Big Drill Digs Geothermal Wells in Richmond Heights

A big machine has been drilling 180-foot-deep wells into the yard of homeowners Jim St. Clair and Julie Morian this week. The two are having a geothermal heating and cooling system installed.

"All the neighbors are very, very curious," St. Clair, a six-year resident of the city, said Tuesday. The house is located in the 2000 block of Del Norte Avenue.

Five wells, each 200 feet deep, will be drilled into the yard. St. Clair has been told that the air compressor-powered machine is the only one in Missouri. Pipes placed in the wells will carry water throughout the house, helping to heat and cool it according to the season.

A federal tax credit and a $10,000 rebate check from Missouri will help offset expenses, St. Clair said. He declined to identify the total project cost. But he said he and Morian hope to reduce their heating and cooling expenses by 50 percent.

Drilling began this week, and the project is expected to be completed after several more weeks. Welsch Heating and Cooling is the heating and cooling contractor on the project. Drilling contractors are Geothermal Experts and Durbin Geothermal.

The work has stirred up a lot of dust, so St. Clair has been cleaning off his neighbor's driveway during the process.

He thinks others interested in pursuing such a project should know that it's possible with proper planning.

"It's possible to do in a tight, dense area like we have," St. Clair said.