Suppliers continue to boost the dependability of their tools.
Faster penetration is a familiar refrain. “Obviously, the quicker you can get the hole in the ground, the better,” Purcell reminds. And the manufacturers are constantly reminded that contractors don't like downtime. “Trouble-free operation is of utmost importance - not having to open it up and service it or having to constantly change a ring here or a check valve there and things like that,” he says. “And good hole cleaning - the ability to deal with whatever kind of conditions you encounter and knowing that the hammer still is going to be able to clean its hole effectively and continue to drill like it should. Also, for water well drillers, the ability to deal with water volume when they encounter it and still be able to drill. The cost of drilling a hole is not going to go down. If you can get it into the ground quicker, you can reduce your costs that way.”