditions, such as heavy rainfall, snowfall, storms, etc.
No Noticeable Damage To The Surface
Compared to the conventional open-cut trenching method, the surface remains undisturbed here. The grass and plants in your backyard remain untouched while the pipes are laid beneath them using horizontal drilling. The floor tiles and marble are not damaged. Everything remains safe and the entire pipe work is completed underground.
Lesser Earth And Environmental Pollution
Since hardly any earth excavation is involved, the environment is the least impacted in the directional drilling. Another important factor is that lesser noise is created during this process. So, environmental pollution is greatly reduced with lesser earth displacement and noise.
Similarly, the earth remains preserved, as there’s no soil displacement. In the open trench method, there is every possibility of contamination of the earth, whereas, with horizontal drilling, no such risk is involved.
Lesser Risks For Your Family And Construction Workers
Since the entire process is completed underground, without any noticeable activity over the ground, there is hardly any risk for your family associated with this boring type. Similarly, the labor force is also at lesser risk with this technology, as they are not exposed to huge earth excavation and manual laying of pipes in the open trenches.
Conclusion
Renovation and improvement of your home is a much-required task that every homeowner has to face multiple times. While there are so many phases of home improvements, laying water and gas pipelines, electrical and telecommunication service lines, and drainage and sewerage lines are quite a technical and complex matter. It was quite a cumbersome job with the traditional open trench method.
But with the ever-improving construction techniques, the horizontal boring process has made this job very easy and convenient for homeowners and workers. So, if you plan to renovate or remodel your home, consider using this technology to save time, cost, and effort.
