The Pros and Cons of Gate Guarding~
First, an update- Two weeks ago, we thought we had just a few days left at this site. The drilling crew had made record time getting to “TD”. TD is the “total depth” for the well. In the case of this well, that is about 28,000 feet. That’s approximately 7,000 feet vertical (deep, from the surface), then a turn to horizontal for about 9,000 feet, then another turn for 2-3,000 feet, then another turn to complete the “U” for another several thousand feet. Everything was going great until the crew was pulling the drill motor and bit out of the hole, when, with just 3,000 feet to go before being out of the hole, the drill pipe, drill motor, and drill bit got stuck! The crew and several additional new professionals have worked for the last two weeks, trying to get the equipment out of the hole. As of this posting, it is still stuck.
So why is this a big deal? The drill motor and drill bit together cost about $2.8M !! Additionally, operating the drilling rig costs about $100K per day.
No matter the situation with the rig, we will be pulling out of this location on February 9.
This is a pros and cons post, though, so… We will do the pros and cons with photos, as picture captions are more fun and easier to read than a long post!
Please be sure to look at the last pic and read its caption, to learn the answer to this question: Would we do this work-camping gig again?
@everyone
PRO~ We have the time to do some of the things that we individually enjoy. Chris enjoys reading (paper books and audio), knitting, and trying new sourdough recipes. Ken spends his awake time learning Spanish with Duolingo, watching TV series, and listening to audiobooks. We both very much enjoy trip planning. On that note, soon we will share the details of an upcoming trip that is planned to be AMAZING!
In this pic: Our drilling rig.
CON~ NO sightseeing. We always enjoy checking out the local area. But with the 24/7 schedule, this isn’t possible.
In this pic: Again, no idea. It is obviously a “cherry picker”, but we aren’t sure what it is used for at the drilling platform.
PRO~ Gateguard compensation. By typical hourly standards, the pay is horrible, but we’ll let you do the math. We earn a total of $200 per day (24 hr period). We each work 12-hour shifts. But in those 12 hours, we may each only engage (check in or out) 15-20 vehicles. More when the rig is being set up, during regular business hours, and at the change of “hitches,” and less between 6pm and 6am. Though we are required to be awake, alert, and “on-duty,” it’s really hard to call anything that we do actual “work”!
In this pic: One of 6-8 accommodation trailers for rig crew.
CON~ Stinkbugs. These M’Fers are a pain in the ass. We had them in Michigan and at both locations here in Texas. As much of a pain in the ass that they are, we would prefer them over the Asian Beetles of Minnesota.
In this pic: Ken has both inbound and outbound traffic!!! This rarely happens!
CON~ Time away from family and friends. Because of our demanding 24/7 schedule, we can’t break away to visit family, and we don’t have time for a quick getaway to visit friends.
In this pic: The “Save the Date” card for our oldest son Sean and his fiance Julie.
CON~ Less than adequate water pressure from the water tank pump. This took about 8 weeks to figure out. We have an on-demand water heater. It turns out that it is very sensitive to the water supply flow rate. In order to have a consistent 102*F shower, we need to have the hot water selected at both the shower AND the bathroom sink. If we use our own on-board water pump, everything works fine.
PRO~ We have learned A LOT about the oil drilling business! This has been an awesome experience. The people/workers we have met have been incredibly kind. If we were paid in “Yes/No, ma’am” and “Yes/No, sir,” we’d likely be VERY well paid! The rest of the United States could certainly learn something from the level of respect that the men in Texas have when speaking.
In this pic: Two of the giant cranes that are used to assemble and disassemble the drilling rig.
PRO~ The weather! We are pretty far south in Texas. In fact, we are just about an hour’s drive from the US/Mexico border. So, our winter weather has been quite nice. While the rest of the country was dealing with freezing rain, ice, snow, and arctic temperatures, we only had temperatures below freezing for a few hours over a few nights. For the most part, the temps have been in the 60s-80s.
CON~ Weight Gain. We do a lot of sitting!! There is absolutely nothing physical about this job. For both of us, the darkness of the closet has caused our clothes to shrink.
CON~ Dust. It’s everywhere. The truck hasn’t been washed in over two months, because it is a waste of money to do so. It isn’t unbearable, just a fact of the area.
In this pic: The gate we are currently guarding. We are just off of TX-97, just east of Cotulla, Texas.
CON~ The 24/7 schedule. We knew this going in, but it is still a challenge. While we have both acclimated to the long shifts and overnight hours, it has been a little bit of a challenge.
