Three related checks that are often confused
At the end of a borewell project, or when a compressor is delivered and commissioned, everyone wants a simple “pass”. In practice three different questions are being asked: are the records verified, is the work accepted against agreed criteria, and are the claims made from it supported?
These are linked, but one does not automatically satisfy the others. A project can have a complete document set while a key operating question remains open. It can also have a technically useful result that depends on limited observations. The acceptance record should describe the real position rather than forcing everything into an unconditional pass.
Define acceptance before reviewing the outcome
Agree the criteria at the start: scope, required evidence, calculations, records and who is responsible for what. Distinguish between:
- Document completeness: are the required records present?
- Technical review: are the results correct and properly supported?
- Equipment commissioning: does the pump or compressor run correctly at site?
- Operational authorisation: may the installation be put into regular service, and at what duty?
A test report may be accepted as a record of work done while the proposed permanent pumping rate is still under review. A compressor may be accepted as commissioned while a site-ventilation issue is tracked as an open item.
Avoid writing criteria after seeing the result just to make the package pass. If the scope genuinely changes, record the change and its consequences. The acceptance record should show what was agreed, what was delivered and what remains conditional.
Verify the records
For each conclusion that matters, check:
- It has an identifiable origin, and that origin is the applicable revision.
- The asset identity is right: the correct well, pump or compressor serial.
- The measurement reference, period and configuration are stated.
- Corrections and excluded readings are documented with reasons.
- Units are consistent through the calculation.
A correct number attributed to the wrong well is not an acceptable result. Neither is a correct service report filed against the wrong compressor serial number.
Match the depth of review to the consequence of error. A routine descriptive statement and a limit controlling unattended pumping do not deserve the same effort. The second needs close attention to evidence, equipment interfaces and response logic. Record what the review covered, so later readers do not assume it covered more.
Verify worked examples separately from project results
Examples help explain a method, but they must be clearly labelled as illustrative. Check their arithmetic, units and assumptions, and keep them visibly separate from measured site data, so that a fictional example does not become a project claim when copied into a proposal or presentation.
For instance, 8 m³/h for 7.5 hours gives 60 m³. The arithmetic is verified if the units and multiplication are correct. The example says nothing about whether any real well can sustain 8 m³/h. That needs a test.
The same caution applies to compressor figures. A manufacturer’s rated free air delivery at a stated pressure is not the same as a field measurement at your site, altitude and ambient temperature. Quote each figure with its basis.
A simple way to keep examples and results apart is to give every illustrative figure a label in the text, keep example tables in a separate section, and never place an example in the same table as measured readings.
Commissioning checks for a borewell compressor
When a drilling compressor is delivered for sale or hire, a short commissioning check gives both sides a clear starting record:
- Machine identity: make, model, compressor and engine serial numbers, hour-meter reading.
- Fluid levels: engine oil, compressor oil, coolant, fuel.
- Visual checks: hoses, couplings, safety chains or whip checks, guards, tyres and towing gear where fitted.
- Start-up: warm-up behaviour, unloaded and loaded running.
- Working pressure reached and held at the expected setting.
- Discharge temperature settling within the normal band, typically about 75–95 °C for an oil-injected screw.
- Safety shutdowns present and functional as the manufacturer’s procedure allows.
- No abnormal noise, vibration, leaks or oil carry-over.
- Operator briefed and record signed by both parties.
Borewell compressors typically operate at 600–1,500 cfm and 200–400 psig (13.8–27.6 bar), with special units up to about 35 bar (507.6 psig). Confirm that the machine supplied matches the duty agreed for the depth and hammer size.
Acceptance of a used or refurbished compressor
Buying a used drilling compressor involves its own acceptance questions, because the machine’s history is only partly known. A sound approach separates what is verified from what is assumed:
- Confirm identity: compressor, engine and airend serials match the nameplate and paperwork.
- Read the hour meter and compare with any service history; a meter that has been replaced should be recorded as such.
- Inspect visible condition: coolers, hoses, mounts, chassis, leaks, wiring and controls.
