Underground Construction - September 2018 - 37

we're purchasing by around 40
percent," he said. "On a 1,000foot, 18-inch fusible PVC in
rock job, we would generally use
10 pallets of bentonite. Now,
we only use five to six.
"Using a reclaimer is also
helping us optimize production," he added. "The drill operator isn't waiting for a vac
unit to return from a dumpsite,
which can sometimes take a
couple of hours in this part of
the state. No waiting means the
operator can increase his reaming time."

Changing environment
for HDD
The limited number of HDD
fluid dumpsites in Southern
Florida and high disposal fees
are not the only reasons Krantz
added the reclaimer to his fleet.

While bidding on a municipality
project, there was a clause mandating the use of a drilling fluid
recycling system.
It was a first for Krantz, but
he also doesn't expect that it
will be the last time he'll see a
bid like that. "Even though we
primarily use only bentonite,
runoff is a huge concern in the
area," he explained.
On this same bid, there was
also a clause about using a
locator equipped with GPS to
provide more- accurate data for
future underground projects.
Krantz believes project parameters like these will become more
of the norm in the future.
Since getting involved in the
HDD market in the late 1990s,
he's served as an operator,
ran an HDD business with his
father and worked at an under-

ground equipment dealership
before starting K3 Directional
Drilling. During that time, he's
seen machinery evolve and the
introduction of several new
regulations that have impacted
HDD contractors.
"There are a lot of job-related tasks that contractors must
be able to do today that they
didn't have to worry about two
decades ago," Krantz added.
"HDD contractors have to be
able to plan and design a bore,
navigate underground spaces,
provide as-built GPS documentation, as well as have a fluid
management plan to help control costs. It's a lot to stay on
top of."
Krantz believes one of the
reasons for K3 Directional
Drilling's success is that the
company embraces new tech-

nology and is willing to learn.
"We've been able to out-pace
HDD companies that have
been in business longer than us
because we don't see changes
and adversities as obstacles.
Instead, we see those things as
opportunities. That mindset is a
big reason why we've managed
to grow the way we have."
Forward-thinking and a commitment to incorporating the
latest advancements into their
operations is working for K3
Directional Drilling. The company has almost a nine-month
backlog of large-diameter work.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
K3 Directional Drilling,
(772) 600-7118, k3directional.com
Vermeer Corp.,
(888) 837-6337, vermeer.com

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Underground Construction - September 2018

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