PRO~ Saving money because we aren’t “dining out” together. Because of the 24/7 coverage requirement, we don’t get to go anywhere together, so we don’t go out to eat. Sometimes, Ken will stop at McDonald’s for a “Crispy Chicken Combo” after Mass, but other than that, our dining out expenses are nothing!
In this pic: This well site has two wells. This enclosure is one of the wells. The enclosure is about 10′ in diamter and the drilling hole is about 10″ in diamter. We don’t know what the pipe to the right is.
CON~ Mail and package delivery. We can receive mail and packages at the security company office, but given the unknown nature of our continued employment, it’s risky to have things delivered there. When we were in Whitsett, TX, there was an Amazon Locker in town, but there isn’t one in Cotulla, TX, where we currently are.
PRO~ Saving money on truck diesel. Because we can’t leave our post together, we don’t do any real adventures. We only drive into town once a week for church. Each of us goes every other week. Whoever goes to Mass will then run errands in town during that same journey, after Mass.
In this pic: Chris is heading ouff to town for Mass and errands.
CON~ Lots and lots of ALONE time. Our marriage hasn’t lasted almost 34 years by us being alone. We actually enjoy being together!
In this pic: One of the MANY wells that are already in production on this ranch. Here are three wells that pump directly into a pipeline that goes to a testing and storage facility about 8 miles away, before entering into the pipeline supply network that delivers crude oil to refineries all across the US.
PRO~ The South Texas sky! The sunrises and sunsets in South Texas on a clear day/night are nothing short of incredible. The night sky is amazing with the uninhibited star viewing and lovely moon.
PRO~ Saving money, without the expense of propane for the RV furnace. Though Chris does a fair amount of cooking/baking using the RV propane oven, our two 30-pound propane tanks last A LONG TIME! Though we can heat the RV with the onboard propane-fired furnace, we don’t. Instead, we use the electric fireplace and two portable electric heaters if we need to. Our electricity is provided by the 11,000 watt diesel generator that runs 24/7!!
In this pic: One of the MANY flatbet trailers that deliver 48′ drilling pipe. If we had to guess, we’d say that about 30+ of these deliveries are made.
CON~ Non-potable water: Typically, we are not drinking water snobs. However, the water that is provided for us comes from a variety of places and sits in two different 500-gallon tanks. It is absolutely fine for washing dishes and showering, but we don’t risk drinking it. So every week, when one of us goes into the church, we refill two of our three 5-gallon water jugs.
In this pic: We have no idea! Haha…Something necessary for the drilling system.
CON~ The generator: Of course, it is awesome that we have reliable 24/7 electricity hooked up to the RV. It comes with some drawbacks; It’s noisy. Though it is a “whisper quiet” generator, it whispers like a classroom of 30 fifth graders!! It also doesn’t provide “clean” power, meaning, everything in the RV runs on an electrical frequency of 60 hertz; both of the generators we have had are providing 110volt power at 58-63 hertz. Why does this matter? Well, the clock radio, coffee pot clock, and the microwave digital clock all require a clean and consistent 60 hertz. No more and no less. The time on these devices can be off as much as 40-50minutes in a 12-hour period!!
In this pic: These are the two wells that are being drilled. We took this pic before any of the rig equipment arrived. We were the first people on site.
CON~ Stinkbugs. These M’Fers are a pain in the ass. We had them in Michigan and at both locations here in Texas. As much of a pain in the ass that they are, we would prefer them over the Asian Beetles of Minnesota.
In this pic: A water truck. Drilling rigs use A LOT of water. We get about 6-12 of these per day.
Thanks for following along with us. Special thanks for getting to this last pic. We really appreciate your comments on our posts and pics!
Please leave a comment/thought on this pic.
So…Would we do this “work-camping” gig again?
Yes. Absolutely, YES. 100%. It has been an awesome experience. It is a great way to earn and save money. We would want to limit ourselves to 8-10 weeks, though, so that we don’t grow to dislike it. We have been at this gig for 77 days and have about another ten to go. Perfect for us.
What kind of oil site is this? Is it fracking or whatever the other kind is called?
This is not a fracking site. It is a regular “Beverly Hills” oil drilling site. They literally drill a hole into the ground and go down 5000-7000 feet, then turn and drill horizontally. They used to just drill vertically. Then they figured out how to “bend” straight steel pipes so they can go turn the drill and go horizontally. The turn actually takes a few thousand few to execute. Now they actually turn once or twice after the first horizontal turn and make a horizontal “U” turn. Doing this lets them collect more oil from the relatively same area without having to move the rig and do another vertical drilling. Fracking is another, totally different type of oil garnering system. These two holes will eventually be “fracked” to increase production yet again! Super interesting.