Drilling Consolidated Material 2

You should make a habit whenever you pass the gauges on the machinery to look and see if they are at the proper operating range. If you notice any variation, quickly call the attention of the driller to the situation. As we mentioned earlier, the tightening of bolts and nuts in connections on the machine is something that should be continuously carried on and should always be watched for. You can spot a loose bolt much easier when the machine is running, for the vibrations will tend to cause the bolt to vibrate and you can more readily see that it is loose. A good helper will see to it that no bolt stays loose very long anywhere on the machine.

As the cuttings begin to come out of the hole and pile up around the casing, you should start to build a dam in a circle approximately 18" out from the casing, completely around it and 6" to 8" high so that when water is struck it will be contained in this dammed up area. Each of these machines has a deflector type arrangement that the drill rod passes through which deflects the water and cuttings that are blown out of the ground to the immediate area of the casing. Once the dam has been sufficiently built up around the casing you should then take a piece of pipe and stick it into the dam so that the bottom of it will be approximately 3" below the top of the dam. Thus, when water is struck in the well, it will be deflected down by the machine into the dammed up area and will run out through this discharge pipe. The pipe should be located so that it won't be in the way of the driller or you when you are changing rods.

Once water has been encountered, the driller will be periodically checking the flow coming through the discharge pipe by placing a bucket under the discharge pipe, and checking the time it takes to fill it. Using this method he can calculate the flow in gallons per minute by noting the time that it takes to fill the bucket. This is something that should be done at least twice with every section of drill rod and at any time there is an apparent change in the flow of water in order that you record at exactly what depth the water was picked up.

If the water you first hit is a very low flow - of one-half or less gallon per minute - and you are using a dust collector for drilling you will have to be on the lookout for what is known as collaring the hole. This occurs when there is just enough water in the well to mix with the cuttings to make a heavy mud-like compound that clings to the side of the well and gradually closes in against the sides of the drill pipe to the point where they eventually block the space between the hole and the drill pipe and prevent the flow of air and cuttings back to the surface. When this occurs it is necessary to either inject water into the well through the drill pipe or cut off the air and pour water down the outside of the drill pipe, or inside the drill pipe, to wash out the hole. Once this water is poured into the inside or outside of the drill pipe, it is given time to fall to the bottom, and then the air is turned on to flush the water back to the top. If water is poured through the drill pipe, care must be taken to be sure it is clear water to prevent any foreign material's going into the hammer and stopping it up. When the hole is properly cleaned again, drilling will continue until the desired capacity is obtained.