In the late 1940s, 28- year-old Ed Malzahn applied a combination of knowledge from his father’s blacksmith business and his degree in mechanical engineering to produce a machine that would revolutionize the underground construction industry as we know it today.
Originally a pile driving company, Hub Foundation Company of Harvard, Mass., first added wide-diameter bore drilling to its operations 23 years ago. Most of the region’s ground conditions generally call for augers. Greg Maxwell, grandson of company founder Frank Maxwell, said Hub has always persevered through each hard rock socket, but they have continually sought easier, faster ways to drill out hard rock.
Surrounded by serene lakes and winding rivers is Lindsay, Ontario, home to a very advanced and unique drilling school: Fleming College’s Resources Drilling and Blasting program. It is the only program of its kind in the world, offering an impressive combination of technical training and hands-on experience in all sectors of the drilling industry.
When drillers decide to give back to the community, it makes sense that improving access to safe water would be a cause they would support. If you read about Michael Campana’s talk at the National Ground Water Association 2013 Groundwater Expo about “hydrophilanthropy” efforts to bring water to Central America, then you know that drillers are well aware of the worldwide need for safe drinking water supplies. Not only that, they want to make a difference.
A leading and long-established well drilling firm in northern New Jersey found that working with a completely new ground loop heat exchanger called “Twister,” an innovative option for use in heat pump systems, required significantly less time and effort to get the job done and resulted in savings of up to about 25 percent in cost.
The geothermal heat pump (GHP) industry prides itself on offering an efficient, environmentally friendly technology for satisfying the thermal loads of buildings. To do so, a GHP system relies on circulating water through pipes placed underground (either vertically or horizontally) to tap the natural heat retained by the earth.
Happy New Year! Another year has ended and a new year begins. What a great time to take a look at your life and take an inventory of things that are important to you and your family, and your business or occupation. What will your goals be this year?
In my last several columns, I have written about selecting the proper openings for a water well screen and some popular installation methods. One thing we must do, however, before installing the screen is equip it with the proper fittings. Screens purchased from a manufacturer or supply house are not going to work as is (with a couple of exceptions).
About 15 years ago, I was contracted to be the qualifier for a prospective Colorado well drilling company. Once licensed, I would have been acting president of the drilling company until the owners could qualify to get their own license.