Wellmaster has recently expanded to serve groundwater drillers in the Florida market with Press x Press® couplings. These casing connections are no-thread, no-weld couplings that drop onto end casing while driving, which improves safety and reduces time and expenses. Wellmaster Press x Press® couplings have met product validation requirements and are formally approved and recognized as equivalent by the Department of Environmental Protection and all five water management districts in Florida. View the memorandum from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection for more information on the approval.

Press x Press® casing connections are quickly becoming a choice water well drilling solution across the state of Florida due to their ability to create a strong connection without welding or threading, among other benefits. Florida is also an ideal location for the Press x Press® couplings to be used due to the limited amount of complex geological formations and boulders found in the environment there.

The Wellmaster team had the opportunity to visit a groundwater drilling company in the Orlando, Florida, area to see how Wellmaster couplings impacted and improved their ability to complete work. The Press x Press® couplings have truly transformed the way these drillers are able to do their job and reduce the amount of stress and concerns they have.

Press x Press® Casing Connections Use in Florida

The Press x Press® design is preferred over other options because it does not require welding and can accommodate plain end rather than bevelled or threaded. Wellmaster’s innovative and unique Press x Press® design helps to reduce input costs and project completion time compared to conventional connections, resulting in increased profitability for drillers.

Press x Press® casing connections can also be used on various types of casing, including lower-quality casings, casings with or without bevels, and casings that are not round or square cut. This can provide cost savings for drillers who can still utilize less-than-perfect casings.

Wellmaster visited a drill site crew that was in the process of drilling a well using Korean 5 9/16” casing and Wellmaster Press x Press® Casing Connections.

The drive shoe needed to be welded onto the casing before driving it into the ground. This weld took 6 ½ minutes with just one pass. With the relentless sun and 33 degrees Celsius temperature, it is very difficult for drillers to complete these welds. These drillers hope to utilize a Press x Drive Shoe in the future, which is currently in development. The use of a Press x Drive Shoe would improve efficiency and prevent the need to weld the drive shoe onto the casing in hot temperatures. The use of a Press x Drive Shoe combined with the Press x Press® Casing Connections would eliminate the need to weld at all.

The process typically used by the drillers is to first drive the casing and then drill it out. When they butt weld the casing, the driller first grinds his own bevel on it, then makes a total of 3 passes to ensure a proper, secure weld. This process sometimes requires 4 passes if he anticipates it will be a difficult job.

The driller spoke at length about the anxiety of driving welded casing, hoping all the time that his welds would hold. By utilizing Press x Press® Casing Connections, this concern and stress is greatly alleviated.

With welded connections, it could take up to 30 to 45 minutes to complete one connection. Given the conditions, you also must factor in that workers need to take a break. It could take hours to complete the welding for all the lengths of pipe. Alternatively, the Press x Press® Couplings only took seconds to make the connection.

The team started putting the mast up at 8 a.m. and by 11 a.m. the well was drilled; the pump was installed, and water was flowing as the team packed up to leave for their next job.

By using Press x Press®, these drillers can complete multiple wells per day. This not only saves significant costs in terms of labor but also in terms of equipment, as less equipment is required, and less strain is put on the equipment.

When working with tough geological formations at the 80’ mark, the rig hammered aggressively for approximately 4 hours to advance 10’ through this tough hardpan using Press x Press®. The driller explained that if welded connections were used instead, they would take just as long but likely could have encountered breakage. If the connections were to break, they would need to start over completely. Thousands of Press x Press® casing connections have been manufactured without issues with breakage. Wellmaster’s casing connections have factored stress and force into the design and were tested by a third party to confirm their strength and ability to hold.

Explore All Press x Press® Products

Wellmaster is proud to be your quality water well casing supplier. We manufacture Press x Press® casing connections in 4 1/2”, 5 9/16”, 6 5/8”, and 7” diameters. We are developing a 6” version of the coupling to make the product more broadly applicable for the North American and global markets.

Wellmaster has the ability to manufacture various sizes of Press x Press® couplings and Press X Drive Shoes to fit our client’s needs. Working with our clients to create versions of Press x Press® that better fit their requirements helps speed up their processes and create a stronger connection.

Visit Wellmaster’s website for more case studies and information on the Press x Press® Casing Connections.