- Run the machine loaded for long enough to reach stable temperature, and record working pressure, discharge temperature and engine readings.
- Note any abnormal noise, vibration, smoke, oil carry-over or slow loading.
- List the work done during refurbishment and the parts fitted.
- Record what was not checked, for example internal airend clearances if the airend was not opened.
The last step is the one most often skipped. Stating clearly what an inspection did not cover is part of an honest acceptance, and it lets the buyer decide whether further checks are worth arranging. A short load run at the yard is a useful check, but it does not reproduce several hours of full-pressure drilling in summer heat, so record it as what it is.
Recording a conditional acceptance
A qualified acceptance is useful when its conditions are clear and respected. Record:
- What is accepted, and for what purpose.
- Each condition or limitation, in plain words.
- Who is responsible for closing each open item, and how closure will be shown.
- What must not be done until the condition is cleared, for example operating above an interim rate.
Claim control: saying only what the evidence supports
Claim control is the discipline of matching every statement to its evidence. It matters in proposals, sales material, reports and conversations with clients. Practical rules:
- State measured results with their conditions: date, rate, duration, equipment.
- Label estimates and examples as such.
- Do not turn a single good result into a general promise.
- Do not claim certifications, guarantees or response times that have not been formally agreed.
- When a published statement turns out to be wrong, correct it openly and keep a record of the correction.
How Reddy Compressors helps
Reddy Compressors has served industry from Tarnaka, Secunderabad, since 2002. For borewell work we supply all types, all brands and all models of borewell compressors: new machines, used and refurbished units, rentals, service and spare parts, for ELGi, Atlas Copco, Ingersoll Rand, KAESER, Chicago Pneumatic, Doosan and others. We are an independent multi-brand specialist, not an authorised dealer. We have tie-ups with all major and reputed brands.
When we supply or hire a compressor we commission it at site, brief the operators and record the machine identity, hours and checks, so acceptance rests on clear evidence. Used and refurbished machines are inspected, test-run under load and the findings recorded before sale. Spare parts are identified from the make, model, serial and nameplate, and fit is confirmed before quoting. Our more than 20 service engineers and technicians cover Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, and we supply across India.
What to send us
- The duty you need: depth, bit and hammer size, pressure and flow if known.
- For an existing machine: make, model, serial and nameplate photo.
- Hour-meter reading and any service records.
- Site location and access.
- Sale, hire, service or spares, and any acceptance checks your client requires.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between verification and acceptance?
Verification checks that work was done and calculated correctly against defined requirements, such as correct readings, units and asset identity. Acceptance decides whether the result is suitable for its agreed purpose, such as putting a pump into service at a given rate. A result can be verified as correct and still be accepted only with conditions or limits attached.
What should I check when a hired compressor arrives at site?
Check that the make, model and serial match what was agreed, note the hour-meter reading, inspect hoses, couplings and guards, check fluid levels, then run it loaded to confirm working pressure and a normal discharge temperature. Confirm that safety shutdowns are fitted, that operators have been briefed, and sign a short commissioning record with the supplier.
How do I check a used borewell compressor before buying?
Check the nameplate and serial numbers, hours, service history and visible condition. Run it loaded to confirm pressure, temperature and absence of abnormal noise, leaks or oil carry-over, and check the engine’s condition. An inspection by an experienced engineer adds confidence. We record our inspection findings on used and refurbished machines we sell.
Can a borewell be accepted if the test was short?
It can be accepted with conditions, for example in service at an interim rate with water levels monitored, pending a longer test or a review after a season. The conditions, the responsible person and the evidence needed to close them should be written down. Avoid treating a short test as proof of long-term yield.
Is a manufacturer’s rated flow the same as site output?
No. Rated free air delivery is measured under standard test conditions. Site output is affected by altitude, ambient temperature, wear, filter condition and how the machine is set. Rated figures are the right basis for comparing machines, but measured site performance is what matters for your hole, and the two should be recorded separately.
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Technical content reviewed by D. Srinivas Reddy, Managing Partner and service engineer, Reddy Compressors. Last updated 17 October 2026. How our engineering content is reviewed.