The drilling is only 100' deep. For a 2.5 ton, it's 3 holes, space minimum of 7' apart, each 100' deep. I'm a driller. Typically we charge about $900-$1,100 per 100' hole, drilled, loop installed, and grouted. If we're drilling for water source, we're charging about $7.50-$10.50 per foot for the drilling, installing the loop, and grouting. Usually, the water source drilling is going to be 200'-300' deep. That makes for a total cost per hole of $1,500-$3,150 per hole.

Drillers would probably prefer to drill deeper holes because they get to bring in more revenue. But that's not my whole purpose. I like DX drilling because I get to drill a much smaller diameter hole, shallower, and can accomplish it much faster than water source drilling. Also, I like to promote the more efficient way of geothermal--DX.

Tuffluckdriller,

Tell us again what territority you are willing to work.  Some of us might have a need for your services.

 

Wow, that's a fair bit cheaper! I like the shallower holes and 7' spacing should be good even for an urban infill project. The cost for gas on my lots was going to be 10K per dwelling unit, which sort of makes the whole DX thing a no brainer. We have 4 units to do so that makes it quite economical! Thanks for the info Cheers!

We drill in Southern Idaho, Southern Wyoming, most of Colorado, all of Utah, and I guess we'd drill a little in Nevada.

Do you have any contacts for drilling in the Maryland area?

Unfortunately no.

Just for clarification, the prices I mentioned do not include the loop pipe itself, or tying those loops together. I'm just the driller. I install the pipe into the bore hole.

Just to clarify for us non-driller types, grouting is backfilling the drill hole after the pipe is installed?
 

Yes, grouting is filling the annular (dead space) between the loop and the ground with a grout material. this is usually a bentonite/sand mix that has a high thermal conductivity. It also provides a seal so that water can't permeate down from the surface into any aquifer encountered in the drilling process.