How important are drill rods?

Drill rods are a hugely important part of drilling equipment and taking care of your drill rods can have a major impact on your drilling performance. Some easy to perform maintenance tips can result in: Proper maintenance can also have a positive impact on penetration rates and core bit life.

What happens if a drill rod joint is wrong?

Incorrectly joining a drill rod joint can also cause binding which will lead to thread damage. A joint that has gone together incorrectly causes a galling effect, which then leads to extreme dificulty in unscrewing the rods, and can mean you may have to scrap the rods.

What happens if a drill is worn out?

Replace any worn out parts, following manufacturer’s recommended discard limits closely. Snake skin is a wear pattern of micro cracks that develop from drilling fatigue in non-abrasive rock. The cracks will eventually penetrate deeper and cause large chunks to break away, see F8, F9, F12, & F13.

How do I store my drill rods?

Simply taking time to unpack, move or store your drill rods, and respect the suggested break-in period, can reduce potential damage, and greatly extend the life of your rods.You should make sure to remove them from packaging carefully and to make sure they do not bang against each other when storing them.

What happens if you don't lubricate a drill bit?

This will reduce the water pressure and the water flow to the bit. This can have a bad effect on the bit causing premature wear and tear and shortening its life. Poor or no lubrication of the drill string can cause and more vibration and increased torque all which lead to increased wear and tear of the rods.

What happens if you don't clean your rods?

When the rods are used without proper cleaning, this dirt and dust will damage the threads. The problem becomes worse when you use a male end that is damaged and try to thread it onto an undamaged female end. The damaged thread will damage the good one and the problem multiplies.