The Driller
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
  • NEWS
  • CLASSIFIEDS
  • EQUIPMENT
  • SAFETY
  • VIDEOS
  • EDUCATION
  • SOURCEBOOK
  • EVENTS
  • SUBMIT
  • ABOUT
  • SIGN UP
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • NEWS
  • Water
  • Geothermal
  • Construction
  • Environmental
  • Mining
  • All Industry News
  • EQUIPMENT
  • Rigs & Heavy Equipment
  • Consumables
  • Pumps
  • Featured Products
  • VIDEOS
  • Newscast
  • Drill Talks
  • Ask Brock
  • Emerging Drillers
  • EDUCATION
  • Drilling Business Insights
  • Reference Desk
  • Sponsored Insights
  • EVENTS
  • Conferences & Demo Days
  • Newscast LIVE
  • SUBMIT
  • Drillers @Work
  • ABOUT
  • Contact
  • Advertise
The Driller
search
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
The Driller
  • NEWS
    • Water
    • Geothermal
    • Construction
    • Environmental
    • Mining
    • All Industry News
  • CLASSIFIEDS
  • EQUIPMENT
    • Rigs & Heavy Equipment
    • Consumables
    • Pumps
    • Featured Products
  • SAFETY
  • VIDEOS
    • Newscast
    • Drill Talks
    • Ask Brock
    • Emerging Drillers
  • EDUCATION
    • Drilling Business Insights
    • Reference Desk
    • Sponsored Insights
  • SOURCEBOOK
  • EVENTS
    • Conferences & Demo Days
    • Newscast LIVE
  • SUBMIT
    • Drillers @Work
  • ABOUT
    • Contact
    • Advertise
  • SIGN UP
MarketsEquipmentOpinionsConstruction DrillingWater WellsGeotechnical InvestigationWorld According to WayneDrilling Consumables

What Are the Limits of PVC Drilling Pipe?

By Wayne Nash
PVC pipe
PVC is a perfectly viable material for well construction, but it helps to know its limitations.
March 5, 2018

A lot of drillers (probably more than half) use PVC casing for most of their domestic wells. It is inexpensive, reliable, never rusts and, used within limits, will make a lifetime well. However, PVC has one major drawback: It is not as strong as steel pipe. This means that setting depths are limited, and you can’t get too rough with it either. A good, clean hole helps.

Figuring out maximum setting depth is fairly straightforward. The strength of the material times the joint weight will give you the max theoretical setting depth. “Theoretical” is the key word. It’s not a good idea to set at maximum theoretical depths, in case you have to work a tight spot or stick it. Having a little “in your back pocket” is always a good idea. Part of the strength of any solid is called the modulus of elasticity. Within this range, a material can be bent, compressed or stretched, and return to its original shape. Beyond this limit, permanent deformation happens. Beyond that, the material fails catastrophically. With pipe, you can pull on it within limits and it will return to its original dimensions. Beyond that, it will take a permanent stretch and will be weakened or part. Imagine a rubber band. It will stretch many times and return, but over pull it and it will break. Pipe is the same.

With PVC pipe, the modulus of elasticity is much lower than steel. It will stretch more easily, but have less overall strength. This is important to water well drillers because you might not have enough rig to pull steel casing in two, but you probably have plenty of power to part PVC. It is also more elastic than steel and will stretch a lot more for a given pull.

If you are going in the hole with a string of casing and stick it off bottom, knowing the exact depth at which you are stuck will help you determine the best course of action. It’s a lot different to be stuck on bottom than to have a shallow sand fall in on the hole and stick you at a shallow depth. By carefully pulling on the casing, you can get an idea of how deep you’re stuck. If it doesn’t stretch much at all, you are stuck fairly shallow. If you can stretch it many inches for a given pull, you are stuck much deeper.

