# First YouTube Video: Municipal Well Drilling



## piercekiltoff (Jul 22, 2009)

Drilling 10" cased holes for a local town. The driller on the right is trying to tune the rig in, as we more or less have just started drilling here - which is part of why the 8" DTH hammer is so 'pingy'.


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## Protech (Sep 22, 2008)

could you esplain what's going on in detail. I never done none o dat fancy well drillin stuff. :tongue_smilie:


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## RealLivePlumber (Jun 22, 2008)

Yeah, can you show us some more?


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## piercekiltoff (Jul 22, 2009)

I'll have to get some more video later tomorrow of them jacking the casings back out to install the 5" screens.

My drillers helper took this video....It's a Facebook link, so I'm not sure it'll work.

Basically, we're using what's called a concentric overburden drilling system to drill 10" cased holes into a large gravel/boulder formation that used to be a pond at one point, prior to it being filled in the early '70's. At the end of the drill string there's a large pneumatic hammer, 8" diameter, running a 10" driver bit that locks into a ring bit that is welded to the bottom of the 10" casing. The pneumatic hammer is the pinging noise you hear as it's driving into the ground. The exhaust air from the hammer is what is flowing up between the drill pipe/hammer and the inner wall of the casing, along with the drill cuttings. In this situation, we pumped approximately 25 gallons per minute of a foam/water mixture to aid in the lifting of the cuttings & to help stop up some of porosity in the formation. Anyway, the air is the 'fluid' in this system, it helps drive the bit, clean the bit, and lift the cuttings - on this rig, the air compressor is capable of producing 825 CFM @ 300 PSI. Newer rigs run up to 1070/350, or 900/500 compressors.

We're really not that deep here, I think the deepest hole was just 35 feet.


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## 1703 (Jul 21, 2009)

that all means nothing to me, but still cool.

Would be neat to spend a day on site to learn more.


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## RealLivePlumber (Jun 22, 2008)

Man, that is serious air!


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## piercekiltoff (Jul 22, 2009)

Yep, tons of air. Generally, the bigger the hole, the more air. I know some guys east of me who regularly will bring out the rig, plus 3 to 4 backup compressors - roughly 4000 CFM @ 500 to 1000 PSI after they boost it. Good times!

Haven't been back on the site to get any videos of the casing jack operations. We'll be moving to a residential well after this one, later next week or early the week after.


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## Protech (Sep 22, 2008)

Let's see some more video man. Esplain how it's done. :thumbup:



piercekiltoff said:


> Yep, tons of air. Generally, the bigger the hole, the more air. I know some guys east of me who regularly will bring out the rig, plus 3 to 4 backup compressors - roughly 4000 CFM @ 500 to 1000 PSI after they boost it. Good times!
> 
> Haven't been back on the site to get any videos of the casing jack operations. We'll be moving to a residential well after this one, later next week or early the week after.


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