Driltech Downtime to Drill Time

For the last four years, Ernest Retzer has been the owner of a small water well company, Hickory Well Drilling. Based in the town of Hildebran, North Carolina, the company has been servicing the Hickory, North Carolina, area since the 1940s.

“We’re a small team of about five to six people, and we do well pump services, water filtration, and well drilling,” Retzer, owner, said.

In late 2024, Hickory Well Drilling paid a visit to the recently-opened Geoprobe^® North Carolina Service Center (NCSC). Conveniently located just a mile away from their home office, the team quickly found the NCSC helpful in doing some basic repairs and maintenance on their pump trucks.

Getting a Used Driltech Rig Field-Ready

In March 2025, Retzer dropped by with a special project he needed help with: a used 2003 Sterling T25K Driltech rig.

“We bought the used rig, took it out, and tried to get a couple of wells in. But we had to get some work done to make it usable,” Retzer said. “So, we made a list of the things we needed done and took it to the NCSC.”

Working with Retzer, the NCSC came up with a list of service items that would repair the Driltech rig and keep it running in the field. Repairs were scheduled over the course of three different services:

• Stage 1 – Fluid and filters
• Stage 2 – Mechanical filters
• Stage 3 – Manifold and lighting system

There were a few unexpected fixes that needed to be made — such as changing the exhaust manifold and replacing the helper handles. But through it all, Retzer was thankful that the NCSC was keeping things moving.

Professional Service from Start to Finish

“They were quick to respond when I had an issue, professional in communicating what the solutions were, and they did what they said they were going to do, at the price they were going to do it at, and in the time they were going to do it," Retzer said. "That’s everything that you want with service.”

The Driltech rig is now operational, and he sees himself taking more projects to the NCSC in the future.

“I just bought this rig, and it’s a pretty critical time when you buy a machine to get it rolling quick," Retzer said. "Every day that I’m not out in the field drilling, we’re losing money. It needed to work, and I’m happy that Geoprobe^® was right in the backyard and able to get it running.