During my fishing career, I often had to respond to a stuck pipe job. One of the first things I usually do is pull on the pipe, stretch it, note the weight and measure the stretch in inches. Then the exact dimensions of the pipe, the grade and the amount of over pull would tell me approximately how deep it had stuck. This calculation ignores friction, so it makes a difference whether you are in casing or open hole. With stuck tubing inside a string of casing, I could often calculate almost to the exact joint where I was stuck. Not so much in open hole or horizontal wells. This helps a lot when planning a back-off or pipe-cutting procedures. It saves the wireline guys a lot of time not having to work up and down the pipe to find the stuck point. Once they had confirmed the stuck point, I could plan a string-shot, back-off (usually) one full joint above. Then I could screw in a jarring assembly or prepare for a washover.

The procedure for stretch calculations is fairly simple. Pick up the pipe to the neutral point. This is the weight just before it got stuck. Pull a small amount over this and mark the pipe. Pull slightly more and mark the pipe again. Repeat this a couple times with increasing pull, and you will be able to calculate the amount of pipe you are stretching; thus, telling you how deep you are stuck. Be careful and don’t pull too much. PVC can fail catastrophically, usually at a fairly shallow depth, causing a lot of iron flying around and leading to a much more complicated fishing job.

When making your calculations, it is important to know the exact dimensions of your pipe. Don’t depend on the catalog dimensions. Caliper the pipe yourself. OD squared minus ID squared equals area in square inches of the pipe. This, when coupled with the modulus of elasticity, will tell you the strength of the pipe and the amount of stretch per 1,000 pounds of pull. Often, small rigs do not have weight indicators, adding to the guesswork involved. I have found that a good initial stretch can often be safely made by idling the engine all the way down. When you pull, on many mechanical rigs, it will stall the engine. This is your baseline. You can come back to it whenever you need. Then throttle up and pull a little harder. Often on jobs like this, I carry a portable weight indicator with me that I can rig up to get very accurate measurements— an invaluable tool for a fisherman.

After I have determined the depth of the problem, I can figure out how much to safely pull on it and work the pipe. If I’m making progress, I keep going. If not, further measures are called for.

I will save the recovery procedures for another day, and hope that you don’t stick your pipe in the meantime.

Keep ’em turning to the right and give me a call if you get in a bind.
 


For more Wayne Nash columns, visit www.thedriller.com/wayne.

KEYWORDS: casing drill pipe water well drilling well drilling

Share This Story

Looking for a reprint of this article?
From high-res PDFs to custom plaques, order your copy today!

Wayne nash 200px
Wayne Nash is a regular contributor to The Driller. He can be reached at rockbit8@hotmail.com.

Recommended Content

JOIN TODAY
to unlock your recommendations.

Already have an account? Sign In

  • geotechnical drilling rig

    6 Onsite Phrases Environmental Drillers Hate

    Here are six phrases that highlight common frustrations...
    Markets
    By: Jeff Garby
  • Wayne Nash

    Pipe Stuck? Common Causes and Solutions for Drillers

    If you have drilled for any length of time, sooner or...
    World According to Wayne
    By: Wayne Nash
  • submersible pumps, water well pumps

    Selecting and Sizing Submersible Pump Cable

    This article helps pump installers and servicers decide...
    Pumps
    By: Bob Pelikan
You must login or register in order to post a comment.

Report Abusive Comment

Subscribe For Free!
  • eNewsletters
  • Online Registration
  • Subscription Customer Service
  • Manage My Preferences

The Driller Newscast: New York Geo Talks 2025 Conference with Hands-on Driller Education

The Driller Newscast: New York Geo Talks 2025 Conference with Hands-on Driller Education

The Driller Newscast: Coiled Tubing Drilling and the Future of Geothermal

The Driller Newscast: Coiled Tubing Drilling and the Future of Geothermal

The Driller Newscast, Episode 147: Global Geothermal Collaboration at NY-GEO 2025

The Driller Newscast, Episode 147: Global Geothermal Collaboration at NY-GEO 2025

The Driller Newscast: 21st Century Drillers | Part 1 DEMAND

The Driller Newscast: 21st Century Drillers | Part 1 DEMAND

More Videos

Sponsored Content

Sponsored Content is a special paid section where industry companies provide high quality, objective, non-commercial content around topics of interest to the The Driller audience. All Sponsored Content is supplied by the advertising company and any opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily reflect the views of The Driller or its parent company, BNP Media. Interested in participating in our Sponsored Content section? Contact your local rep!

