Rig words

The day sheets use a handful of terms from the trade. Here they are in plain English, in the order a job meets them.

Mast

The tall frame on the back of the drilling truck that holds the rods upright while they turn.

Bit

The cutting head at the bottom of the rods. It grinds the ground into small pieces that are carried back up.

Cuttings

The crumbs of soil and rock that come out of the hole. Reading them tells the crew what the bit is passing through.

Plumb

Straight up and down. A plumb hole lets pipe and pump slide in without binding.

Casing

Pipe placed in the finished hole to keep its walls from closing in.

Pressure switch

A small device that turns the pump on when line pressure falls and off when it rises again.

Control box

The weatherproof box that houses the switch, the breaker and the wiring for the pump.

Holding tank

A raised tank that stores pumped water so the house can draw on it without waiting.

Job sheet

The carbon-copy page filled in at the end of each working day. The white copy goes to the office, the blue one stays in the truck.