Directional Drilling: Benefits and Applications

Anta Plumbing is not only the number one residential drain services company in Toronto, but is also popular with commercial clients, utility companies and the local municipality for providing directional drilling services.

What's the Difference Between Directional Drilling and Trenching?

That's a question many people ask. Firstly, while directional drilling is still gaining popularity in residential applications, it is mostly used in commercial plumbing projects. Trenching is a method of digging to gain access to the underground facilities, such as pipes and drains. Trenches are dug downward from ground level, resulting in a visible trench. It can be created using a gardening spade, or a trencher, which is a piece of machinery ranging in size from a rider lawnmower to a tractor. The best place to use trenches, is when ground disturbance is not a big issue, since it rips up the ground and once the job is complete, backfilled with the material that was removed during excavation.

Directional drilling, on the other hand, is much less invasive. It creates a tunnel under the ground rather than causing damage to the surface. This method is ideal for places where aesthetics matter, such as landscaped gardens, or where it is too costly to repair trenches, such as under a driveway.

For commercial purposes, Anta Plumbing offers directional drilling services to create tunnels for fiber optic cables, sewers and electrical services. Directional drilling rigs are significantly larger than trenchers, and create an entry hole in the ground, rather than the much more invasive trench.

Choosing between directional drilling and trenching depends on the project you have in mind. The scope of work will be considered by your Toronto plumber when it comes to deciding which type of access to provide.

While directional drilling charges a higher price per linear foot, there are other costs to consider with traditional trenching, such as the fact that a construction company will probably charge more to repair damage to your driveway or flooring. Directional drilling is always the right answer when it comes to protecting your asphalt, concrete or paving. Apart from the costs involved in the construction processes for those types of surface area, there is the inconvenience and the fact that it is time consuming.

Utilities contractors opt for directional drilling when installing utilities under streets, as it helps prevent having to shut down streets.

Directional Drilling for Residential Applications

As a homeowner, you may be looking for the most cost-effective, environmentally friendly ways to handle your plumbing issues. Directional drilling poses no collateral damage to your property, causes no unnecessary traffic disruptions, is greener and more sustainable, and is cost-effective now and later.

One of the main applications for residential application of directional drilling, is cured-in-place piping (CIPP), a method used to rehabilitate existing pipelines, and which is guaranteed for fifty years. CIPP basically creates a pipe within your existing pipelines, and can also be used for any commercial applications, such as chemicals, gases, sewers and water pipes. Since CIPP is rust resistant and leak proof, it can withstand environmental damage, including that caused by roots in pipes.

If you need directional drilling services, look no further than Anta Plumbing.