close
  • demo of a DM450 drilling rig during a customer factory visit
    Sponsored byGeoprobe

    Built for You: Smarter Drill Rigs, Stronger Support, Bigger Opportunities

Popular Stories

MainPhotoTwoBrothers.jpg

Two Brothers' Journey Through the Drilling Industry

AI and Drought Concerns

AI’s Growing Thirst for Water and Power

demo of a DM450 drilling rig during a customer factory visit

Built for You: Smarter Drill Rigs, Stronger Support, Bigger Opportunities

The Driller Classifieds

COMPRESSORS

EAST WEST MACHINERY & DRILLING IS BUYING AND SELLING AIR COMPRESSORS, AIR BOOSTERS, AIR ENDS & PARTS
Company: East West Machinery

DRILL RIGS

LOOKING FOR LATE MODEL TOPHEADS & DRILLTECH D25'S
Company: Spikes’s Rig Sales

DRILL RIG PARTS

MEETING DRILLERS NEEDS AROUND THE WORLD
Company: East West Machinery

ELEVATORS

SEMCO INC. PIPE ELEVATORS
Company: Semco Inc.

GROUTERS

GROUTING EQUIPMENT - GROUT PUMPS & GROUT HOSE REELS
Company: Geo-Loop Inc.

PUMP HOISTS

SEMCO INC. - BASIC PUMP HOISTS
Company: Semco Inc.

WELL PACKERS

LANSAS PRODUCTS - INFLATABLE WELL PACKERS
Company: Vanderlans Lansas Products

WELL SCREENS

WELL SCREENS & SLOTTED PIPE
Company: Alloy Screen Works

Products

Water Quality Engineering: Physical / Chemical Treatment Processes

Water Quality Engineering: Physical / Chemical Treatment Processes

By carefully explaining both the underlying theory and the underlying mathematics, this text enables readers to fully grasp the fundamentals of physical and chemical treatment processes for water and wastewater.

See More Products

Subscribe to The Driller Newscast

Related Articles

  • Wayne Nash

    Pushing the Limits of Well Drilling

    See More
  • David King

    What Kind of Innovations Are There in Drill Pipe?

    See More
  • Ask Brock video series

    What Are the Best Ways to Dispose of Drilling Fluids?

    See More
×

Dig deeper into the drilling and water supply industry!

Build your knowledge with The Driller, covering the people, equipment and technologies across drilling markets.

SIGN UP NOW
  • RESOURCES
    • Advertise
    • Contact Us
    • Directories
    • Store
    • Want More
    • Classifieds
  • SIGN UP TODAY
    • Create Account
    • eNewsletters
    • Customer Service
    • Manage Preferences
  • SERVICES
    • Marketing Services
    • Reprints
    • Market Research
    • List Rental
    • Survey/Respondent Access
  • STAY CONNECTED
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • YouTube
    • X (Twitter)
  • PRIVACY
    • PRIVACY POLICY
    • TERMS & CONDITIONS
    • DO NOT SELL MY PERSONAL INFORMATION
    • PRIVACY REQUEST
    • ACCESSIBILITY

Copyright ©2025. All Rights Reserved BNP Media.

Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing

The Driller
search
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
The Driller
  • NEWS
    • Water
    • Geothermal
    • Construction
    • Environmental
    • Mining
    • All Industry News
  • CLASSIFIEDS
  • EQUIPMENT
    • Rigs & Heavy Equipment
    • Consumables
    • Pumps
    • Featured Products
  • SAFETY
  • VIDEOS
    • Newscast
    • Drill Talks
    • Ask Brock
    • Emerging Drillers
  • EDUCATION
    • Drilling Business Insights
    • Reference Desk
    • Sponsored Insights
  • SOURCEBOOK
  • EVENTS
    • Conferences & Demo Days
    • Newscast LIVE
  • SUBMIT
    • Drillers @Work
  • ABOUT
    • Contact
    • Advertise
  • SIGN UP