4 Reasons Why You Suck at Drilling (Geo & Environmental Edition)

4 Reasons Why you Suck at Drilling (Geo and Environmental Edition)
(…and why it’s costing you more than just busted tooling.)

Let’s be real — Drilling ain’t glamorous. It’s not oil rigs and fireworks. It’s muddy boots, slow footage, and trying to core three feet of glacial till while a consultant watches from the truck nodding their head with disappointment. So if your holes are crooked, your samples are trash, and your monitoring wells look like a dog chewed through them… this one’s for you.

1. You Drill Like It’s a Race, Not a Precision Job

If you’re still rushing holes to hit your footage bonus or just want to head home to relax, you’re missing the point. Drilling has always been about accuracy, not speed. Your job is to get clean samples, straight holes, and sealed wells — not just make piles of cuttings. Sloppy drilling leads to poor core recovery, bad data, and pissed-off consultants.

2. Your Setup Looks Like a Circus

Unleveled rigs, tooling laying around, loose winches — if this sounds like your site, you’re setting yourself up for failure. Proper setup is everything, especially when you’re setting monitoring wells that need to stay functional for decades. You wouldn’t build a house on a crooked foundation… so why are you doing that to your boreholes? 

3. You Still Don’t Take Well Protection Seriously

You just dropped $5000 drilling a perfect well… and then you protect it PFAS filled painted cover. What’s the point? Well protection isn’t just a cover — it’s your first line of defense. Keep out tampering, weather, animals, and LAWSUITS. Alucast well protection is built for that — heavy-duty aluminum, tamper-proof, zero shortcuts. Because a good well deserves protection.

4. You Blame the Ground Instead of Owning the Work

We’ve all heard it: “The formation was garbage.” Sure. But sometimes the problem isn’t the clay or the cobbles — it’s poor technique, cheap bits, or just not adjusting to conditions. A good driller overthinks, a great driller adapts. A lazy one blames the dirt.

Part Science, Part Craftsmanship, and a Whole Lot of Patience. 

Drilling is a profession that requires sharp thinking and strategy. It’s part science, part craftsmanship, and a whole lot of patience. If you want to stop sucking, respect the process, use the right tools, and protect your work like it matters — because it does.

Your holes tell a story. Make it a good one.

Got questions about compliance or spec sheets? Reach out to us. We’ll get you what you need — fast and right.