Completion of the Well

Completion of the Well

Once the desired water has been obtained and the volume of it checked very carefully, you are ready to finish the job by completing the well. This includes getting an accurate measurement of the well, capping it with a proper cap and generally cleaning up the area around the machine to make sure no trash, tin cans, or other such material has been left there.

The cuttings around the casing should either be spread out in a neat manner or hauled away, depending on the contract the driller has with the owner. As the equipment is loaded for transportation, you should be careful to see that each piece is put on in such a manner that it will not fall off during transportation and when the derrick is lowered you, as a helper, should be very observant for anything loose which might fall on someone's head.

Thus, you have been carried through the full operation of drilling a well in a very rapid, superficial manner as a new man. You can best help the driller by being on time in the morning, neatly and cleanly dressed, wide awake, and ready to do a good day's work. He is not going to expect you to know everything, but he will be expecting you to readily learn the names of various pieces of equipment used so that when he asks for it, you will know what he is referring to. To do the best job you are going to have to be wide awake.

You also should, within less than two days on repeat operations, recognize what tool is used, where, and when, and have it ready and waiting when it is needed and not require the driller to have to tell you each time what to get and where to put it. The most common mistake you should tend to avoid is that of becoming an immediate expert. Remember you are the helper on the machine and the new man. If anyone questions you about the work, refer them to the driller. Do not try to answer either bystanders' or customers' questions, for a wrong answer by you can cause great difficulties for the driller in trying to correct them. Follow the old adage of "learn by listening."

You will find that if you stick with this well drilling business that it is an interesting and most rewarding profession, for the happiest person you ever run into is the man who hears water flow after having been without it for several days.