Collecting soil, groundwater and air samples is a basic need for many industries. Sampling can happen for environmental reasons, to assess the ground before building on it, or to find the depth of certain subsurface formations.

One type of equipment used for obtaining these samples into the subsurface layers is the Geoprobe. Manufactured by Kejr, Inc., through its Geoprobe division, Geoprobe equipment stands among the industry best for direct push sampling. The company provides several drilling options, some that can fit into very small spaces where other drilling rigs could never reach.

What is Geoprobe Sampling?

Geoprobe sampling involves taking samples from a specific location at defined depths. It can happen from the ground level down, or beginning at a certain depth.

For taking samples from ground level down, the rig drives an outer casing, with a drive shoe installed, into the ground. The drive shoe is a specially designed end which cuts into the soil to produce a cylindrical sample. The outer casing has a sampling sheath inside. As the drive shoe digs into the ground below, it drives the sample into the sampling sheath inside the casing. When the casing reaches a specific level, the drilling stops and the crew retrieves the full sample sheath. The crew can then put in another sampling sheath and repeat the process to ever deeper layers.

If the client wants to take samples starting at a different level, the drilling rig uses a solid drive point to get the outer casing to a specific depth. Once at that point, the crew removes the drive point and installs the drive shoe and sampling sheath. The sampling process is the same from that point.

Each sample comes up in its protective sheath. The drill crew carefully caps both ends of the sample and label it appropriately. The samples can go to any destination at that point.

Why Use Direct Push Geoprobe?

The direct push method of taking samples, like the Geoprobe does, reduces the chance of contamination. It is useful for drilling from 0 to 40 feet below the surface, though some crews have drilled to 100 feet or below. It works best in unconsolidated and non-rocky soils. The outer casing helps to keep loose soil layers from contaminating samples taken below.

Another reason to use the direct push method is that the process is quick. If you need to take multiple samples over a large area, this method can do the job in a shorter time. Also, the rigs are smaller and more maneuverable than other types of drilling rigs. Geoprobe’s can be mounted on skid steers, in the back of off road trucks, basically any motorized vehicle to achieve your projects objectives.

Is There An Environmental Drilling Firm Experienced in Geoprobe Sampling?

Environmental drilling firm Talon/LPE utilizes Geoprobe manufactured drilling rigs, which we have found are very effective and successful in some areas of the Lone Star State. If you need groundwater samples collected in Texas, Oklahoma or New Mexico, contact us today.