National Driller articles from February 2007

National Driller archives from February 2007

The international pump market.(News and Notes at Press Time)
February 1, 2007... World pump demand is projected to rise 4.8 percent per year through 2010 (including price increases) to $37 billion, according to a study conducted by The Freedonia Group Inc. This represents an improvement over the 2000-2005 period, reflecting...

Water treatment suppliers directory.(News and Notes at Press Time)(Directory)
February 1, 2007... In case you missed it in last month's issue, or if your dog ate your copy or your partner stole it off your desk, we just uploaded the "2007 Water Treatment Buyers' Guide" onto our Web site (for those of you who haven't yet made it your home...

It's a rotary world out there.(News and Notes at Press Time)
February 1, 2007... A recent National Driller "Web Poll" asked visitors to www.nationaldriller.com which drilling method they used most often. The results: [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] * Auger -- 18 percent * Cable tool -- 12 percent * Hollow rod -- 3...

AMTROL reorganizes.(News and Notes at Press Time)
February 1, 2007... A U.S. Bankruptcy Court judge has approved all of the first-day motions submitted by AMTROL Inc. as part of the company's filing for reorganization under Chapter 11 of the federal bankruptcy code. The approvals granted by judge Kevin Gross...

Foundation drilling directory.(News and Notes at Press Time)
February 1, 2007... The ADSC: The International Association of Foundation Drilling has published the latest edition of its membership directory. The directory is a 455-page compendium of extensive information about the services and products provided by ADSC's...

Venture expansion.(News and Notes at Press Time)
February 1, 2007... Venture Drilling Supply LLC, Tahlequah, Okla., has announced its acquisition of Rock Drilling Supply (RDS) of Georgetown, Texas. With 24 years of sales and service to the drilling industry, Venture acquires the Atlas Copco Drilling Solutions...

Resurrecting a 1890's core drilling machine: restoring a rig with a little help from friends.(Porky's Hole Thoughts)
February 1, 2007... Editor's note: ND's regular columnist, Howard "Porky" Cutter came across this story of a restored rig. Certain that readers would enjoy hearing about the restoration, he dedicated his column space this month to Jeff Hyatt, who could provide a...

Coming events.(Calendar)
February 1, 2007... FEBRUARY 8-10 Mountain States Ground Water Expo Laughlin, Nev. 480-609-3999 www.mountainstatesgroundwater.com 14-15 Nebraska Well Drillers Association Convention Lincoln, Neb. 402-476-0162 ...

Dos and don'ts when firing someone: vengeance never pays off, reducing the sting usually does.(Smart Business)
February 1, 2007... Firing an employee is any boss' least favorite part of the job. These days, it also can be perilous both from a legal standpoint--and occasionally physically threatening as well. Yet, sooner or later, almost every employer finds it necessary to...

How pumps work--Part 2: the fundamentals of pumped water systems.(Tech Topics)
February 1, 2007... Before getting into this month's topic, I want to respond to a comment from a reader regarding my December 2006 pump article, titled "Plumbing the Pressure Tank." In that article, I recommended installing a check valve between the pressure tank...

Submersible motor trouble-shooting.
February 1, 2007... This article is provided through the courtesy of Franklin Electric Co. It is excerpted from Franklin Electric's Application, Installation and Maintenance (AIM) Manual. This trouble-shooting guide covers the basic situations you may encounter,...

Variable speed pumping pays off for soft fruit grower.
February 1, 2007... A major UK producer of soft fruit under glass recently upgraded its pumping equipment for irrigation and overhead moisture. In addition to new pumps from ITT Lowara, all the main pumps at the site have now been equipped with ITT Industries'...

Huge rebound for National show: NGWA packs 'em in, delivers high-quality program.
February 1, 2007... The National Ground Water Association's (NGWA) 58th annual Ground Water Expo and annual meeting took place Dec. 5-8 in the Las Vegas Convention Center. As expected, Vegas proved to be a better draw for the show than suburban-Atlanta did the...

Washington state seminars.(BULLETIN BOARD)
February 1, 2007... Spring technical seminars for the Washington State Ground Water Association are scheduled as follows: [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] * Mar. 23 in Tacoma * Mar. 24 in Marysville * Mar. 30 in Pasco * Mar. 31 in Spokane For...

Watson adds new facility.(BULLETIN BOARD)
February 1, 2007... Watson Inc., a U.S.-based manufacturer of auger-type foundation drilling equipment, has opened a new and larger manufacturing facility located adjacent to its existing shop and corporate office in Fort Worth, Texas. The new building contains 10...

