That’s all it took to bring a coiled tubing operation to a full stop.

During rig-up, ring gaskets were missed while making up the pressure control stack. At first, everything seemed fine. But as soon as we pressured up, we noticed fluid leaking back through the connections. No pressure integrity.

The issue? Without ring gaskets—especially in high-pressure flanged connections—you lose the metal-to-metal seal that keeps the well contained. It’s a small component, but it plays a critical role in ensuring safe and efficient operations.

This wasn’t just about a delay. It was about safety, well control, and protecting equipment and people. We had to kill the pressure, break out the connections, clean up, and start over.

Lesson learned: No step is “too small” to skip. The oilfield doesn’t forgive shortcuts.