Open-hole drilling is typically faster since it skips installing and withdrawing a casing, though duration still depends on hole depth and confirmed rock conditions.
Open-hole drilling uses grout itself as the drilling fluid instead of a temporary steel casing. The grout's density holds the borehole wall in place and flushes cuttings out as the hole advances, eliminating the separate step of installing and later withdrawing a casing.
Whether open-hole drilling works for a given San Antonio borehole depends on what the borings actually confirm, not an assumption about the Edwards Limestone generally. It's a good fit once a hole reaches solid, void-free rock above the water table; a hole crossing a karst void, fault-fractured rock, or loose fill still needs a cased or duplex method to keep from collapsing before the grout sets. GSI's San Antonio open-hole drilling supports:
Open-hole drilling is typically faster since it skips installing and withdrawing a casing, though duration still depends on hole depth and confirmed rock conditions.
It generally costs less where the ground supports it, since it eliminates casing material and the added time to install and remove it.
Yes. Our PE-licensed engineers specify the method by zone based on confirmed subsurface conditions, and every design meets IBC and Texas Building Code requirements.
We switch to a cased or duplex drilling method for that section immediately, since an open hole through a void won't hold and the grout wouldn't set properly.
It's cheaper where the rock supports it, but it's not automatic in San Antonio. Karst voids and fault-fractured rock require a cased or duplex method regardless of cost.
We confirm ground conditions with test borings and review available karst and fault mapping before drilling, rather than assuming the Edwards Limestone beneath a site is uniformly solid.
Yes, and it's common wherever an anchor extends into confirmed solid limestone, since a competent rock socket holds the hole open without a casing.
In many cases the same circulating grout also serves as the bonding grout once drilling is complete, though our engineers confirm this per application.
Drilling open-hole through fault-zone ground that can't support it risks a collapsed borehole and a stalled project. Call (855) 599-5217 to get a San Antonio drilling assessment from a licensed engineer.
