Showerthought: The river always wins if you don't listen to it

Last week on the Columbia, we were pulling gravel and the pump started surging like crazy. My foreman kept yelling to push the ladder deeper, but the sound was all wrong, like it was chewing rocks. I finally shut it down and we pulled up. The suction head was packed with river cobble the size of footballs. Three years ago on a different rig, the old operator told me 'the machine talks, you just gotta hear it.' That surging was it screaming. We lost half a shift clearing that jam. How do you guys tell the difference between a normal hard pull and a 'shut it down now' sound?

3 comments

3 Comments

matthewdixon8d ago

I mean, for me it's when the whole rig starts shaking, not just the pump.

the_taylor8d ago

Ah, the classic 'structural integrity test' feature. When your fillings start to rattle loose and the monitor does a little dance across the desk, you know it's working. It's not a proper session until you're worried about the floor bolts.

simonp768d ago

Yeah, the "monitor dance" is a real sign... I had that bad. Ended up putting those rubber washing machine pads under the feet of my whole rig. It cut down the shaking a ton, stopped the desk walk. Now it just rumbles in place like it's supposed to.