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By (user no longer on site) OP
12 weeks ago
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Could be one you're currently in as well. Also, a memorable moment from that job that stands out? 😊
Mine was doing environmental drilling, way back in 2000-2002/3. I was the bloke who bolted everything together, cleaned the augers (the large metal corkscrew sections), bagged up the waste, took out the soil samples and then pulled it all apart whenever the hole was finished.
Occasionally I would operate the rigs as well, which was great fun. Comacchio 405, tracked crawler mounted drill rig. Nifty piece of kit.
We also did concrete coring, window sampling using a hydraulic jack (which was a nightmare but fun dangling off it trying to get fucking thing in the ground 😆 lol) and diamond-tipped drilling for rock. We also did site surveys, where we would draw up scale plans of sites prior to drilling, tracing electrics, water, gas, any underground services.
My first job there was digitising the drawn-up plans using AutoCAD, so we not only had digital copies but we could also reel off huge A0 prints for clients.
But I always had my eye on the drilling side of the company and only did CAD for about a year or so. Drilling was so much cooler lol.
The most memorable moment was definitely while we were drilling in a mix of chalk and clay. Can't remember where the hell it was, though. 🤔
Everything going as normal, we're very deep into the ground and the pressure suddenly builds up. This happens all the time, as water is slowly pumped through the middle of a series of connected thick, hollow metal rods (that are inside the large augers) to stop the diamond-tipped drill bit from overheating due to the friction created while drilling.
It sounds more complicated than it actually is. 😂
So, water pressure. All you do is slow the rotation slightly and lift up, then carry on. But the pressure was a LOT more than we anticipated and it sprayed a shitload of water, chalk and clay out of the hole and 20-30 feet into the air.
It covered everything in a huge radius and we were all just standing around, white as ghosts, laughing at each other. The site manager, soil surveyor, us two drillers. Caked in this shit and it doesn't come off easily!
Good times. 😂 |
