Patent ID: 8256531

Claim:
A method of installing a U-shaped heat exchange tube of a geothermal closed loop system in a blind hole in the ground using a boring machine with a rotatable drill rod having a drill rod end portion and a drill bit for drilling the blind hole in the ground comprising the steps of: providing a boring machine, a drill rod with a drill rod end portion and a drill bit, the drill rod having a rod-shaped arm with a proximal end mounted to the drill rod end portion and a distal end forming a gap between the drill rod end portion and the distal end opening toward the drill bit, and further providing a connector and a U-shaped heat exchange tube having an incoming tube portion and a return tube portion with the connector extendable through the gap between the drill rod end portion and the distal end of the arm and between the incoming tube portion and the return tube portion; creating a pit in the ground to receive water and dirt removed from drilling the blind hole in the ground; attaching said drill rod to said boring machine; rotating said drill rod having said drill bit attached thereto with said boring machine; moving the drill rod with drill bit into the ground via the pit during the rotating step creating the blind hole having a diameter of approximately 4 inches, the blind hole having an entrance in the ground and a blind end with the blind hole extending at an acute angle relative to horizontal; removing the drill rod with drill bit from the blind hole; removing said drill bit from said drill rod; extending the connector through the gap between the drill rod end portion and the distal end of the arm and between the incoming tube portion and the return tube portion thereby attaching said U-shaped heat exchange tube to the arm; re-inserting with the boring machine the drill rod with the U-shaped tube and incoming tube portion and return tube portion attached to the drill rod end portion into the blind hole; moving the drill rod in a first direction together with said U-shaped heat exchange tube pulling the U-shaped heat exchange tube to the blind end of the blind hole; moving the drill rod in a second direction opposite to the first direction with said connector moving from the gap between the drill rod end portion and the distal end un-attaching the drill rod from said U-shaped heat exchange tube while said drill rod is in the blind hole; and, removing the drill rod from the blind hole while allowing said U-shaped heat exchange tube to remain in the blind hole.