Meter cover thefts.(BULLETIN BOARD)
February 1, 2007... Not satisfied with taking copper wiring, thieves in Washington State have stolen about 50 aluminum water meter covers, apparently to be sold for scrap, and the exposed holes are creating safety hazards, a King County Journal story reported. ...

Foundation drilling.(On the Job)
February 1, 2007... Road Interchange Project A major road interchange project in Hong Kong involved extensive foundation drilling on a steep hillside that consist of Grade III & Grade IV granite with a limestone/marble section. Because of the difficult...

Pump Hoist.(PRODUCT SHOWCASE: PUMP HOISTS & PULLERS)
February 1, 2007... The Evolution Pump Hoist from Kyle Equipment Co. is comprised of a new pump-pulling crane with either a 5,000-pound or an 8,000-pound capacity, and a choice of a Warner crane body or an aluminum flatbed with toolboxes. The crane itself features...

Upgraded Pump Hoist.(PRODUCT SHOWCASE: PUMP HOISTS & PULLERS)
February 1, 2007... The Ultimate Service Unit (TUSU) Plus from Pulstar Mfg. has just been introduced to the marketplace. It features the company's traditional, completely loaded P10HD3L with hydraulic pipe racks. New features are a completely open cargo bay,...

Well Service Unit.(PRODUCT SHOWCASE: PUMP HOISTS & PULLERS)
February 1, 2007... The S25,000 Well Service Unit from Semco Inc. is used for installation of large submersible pumps, line shaft turbines and well completion. Offering a 48-foot extension, the A-frame design telescopic derrick has double 5-inch cylinders for...

Hydraulic planetary winches and drives.(PRODUCT SHOWCASE: PUMP HOISTS & PULLERS)
February 1, 2007... Pullmaster Winch Corp. offers hydraulic planetary winches with a bare drum line pull range of 1,100 pounds to 75,000 pounds. The "Plane-matic" range of hydraulic planetary drives provides an output torque range of 50,000 pound/inches to 136,000...

Line of pump pulling machines.(PRODUCT SHOWCASE: PUMP HOISTS & PULLERS)
February 1, 2007... The G2000 produced by G & L 2000 Inc. is a versatile line capable of pulling pumps on coil pipe, pulling 1- to 2-inch galvanized or PVC pipe, and pulling jet systems. Manufactured to be lightweight and portable, the G2000 mounts to the top of...

Device for pulling pumps.(PRODUCT SHOWCASE: PUMP HOISTS & PULLERS)
February 1, 2007... Pul-A-Pump Corp. manufactures this portable pump-pulling device. Its built-in features are engineered to allow for efficient, one-man operation. The quick-mount system for fast setup is said to be adaptable for all well types, and the...

Well pump puller.(PRODUCT SHOWCASE: PUMP HOISTS & PULLERS)
February 1, 2007... Talcott Mountain Engineering Inc. offers the Easy Riser, a well pump puller used by submersible pump professionals to service water wells at depths to 600 feet. This portable pump puller features high-strength, lightweight modular construction....

Portable puller.(PRODUCT SHOWCASE: PUMP HOISTS & PULLERS)
February 1, 2007... Model 30XL heavy-duty Up-Z-Dazy pump puller from Funk Mfg. is portable and light in weight. Featuring a welded aluminum frame, it offers a 600-pound load capacity, and can handle 1-inch to 1 1/2-inch coil or semi-rigid pipe, or up to 2-inch...

Pipe manufacturing deal.(BULLETIN BOARD)
February 1, 2007... Mueller Water Products Inc., Atlanta, announced that it has acquired the assets of Fast Fabricators Inc., one of the largest, independently owned fabricators of ductile iron pipe serving the water and wastewater treatment plant market in the...

Holy water, indeed.(BULLETIN BOARD)
February 1, 2007... A California water bottler not only uses reverse osmosis to treat its product, it also is blessed by clergy from various religious denominations. Holy Drinking Water currently is available in the San Joaquin Valley in 16.9-ounce bottles;...

Silica removal.(BULLETIN BOARD)
February 1, 2007... Severn Trent Services has received a patent for its technology related to a method for removing silica from water treatment adsorption media. Severn Trent's new method solves the problem of silica interference of arsenic and other contaminant...

Drill rig offered.(PRODUCT INFO)
February 1, 2007... The Schramm T450MIIA Rotadrill is a top-head drive, truck-mounted drill rig engineered primarily for applications using combination air rotary, mud rotary and DTH hammer drilling methods. The truck engine provides power for all hydraulic, mud...

