Efficiency Transforms Business Drilling Water Wells

Starting as an 18-year-old hand installing submersible pumps and servicing water wells for an oil field company, Rey Najera earned his master pump installer license at 21. He spent a decade in the trade before the long hours and constant hustle took their toll.

“My wife and I decided to go out on our own and start a residential/commercial water well business,” Najera said.

January 2020, the couple launched Aquaman Water Well Service with a 1991 Ford pump truck 5T doing service work.

Expanding Into Drilling Water Wells

The small family operation eventually expanded into drilling water wells after purchasing a used table rotary rig in 2023.

“We got holes done with it, but we were spending a lot of money on breakdowns and repairs,” Najera said.

Tired of constant repairs, they sold their old rig and began saving for a new one. When his wife asked what kind he wanted, Najera already knew the answer.

“In 2021, I saw a Dynamic Driller magazine at our vendor’s office and kept it, thinking to myself ‘one of these days we’ll get a DM250’,” Najera said.

To solidify their choice, Najera, his wife, and son drove from Midland, Texas, to the 2024 Geoprobe^® Open House.

“We saw the DM series rigs running and got the whole tour. On our drive back, my wife and I discussed how great a DM250 would be — it's small, compact, no CDL required,” Najera said. “Open House sealed the deal for me, and definitely for my wife. We liked how everything has a part number and stocked parts in-house. We liked everything Geoprobe^® had to offer.”

Speed and Efficiency

Since receiving the DM250, Najera has been most impressed by its speed.

“It cuts like butter through caliche and rocky formations. With our old rig it would take 3-4 hours to cut through 30 feet of rock. The DM250 takes 30 minutes,” Najera said.

This efficiency allows them to drill, case, and then return to install pumps in record time, completing 3-4 wells per day.

Simplified Air Rotary When Drilling Water Wells

Relying primarily on air rotary, the DM250’s fast-speed feature and on-board air compressor simplify well development.

“We can use the on-board air compressor to develop wells versus having to bring back a pump truck with bailer,” Najera said. “Now when you throw the pump in the hole, you know it’s going to be cleaned and developed.”

Rocky areas in West Odessa that other drillers avoid when drilling water wells are now manageable.

“It’s rocky and very little water,” Najera said. “We drilled a 220-foot well in 1.5 hours compared to all day with our other truck.”

Small Footprint, Strong Impression

Local customers value their lawns and prefer the compact DM250 over a traditional water well rig.

“Customers like how modern and compact it is compared to seeing beefy, old dinosaur rigs,” Najera said. “The DM250 advertises itself when customers realize it will leave minimal damage to property and landscaping, versus the old heavy table rotary rig.”

Transport between sites is easier too.

“I can go through a drive-thru for lunch if I want to, and I’m not worrying about where to park it,” Najera said. “Before we were scared to death driving our old 1969 Kenworth truck in town or on the interstate. It was a mission just to get from point A to B every day.”

Better Bottom Line

They can now arrive on site worry-free, get more done each day, and use less diesel.

“With our old rig, we’d spend $300-400 on diesel to drill a well using the auxiliary deck engine,” Najera said. “Now with the DM250 using PTO, we barely come off the full mark when drilling a 100-foot well."

The result: increased productivity and happy customers.

“Our profit and cash flow have improved,” Najera said. “With the DM250, we’re doing two to three jobs per day where before we did one job per day. Customers aren’t waiting as long, and we can take care of them quickly.”

Support You Can Count On

Beyond the rig itself, Najera values the Geoprobe^® team behind it.

“Donnie [Wood, water well product line manager] showed up to do 2-day startup training on the DM250, making sure we understood the controls and were comfortable running it. You don’t see that level of service elsewhere,” Najera said. “If you have questions and call Geoprobe^®, someone always answers the phone. We’ve had the rig three months and are very comfortable running the DM250, and we know Geoprobe^® is there to have our back."