Most of us in the drilling business manage to keep busy most of the time — especially summer. But there is a seasonal slowdown, too. Usually this slowdown gives us enough time to do scheduled maintenance and get ready for the next season. Sometimes, things slow down so much you want to go outside to see if the phone wire got cut. Over the years, I’ve had that problem, and I’ve come up with a few ways that helped in the slack times. A rig doesn’t know what it’s drilling for, and will drill a lot more than a house well or a well for granny’s garden. Here are a few ways to keep a traditional rig busy.
In some areas, mineral exploration drilling can be very lucrative. For example, look for jobs in new areas without a lot of infrastructure. Other good candidates include mines that get a project too big to handle with their own equipment, or that have formations they are not rigged up to drill.