Water level logger.(PRODUCT INFO)
February 1, 2007... Levelogger Gold is the next generation of Solinst Levelogger. Offering higher resolution and an accuracy of 0.05 percent, the Levelogger Gold has improved transducer, temperature and clock accuracies. Battery life is 10 years, even with...

Extra-long male check valves.(PRODUCT INFO)
February 1, 2007... Merrill Mfg. offers new extra-long male check valves. Boasting a poppet design, CVMXL100 and CVMXL125 are constructed from quality red brass material, and measure 1 inch and 1 1/4 inches, respectively. Made for special bell socket-end PVC drop...

Water treatment Web site.(PRODUCT INFO)
February 1, 2007... The Water-Right Web site (www.water-right.com) provides water treatment professionals with specific solutions to common water problems in residential, commercial and industrial applications, including hardness, high levels of iron and...

Reverse osmosis.(PRODUCT INFO)
February 1, 2007... Water Factory Systems' SQC RO system is a multi-stage reverse osmosis filtration system. NSF-certified and listed for contaminant reduction, the SQC RO system requires no electricity, as it's powered by residential water line pressure. Said to...

Water pressure-reducing valve.(PRODUCT INFO)
February 1, 2007... CYCLE GARD IV, Series CB152E is the new space-saving, direct-acting water pressure-reducing valve from Danfoss Flomatic Corp. The CYCLE GARD IV valve is equipped with additional NPT tapped bosses for a pressure gage, water tank and/or a pump...

Motors for small wells.(PRODUCT INFO)
February 1, 2007... Sumoto SRL manufactures a range of 3-inch submersible motors for wells with smaller dimensions. The OP3 is a splined-shaft coupling system that meets NEMA regulations. Each motor is supplied with an approximately 6-foot-long sealed cable...

Auger cleaner.(PRODUCT INFO)
February 1, 2007... Max's Enterprises has developed an auger cleaner. To employ this auger cleaner, simply install a receiver hitch on your drill rig. The track-and-roller system is designed to avoid binding, and is spring-loaded for u-pins and auger bolts. The...

Peristaltic metering pump.(PRODUCT INFO)
February 1, 2007... Peristaltic metering pumps provide a means for injecting disinfectants into private water systems. Stenner Pumps' Classic Series single-head adjustable output pump is an adjustable peristaltic metering pump built with three detachable...

For large-diameter drilled shafts.(PRODUCT INFO)
February 1, 2007... The Model 3110 Eagle from Watson Inc. is designed to drill large-diameter drilled shafts (48-96 in.). The torque and crowd available with the Model 3110 Eagle provide capacity to drill in difficult conditions, including hard rock and boulders....

Dewatering submersible pump.(PRODUCT INFO)
February 1, 2007... The Godwin 4-inch Heidra 100 hydraulic submersible pump is a compact, self-contained pumping unit, featuring a diesel-driven power pack and 4-inch submersible hydraulic pump. With variable-speed diesel engine power, the Heidra 100 can meet a...

Battery-powered warning lights.(PRODUCT INFO)
February 1, 2007... Lumastrobe LX-18-PK battery-powered warning lights now are available in a six-pack carrying case for quick deployment at any scene that requires a warning procedure. Each unit has a heavy-duty base magnet (160-lb. pull) so it can be placed on...

Fuel economy leaders.(From the "Various and Sundry" files)
February 1, 2007... The hybrid-electric Toyota Prius leads the government's annual top-10 fuel economy list of vehicles that can make living with high gas prices a little more tolerable, according to a report from the Detroit News. The 2007 Prius, with 60...

Safest big cities.(From the "Various and Sundry" files)
February 1, 2007... New York is the safest of the nation's 10 largest cities, with about one crime reported for every 37 people, according to FBI statistics. The rankings: 1. New York 2. San Jose 3. Los Angeles 4. San Diego 5. Chicago ...

The latest ATM scams: be careful about using ATMs; thieves are getting pretty crafty.(From the "Various and Sundry" files)
February 1, 2007... One recent scam is called the "Lebanese Loop." It works like this: A thin plastic sleeve is inserted into the ATM card slot. When you put your card into the slot, it goes into the sleeve. The machine can't read the strip, so it keeps asking you...

RO plant for golf course irrigation.(On the Job)
February 1, 2007... Florida Treasure Coast golf courses experience periods of insufficient rainfall and must rely on large amounts of high-cost municipal treated water for their irrigation requirements. Available well waters contain high amounts of chlorides,...

