Dealing with Drilling Teams: Key Aspects You Need to Clarify

Dealing with Drilling Teams: Key Aspects You Need to Clarify

Hiring a drilling team to drill a residential well is an important collaboration. To ensure a smooth process and satisfactory results, as the owner, you need to have clear, written communication and confirmation with the team on several key aspects to avoid future disputes.

I. Contract and Plan Stage: Put the Agreements in Writing

Sign a written contract: Never rely solely on verbal agreements. The contract should clearly specify: the construction location, target well depth, borehole diameter, the material and specifications of the casing (well pipe) used (e.g., the wall thickness of PVC pipe), payment method, and schedule.

Clearly Define the Construction Plan and Commitments: Require the contractor to provide a reasonable range for the "target depth" and "expected water yield" based on local experience (e.g., "expected to drill to 30-40 meters, with a daily water yield of approximately X tons"). This should be an estimate based on experience, not an absolute guarantee, but it should be included in the contract appendix.

Define the "Success" Criteria: Clearly stipulate under what circumstances the project is considered successfully completed. The general standard is: water is pumped out, the water volume basically meets the agreement, the water quality is visually clear, and the casing and cementing are completed.

II. Material Arrival and Work Processes: On-site Verification and Step-by-Step Confirmation

Inspection of Incoming Materials: When materials such as casing (well pipe), filter pipe (slotted pipe), filter media (quartz sand), and sealing clay (bentonite) arrive on site, you should personally verify them. Check whether the pipes are intact, without cracks, and whether the specifications meet the agreement. Inferior materials will seriously affect the lifespan of the well.

On-site Supervision and Confirmation of Key Work Processes: There are three steps that must be observed on-site as much as possible, and photographic records must be taken:

Geological Record: The construction party should be required to briefly record the soil, sand, and rock layers excavated at different depths. This determines where the filter pipe should be placed.

Casing Laying and Gravel Filling: Confirm that the filter pipe is accurately laid into the water-bearing sand layer; supervise the filling with clean and uniform filter media (gravel), rather than arbitrarily backfilling with soil.

Cementing (Sealing): A tight seal must be formed above the filter media using high-quality clay balls or bentonite, extending close to the ground surface to prevent surface wastewater infiltration. This is a core step in ensuring water quality safety.

III. Acceptance and Payment: Results-Oriented, Protecting Your Rights

Well Cleaning and Testing Acceptance: After pipe installation, a thorough well cleaning must be performed until the pumped water is completely clear and free of sand. Then, a test pumping operation should be conducted for several hours (e.g., 4-6 hours). You need to personally confirm whether the water flow is stable and sufficient.

Payment Method: We strongly recommend using a "progress-based payment" method, for example: 30% upon commencement of work, 30% upon delivery of pipe materials, 30% upon successful water output and well cleaning, and the final 10% upon successful testing and completion of all work. Linking payment to key deliverables is the most effective way to protect your rights.

Request Completion Documentation: Upon completion of the project, request the contractor to provide a simple "Well Completion Report," which should at least include: a schematic diagram of the well depth structure, a brief description of the formation, the final static water level depth, and a list of major materials used. This is your well's "health record."

IV. Communication and Dispute Resolution

Designate a Single Contact Person: Clearly define a site manager with the construction team as your communication contact to avoid multiple lines of command.

Pre-determine Problem-Solving Methods: The contract can stipulate how responsibility will be shared or costs adjusted in cases where there is no water at the predetermined depth or a severe shortage of water (e.g., only the cost of the completed portion will be charged).

Summary: Clarify the Vague, Place Trust Under Supervision

The core of dealing with the construction team is to "clarify professional matters in a verifiable way." You don't need to understand the technical details, but you must understand how to manage key milestones and results. Through contractual agreements, material inspections, process confirmations, and phased payments, you will transform from a passive waiter into a proactive project manager. This ensures you receive a qualified well and is the cornerstone of respect for the professional construction team and good cooperation.