HOW MUCH DOES A BOREHOLE COST?
Due to the many factors that determine the completion of a borehole, there is a substantial variation in pricing between each hole.
The average borehole is 100m deep with 12m of steel casing. A borehole with this design will normally cost in the region of R80,000. Once the hole is completed, a pump needs to be installed down the hole. The average cost for a domestic pump installation is between R40,000 to R60,000 depending on what you need. Solar pump installations can also be achieved at this price.
The following factors will influence the cost of your hole:
1. How much sand/soft rock needs to be penetrated before bedrock is reached. This will determine the drilling technique to be used. Anything exceeding 20m may necessitate the need for Mud-rotary Drilling or Symmetrix Drilling techniques which can be more expensive.
Once the bedrock is reached, steel casing is installed to prevent the hole from collapsing. The more sand/soft rock that is encountered means more casing is needed which means a more expensive hole.
2. The final drilling depth will have the largest bearing on the price. The drilling is priced per meter drilled, so hopefully you can be lucky with a shallow hole. This all depends on when the water is found.
3. Collapsing rock formations may require the installation of a PVC casing. This is required to prevent any unstable layers of rock/sand to silt up the hole. PVC Casing is compulsory for areas where there are thick layers of sand. Examples of such areas are near the coast. If budget allows, PVC casing should be installed to prolong the life of the borehole.