Rural Water Supply.(LEGISLATIVE UPDATE)
February 1, 2007... The Senate recently passed the Rural Water Supply Act. The Senate first passed the bill in November 2005, but the language was slightly altered in the House, making another Senate vote necessary. The bill directs the U.S. Department of...

Abandoned Mine Program extended.(LEGISLATIVE UPDATE)
February 1, 2007... Congress has extended a coal industry tax that funds the cleanup of abandoned mines for 14 years. The legislation will include an expansion of the use of mine cleanup tax dollars to fund health-care benefits for retired coal miners, and a...

New water protection guidelines developed.(LEGISLATIVE UPDATE)
February 1, 2007... The nation's first standard guidelines for protecting the public from potential malevolent acts and other threats by enhancing the physical security of water and wastewater infrastructure systems have been released for trial use. The...

Incentives proposed.(LEGISLATIVE UPDATE)
February 1, 2007... A proposed EPA rule would provide a financial incentive to states to use fees when running a clean water permit program. EPA's rule would allot up to 3 percent of state water pollution control grant funds to states that have adequate National...

Accurate test-hole sampling.(The World According to Wayne)
February 1, 2007... When drilling an irrigation well or some other high-capacity well, proper sampling can make a huge difference in efficiency and total production. There is a big difference between a house well that, in a lot of areas, will produce enough water...

Novel Geo-Environmental chooses Acker.(TRADING POST)
February 1, 2007... John Nottingham of Novel Geo-Environmental receives the company's new Acker Soil Scout from Tom Miller of Acker Drill Co., Scranton, Pa. The unit is equipped for wireline core drilling, split-spoon sampling and auger drilling. ...

Jim Wild works with Northeast Drill Supply.(TRADING POST)
February 1, 2007... Jim Wild (r), Jim Wild Well Drilling, Gardiner, N.Y., picks up a new 2006 REICHdrill model-T-650-W Legend 4 from Jerry Parker of Northeast Drill Supply, Middletown Springs, Vt. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Remediation adds two PowerProbes.(TRADING POST)
February 1, 2007... Doug Knight and his team at Remediation Equipment & Construction Inc., Central, S.C., recently obtained two new 9500-VTR AMS PowerProbes. There now are three AMS Power-Probes in the Remediation fleet. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

AMS sells rig in Taiwan.(TRADING POST)
February 1, 2007... Wilson Scientifc, a distributor of AMS Products and PowerProbes in Taiwan, recently sold a 9500D PowerProbe to Chi Mei International Technology Co. (MIT) in Taichung, Taiwan. Pictured from left to right: James-MIT (Chi Mei International...

Betech and Laibe Corp. do business.(TRADING POST)
February 1, 2007... Betech Well Drilling, Elliott, Ill., acquires a new Versa-Drill V-100NG, mounted on Peterbilt 6-by-6 (all-wheel drive) chassis. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Acker delivers to L. Robert Kimball.(TRADING POST)
February 1, 2007... Pat Replogle of L. Robert Kimball takes delivery of a new Acker Soil XLS drill from Tom Miller of Acker Drill Co., Scranton, Pa. The unit is equipped with radio remote-controlled Cat rubber tracks, a high-speed drillhead capable of 1,000 rpm...

Traut takes delivery.(TRADING POST)
February 1, 2007... Traut Wells Inc., Waite Park, Minn., has purchased its second new Versa-Sonic drill from Laibe Corp. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Strata buys from Higgins.(TRADING POST)
February 1, 2007... Allen Winebarger of Strata Drilling, Nyssa, Ore., purchased this 1989 Ingersoll-Rand TH60 from Higgins Rig Co., Hodgenville, Ky. His rig is equipped with an 850/350 compressor, 38-foot mast, bean pump, angle capabilities, four hydraulic jacks,...

Well pump Buyers' Guide.(Directory)(Buyers guide)
February 1, 2007... For this year's directory, we polled pump manufacturers/suppliers on their product offerings, and more than two dozen companies responded with information for the following categories: shallow and deep well jet pumps, submersible pumps,...

Well pump Buyers' Guide manufacturers/suppliers listings.(Directory)
February 1, 2007... A.Y. McDonald Mfg. 4800 Chavanelle Road Dubuque, Iowa 52002 Ph: 800-292-2737 Fx: 800-832-9296 pumps@aymcdonald.com www.aymcdonald.com Aermotor/Pentair Water 293 Wright St. Delavan, Wis. 53115 Ph:...