Sinkhole Investigations Carrollwood Villages When is it a Good Idea to test for Sinkhole?

Being that you live in the state of Florida, or some area of the country that is prone to sinkhole activity, it is important to stay vigilant for any signs that a sinkhole is on your property. Instead of playing a guessing game, and trying to determine if there is a sinkhole on your property, it may be a good idea to call a geotechnical drilling company for sinkhole investigations. Carrollwood Villages probably already know that sinkhole investigations are going to cost them if they do not have sinkhole insurance, it is going to cost them out of pocket. This makes many people wonder, when is it a good idea to have a test done for sinkholes on their property?

Signs of Sinkhole Activity

It should come as a surprise to no one, but one of the best times to get professional sinkhole investigations done is when a homeowner notices signs of sinkhole activity. There are many signs that a sinkhole is on your property, they occur both inside and outside the home. Besides a noticeable dip in a yard, cracks in walls and doors and windows that no longer open correctly are good reasons to request sinkhole investigations. Carrollwood Villages residents should know that there are sometimes natural occurrences for these issues that are not from a sinkhole, so it is important to check.

After the Summer

If you are looking for a specific time of the year to go about scheduling sinkhole investigations, Carrollwood Villages may want to consider waiting until after summer is over. Summer in Florida is also its wettest where seasonal storms are happening almost every day. This excess water will erode specific sediments that are lying below the surface of a location, and this causes holes to open up. If the hole gets large enough it will cave in and this is the worst case scenario with sinkholes.

*Disclaimer: The views expressed here are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of Amdrill Inc*

Geotechnical survey Carrollwood Village How are Geotechnical Surveys Performed?

Knowing what is going on below the surface of a specific area is valuable information to many groups of people. From home buyers, to farmers, and beyond, a lot of people call upon a professional geotechnical drilling company to come out and perform a geotechnical survey. Carrollwood Village residents might already know why these types of surveys are important, but they do not know much about how the process is started and finished. It is not as mysterious as people think, and a lot of the work that is performed goes hand in hand with other services related to geotechnical drilling. Here is a bit of information on how a geotechnical drilling company will handle a geotechnical survey for their clients. 

Preliminary Investigations

A geotechnical survey is not going to begin by digging a big hole in the ground. Geotechnical drilling professionals have to be very precise when they are out on location and performing a geotechnical survey. Carrollwood village residents should know that a geotechnical drilling company will go to different areas to get a better idea of how they will proceed with investigations. This often involves a little preliminary drilling to find the best areas for sample collection. This is even more important if a property has different geological conditions from one part of the property to another. 

Selecting the Right Drilling Equipment

Once locations have been found suitable for sample collection, the next major task a geotechnical drilling company will do is select the right equipment for the job. Gaining access to the ground is not the only reason for a geotechnical survey, so they have to use specific equipment for sample collection. When it comes to the equipment used in a geotechnical survey, Carrollwood village residents should know that they have many drills and bits for specific tasks or geological conditions. For example, sediment hardness is a big factor to determine what type of equipment should be used.

*Disclaimer: The views expressed here are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of Amdrill Inc*

Drilling Carrollwood Village Why Mud can be Challenging While Performing Geotechnical Drilling

There may be an instance when a professional geotechnical drilling company is contracted out work to perform drilling or sample collection in an area that is saturated with moisture. This is even more so common in the humid states of the Southern United States, such as Florida, Georgia, and Louisiana. Many people might be under the impression that mud is easy to drill into, or that it is at least easier than drilling in to tough sedimentary rock, but this is not always true when talking about geotechnical drilling. In all actuality mud can be extremely challenging for drilling professionals to work in for many reasons. Here are some of the more common reasons why muddy locations can be problematic.

Excess Water is Harder to Drill Into

One facet of geotechnical drilling that many people do not fully understand is the fact that some people think that drilling through water is easy, but it is not as easy at it seems. Some water or fluids are sometimes essential to drilling. Carrollwood Village professionals might use water to cool down their drilling rigs when working for a long time, or they might use water to remove excess sediment or soil from a drilling location, but that does not mean drilling into mud is always easy. Often times professionals have to use drill bits that are specially designed for muddy locations.

Mud Can Clog Drilling Equipment

One of the issues that geotechnical drilling professionals must keep in mind when they are out doing drilling or sample collection is that they have to be cognizant of anything that could clog their equipment while drilling. Carrollwood Village residents might not be aware that mud can clog up a drill rig when it is in the process of drilling a boring hole. Even though special drill bits are used in order to drill into muddy locations much more effectively, the excess mud can still clog drilling equipment. This can drastically affect how long it takes for a professional drilling company to get done with their drilling task.

*Disclaimer: The views expressed here are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of Amdrill Inc*

Geotechnical Drilling Carroll wood Village What Can You Learn from Geotechnical Drilling?

Carroll wood Village developers can acquire some crucial information from geotechnical drilling operations, which utilize a portable drilling rig to drill down into the earth, extracting a vertical column of soil and stone that is sent out for testing and analysis.

After performing geotechnical drilling, Carroll wood Village developers can work with engineers and architects to determine what, if any, special measures are required to safely build on the site. In some cases, it may be found that the site just isn’t suitable for the type of project that had been planned.

The Uses for Geotechnical Drilling

Carroll wood Village, Florida is located atop sandy soil over porous limestone bedrock. Sandy soil can be problematic for building large structures as a result of its low clay content, so the core samples provide a lot of insight into the suitability of the site.

Geotechnical drilling rigs are transported to many different areas of a site in order to provide a more complete view of the area.

The core samples that are extracted are sent to the laboratory for analysis and evaluation. Some of the properties that are evaluated include the composition, depth and thickness of each layer, the density and quality of stone or bedrock, the water content and permeability, along with the potential for problems like liquefaction.

Based on the results of the core sample analysis, the developers and engineers may opt to change the structural design for the site. Other measures may be undertaken to make the site more appropriate for the planned project.

What’s more, rain water can percolate down through the sandy soil, bringing mild acids into contact with the limestone. Limestone dissolves when exposed to acid – even acid rain – and this can cause the formation of an underground void that may collapse, forming a sinkhole.

Carroll wood Village geotechnical drilling operations can often detect the presence of a void where a sinkhole may form. This provides developers with a chance to perform sinkhole remediation, filling the underground void with concrete so it won’t collapse.

Based upon the results of the geotechnical drilling, Carroll wood Village developers may opt to perform further site testing, like ground penetrating radar. Ground penetrating radar uses high-tech radar beams to evaluate ground density. You’re provided with a digital map-like representation of the underground geology, including the different layers and even potential sites of sinkholes.

*Disclaimer: The views expressed here are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of Amdrill Inc*