WorldWide Drilling Resource

by Tim Rasmussen Water For Life began when the Bartholomew family of Spokane, Washington, decided to try and do something about a contaminated water problem at a school and orphanage in northeast Guatemala. This was about 15 years ago. It started with a rig donated by Stadeli and Sons, and a container for a shop. Now we have three cable rigs, a large shop, trucks and adequate support machinery, accommodations for drill operators, and most important, a loyal group of volunteers who have let God put it in their hearts to help others. We have 113 wells in service, mainly in remote villages. The cable rigs have served us very well and will continue to serve, but the Water For Life board made the decision to move forward with the purchase of a good used rotary drilling rig from our volunteer Seth Weilage. He has worked with the rig and knows it very well. Seth reports that with the help of another donor, he has 700 feet of drill rod. Most of our wells are 180-300 feet so this is sufficient, but “too much is always enough.” He also reports there are some additional heavy repairs to be made. The transfer case is leaking and the pump needs to be rebuilt. We have authorized him to get the repairs made because we want to ship this drill rig to Guatemala this fall for Seth to work with during next drilling season. The obvious increase in our capacity to drill wells was one of the driving factors in our decision to go rotary, but another impor- tant consideration was the fact there are just fewer and fewer cable drill operators in the industry. Our volunteer base is dwindling. We believe there are many folks who would be happy to come and help, but they do not know cable drilling. They do know rotary. With this rig we will have a way to put their skills and effort to work for us. We will try and import this rig, probably on a ship from Florida or Texas, although another missionary, Doyle Knight, offered to drive the rig to Guatemala for us. He drove one truck down there already, and says he “likes the trip” - all 4000 miles of high- way between here and there. What a guy! The import process, whether at a port or a highway entry point, may be different than we have experienced before. This is not an old machine on its last legs. The government may believe it is a commercial import. There will be more scrutiny than before, we know that. The only thing we can do is go forward and ask the Good Lord to guide our efforts. If you would like to help us with the rig or, better yet, by coming to drill with us, contact Gary Bartholomew at 509-466-5075 or 509-939-1941 Tim michele@ worldwidedrillingresource.com WTR Sullivan-Palatek’s D900PH4CU5 portable air compressor offers dual operating pressures of 100 or 150 psi. Its 310-horsepower Cummins Tier 4 Final Stage V diesel engine has aftercool and filter options available, as well as a 150-gallon fuel tank. The unit also has large service doors for simple maintenance access, plus an automatic shut- down and protection system. A seven-inch electronic controller display shows numerous readouts including, but not limited to, compressor tem- perature and complete engine diagnost ics. The D900PH4CU5 also has a three-year unlimited-hour airend warranty. Sullivan-Palatek is a Valued WWDR Advertiser 51 WorldWide Drilling Resource ® SEPTEMBER 2018