Water Well Journal
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/608970
Jeremy Bach, vice president of Bach Drilling, recommends being patient and installing as much water well casing in the hole to prevent cavitation. "Knowing the area before you get in there and having a history of where you're drilling at is a huge advantage," Bach says. "Know what to expect, know how long it's going to take to get through it because certain formations take longer time. It costs more to get through it because it's burning more fuel, more man-hours. All that stuff plays a factor even more so with today's economy, with the price of everything up, and with the price of drilling what it's been for a while." To be more efficient, Bach Drilling recently purchased a new drilling rig with a power take-off, which immedi- ately improved fuel consumption and time spent on a job. The price of fuel sits squarely on the minds of water well contractors (see sidebar). Time spent on maintenance upkeep of an older rig for Bach Drilling has also been reduced with the addition of the new drill rig. "We're running a lot more new ham- mers to try and get the most out of everything we do to try and get the most footage," Bach adds. "Just things like that to make sure with every drop of fuel you're doing the best you can." Preventive maintenance is still essen- tial even with a new drill rig. Jeremy and his father, Mike Sr., owner of Bach Drilling, a fifth-generation family busi- ness since 1894, take pride in ensuring that their equipment is maintained. "That's always been a key factor," Jeremy says, "and also getting the job done in a timely fashion. Sometimes eight hours isn't enough in a workday, so you do however many hours to get the job done." Drilling conditions can be just as challenging outside of the United States. Mike Douglas and his brother, Kirk, of Colorado began drilling water wells about 15 years ago in villages across Central America. Training with Living Water Interna- tional increased the brothers' knowledge of shallow well drilling, pump repair, and hygiene education. It also introduced them to Little Beaver's Lone Star drills, a line of portable water well drills. "When we saw the LS300T+ rig, we were very impressed with it, so we started taking steps toward obtaining one," Mike says of their efforts follow- ing the training. Through a donation and discount offered by Little Beaver on Lone Star drills used for mission work, the broth- ers took the LS300T+ into some of the toughest terrain and were impressed by how it performed. They soon obtained a second rig. In the past five years, the volunteer efforts with the new drill rigs have brought freshwater wells to more than 30 villages in Honduras and Guatemala. "Because the countries are very di- verse, we work everywhere from the ocean plains to the mountains," Mike says. "We drill in all kinds of condi- tions, from sand and clay to some of the hardest volcanic rock formations that you'll ever find, particularly in Guatemala." Mike admits the Lone Star portable water well drills weren't designed to drill through volcanic rock, but he acknowledges their success rate is "really pretty remarkable given the circumstances." About five times each year, the brothers bring a team of 8-12 volunteers who pay their own way to help drill the wells. Using the Lone Star LS300T+, the brothers and volunteers drill wells ranging from 90 to 300 feet deep. The fully hydraulic rigs feature an anchor kit that helps them push beyond the weight of the trailer the drill is mounted on, more effectively using the roller cone bits to get through the rock they often encounter in Guatemala. Working in extreme conditions means constant awareness of not only the surroundings but of the machine's performance to ensure the job is com- pleted for those who desperately need it. "We just have to keep it well oiled and well greased during day-to-day maintenance because it's very grueling 40 December 2015 WWJ TOUGH DAY from page 38 waterwelljournal.com Price of Fuel Continues to Challenge Water Well Contractors Despite the price of diesel falling for the eighth straight week in early June, water well contractors are faced with unstable diesel and gas prices at the pump. Jeremy Bach, vice president of Bach Drilling Co. in Ellensburg, Washington, has become an expert on finding the best discounts available when purchasing diesel. "We look for the best deal and see how much the supplier can give me off from buying that much diesel," Bach says of the tier system. "That's something I've done a lot more this year." Regardless of the price of fuel, contractors need to include it in their pricing strategy. "It's just a matter of figuring out how you're paying for your fuel and how you're going to be paid for that fuel and account for that somewhere in your pricing schedule," says Matt Hartmann, project manager at Schlumberger Water Services in Denver, Colorado. The Drilling Cost Calculator offered by the National Ground Water Association helps drillers determine the cost of all of the categories that contribute to the over- all cost of water well drilling, including fuel. It is designed as a Microsoft Excel workbook and comes complete with a user's guide written by contractors. Members can download the calculator for free under "Member exclusive con- tent" under the "Member Center" tab at www.NGWA.org. Nonmembers can buy the calculator in the online NGWA Bookstore. Updates on the Price of Fuel Fuel prices affect not only the water well industry but the entire U.S. economy. The average gasoline and diesel prices are released each week by the U.S. Depart- ment of Energy. To view the most up-to-date prices and to get more information in your region, visit the DOE's website at www.eia.gov/oog/info/gdu/gasdiesel.asp. TOUGH DAY continues on page 42