Water well drilling

Water well drilling
New portable drillcat technology uses smaller portable trailer mounted rigs with shorter 10 foot (3.0 m) drill pipe. DIY users and missionary groups use these to drill water wells as they can be operated by 1 or 2 people with a minimal skill level. The shorter drill pipe also allows a much smaller mast, which gives a smaller and lighter rig which is cheaper to ship overseas and can fit in a standard 20 foot (6.1 m) shipping container. Portable trailer mounted drilling rigs have drill ratings from 300 to 800 feet (91 to 240 m) depending on mud pump flow and pressure ratings.

Other, heavier, truck rigs are more complicated, thus requiring more skill to run. They're also more difficult to handle safely due to the longer 20 to 30 foot (6.1 to 9.1 m) drill pipe. Large truck rigs also require a much higher over head clearance to operate. Large truck drills can use over 150 US gallons (570 L) or more of fuel per day, while the smaller portable drills use a mere 5 to 20 US gallons (19 to 76 L) of fuel per day. This makes smaller, more portable rigs preferable in remote or hard-to-reach places, and are more cost effective in this new era of high fuel prices.