Sinkhole Investigations Clair-Mel What Should Homeowners Do After a Sinkhole Investigation?

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If someone starts to notice changes in their house or property that may make them believe that a sinkhole might be active, they will probably call their insurance company as a first option. In order for an insurance company to act on behalf of their clients, they are going to need to have someone come out and perform sinkhole investigations. Clair-Mel residents should know that it is up to them to ensure that a solution is met, even if they have insurance that covers the costs of such actions. This leads many people to wonder what they should do once they have scheduled sinkhole investigations for their insurance company.

Understanding Your Options

Once the sinkhole investigations have been done and the results have come back to prove that there is an active sinkhole on the property, the next big hurdle is to determine what would be to determine what the best course of action would be to fix the sinkhole. When it comes to sinkhole Investigations, Clair-Mel residents should know that geotechnical drilling companies will be able to talk about all the options that are available, and which would be the best for the specific type of sinkhole. This depends a lot on geological conditions, the size of the sinkhole, and where it is located on the property. 

Ensure to Have Another Investigation in the Future

Even though this is not always needed, it may be a good idea for homeowners to schedule another sinkhole investigation in the future to ensure the sinkhole is no longer growing larger and causing problems. When it comes to a second sinkhole investigation, Clair-Mel residents might be able to get their insurance company to cover this as well to ensure that their clients are as safe as possible. It is going to be much cheaper for an insurance company to get another investigation performed than it would be to fix a home and property that has been further damaged by an active sinkhole that continues to grow.

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

Geotechnical Survey Clair-Mel Why Do Drilling Professional Care About Sediments Below a Location?

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There are a few different reasons why any individual or company would want to hire drilling professionals to come out and perform a geotechnical survey. Clair-Mel residents should know that one of the pieces of information they are looking to find out is what types of sediments are at a specific location? Many people might not know the importance of knowing what kind of sediments are below their feet, but this information is vital to geotechnical drilling professionals when they are outperforming different drilling tasks. Here are some common reasons why knowing what sediments is very important.

Sediment Determines What Type of Tool to Use

When geotechnical drilling professionals know what kind of sediments they are dealing with from a geotechnical survey, Clair-Mel professionals will have a good idea of what kind of drilling equipment would be best for the job. Hardness of different types of sediments is something that needs to be taken into consideration, as some drill bits will never break through the harder sediments. Additionally, if a sediment hardness is too low, such as with sands and other loose sediments, a drilling professional will run into the same problem where it will take them much longer to complete a drilling task because they do not have the right equipment.

Specific Sediments Mean Potential Sinkholes

Another reason why a geotechnical survey is important to drilling professionals that are performing them is it can potentially help them locate sinkholes. Sinkholes are a big problem in the state of Florida, mostly from the cause of our limestone sediment that is below the surface. When it comes to a geotechnical survey, Clair-Mel residents should know that a sample will show signs of erosion and loss of sediments, indicating that there is a sinkhole on the property. If a sinkhole is not caught early and corrected, it can cause lots of property damage for homeowners.

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

Drilling Clair-Mel What are Cuttings in Geotechnical drilling?

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Many people know how the process of drilling works at a basic level, but they do not know about all aspects of drilling. Clair-Mel residents for example might not be able to answer if geotechnical drilling has any byproducts or material created when drilling a boring hole. Drilling into the ground often creates little pieces of soil and sediment that geotechnical drilling professionals refer to as cuttings. These cuttings can get into the way while a drill bit is trying to burrow deeper and deeper into the ground, but the main problem is when the drill bit stops and the cuttings settle. Cuttings are not always an issue at geotechnical drilling sites, but it all depends on the soil and sediment composition or the geological properties of the site.

Does Anything Help Prevent Drilling Cuttings?

In preparation to stop cuttings from appearing in a boring hole during drilling, Clair-Mel geotechnical drilling professionals will use what is known as drilling fluid. This could be simply water or a combination of fluids that carried they drill cuttings up the boring hole to be removed from the drilling process. Often times the combination of fluid and cuttings is filtered through shakers or vibrating machines to separate one from another, in order for the drilling fluid to be reused during the drilling process. It is important to note that not all drilling jobs or equipment used in these jobs need drilling fluid in order to get the job done right or more efficiently.

What Kinds of Sediments are Present in Drilling Cuttings?

Most people often overlook sand as being something other than very tiny rocks, but these are often present in many cuttings while drilling. Clair-Mel professionals might see more limestone in and around the area because of the geological conditions of Florida. Many types of Shale can be present in drilling cuttings, and are often differentiated based off of their color such as red shale, brown, shale, and gray shale. Another common type of mineral that can be present in geotechnical drilling cuttings are different types of quartz. Like shale, quartz minerals can come in many types and colors.

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

Clair-Mel Geotechnical Drilling Examining the Advantages Offered by Geotechnical Drilling

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Clair-Mel developers are faced with some challenges due to the region’s potentially unstable ground, resulting from the sandy soil, limestone bedrock and the heavy rainfall at certain times of year. But there is an option for identifying potential problem areas: geotechnical drilling.

Clair-Mel developers and engineers can gain valuable data and information gleaned from the analysis of core samples that are extracted during a geotechnical drilling operation. The land must be well-compacted, stable and free of underground voids in order to support a large structure and this drilling technique helps developers obtain the crucial information they need to properly evaluate a site’s suitability.

What’s Involved in Geotechnical Drilling?

Clair-Mel geotechnical drilling technicians will transport a portable drill rig to the site, which will be evaluated and the drilling sites identified. Numerous core samples are extracted to provide a more complete view of the land’s underground geology.

The core samples are enclosed within a tube of sorts when they’re extracted from the earth. They provide the developers with a vertical sample, which captures all of the different layers. Those core samples are sent to a laboratory for analysis and testing. The technicians will determine the composition and density of each layer, along with the water content, the degree of compaction and the strength of the bedrock.

While drilling at the site, the technicians may encounter an underground cavity or void. This is a significant finding because those voids have the potential to collapse, forming a sinkhole. Sinkholes are very dangerous and serious structural damage (or total destruction) is common. For this reason, any voids that are discovered are usually filled with concrete. This reinforces the cavity and prevents collapse.

The timeframe for the drilling operation varies dramatically depending upon the types of materials that are located underground, the number of drilling sites, and the required depth for each core sample. If you’re drilling through granite, dense clay-rich soil and other harder materials, the drilling process takes longer, whereas if you have sandy soil and porous, relatively soft limestone — as is the case in Florida — the process is significantly faster. The timeframe and the size of the site are the primary factors that are considered when determining price.

In all, geotechnical drilling offers a cost effective option for evaluating a site. Based upon the findings, the developers may opt to perform remediation at the site or alter their building plans. In some cases, a new building site may need to be found.

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