Keeping a farm hydrant from freezing

[Kevinwterry]

Is this hydrant only used for the water tub? From what im reading, maybe just eliminate the hydrant and move the valve and piping underground with one one those plastic cover boxes for access.

 

[flying belgian]

Lets see/hear your ways of keeping a frost free farm hydrant from freezing
This style
View attachment 127622
I leave mine on year round to a small tank with a float for the livestock
Been wrapping everything in heat tape then insulation
After that I stack old tires around it an fill it with wood chips.
Wrap the tires with a heavy tarp to block the wind.
Need to redo it this fall an wondering if anyone has a simpler setup

What in the world is the purpose of having a hydraunt? Bring the water line up to the tank and put on a faucet.

 

[joeysmith]

What in the world is the purpose of having a hydraunt? Bring the water line up to the tank and put on a faucet.

Cause the hydrant has been there 50 years

 

[cjunrau]

Fair enough
This is southern kansas
It is rare for us to spend a full week below freezing
Will dip down at night but usually warms above freezing during the day
But we do occasionally get a week stretch with wind an never rise above freezing

This hydrant is outside unprotected
The tank is just a small 25 gallon tub with a electric tank heater in it well insulated with half the top covered

Float an short hose going to the tub
The hose an float are heat taped an insulated as well

The tires have worked well for years an ill probably just go back that way just was seeing if anyone else had a creative way of accomplishing the same thing

If you want something to use less hydro to heat it and want to do some work. The hydrant should be in a 24 inch plastic culvert. The culvert should be 8 ft long. 5.5 in the grounds and 2.5 ft above.
insulate what is out of the ground. have your water trough right against it and insulated as well. make sure the lid that covers the trough covers the culvert as well. If you have a good seal on the lid so the wind can't get in the ground heat that is coming up out of the culvert will keep it from ever freezing. If you do this you can throw away the hydrant and just have a normal tape mounted in the culvert. Basically making a frost free water trough. Works better than a lot of the ones you buy if you spray with foam so it is all sealed up. wind is the biggest killer of water tanks in the winter. I even found that in a building even if unheated the water fountains don't freeze with a 10 inch pipe coming out underneath

 

[john in la]

I didn’t realize they made heat tape that could be put under insulation.

 

[joeysmith]

I didn’t realize they made heat tape that could be put under insulation.

I use self regulating vs constant
It says to insulate it so that's what I've always done

 

[GeneMO]

Just put in a Ritchie electric waterer, save you money in the long run, and lots of aggravation.

 

[joeysmith]

If you want something to use less hydro to heat it and want to do some work. The hydrant should be in a 24 inch plastic culvert. The culvert should be 8 ft long. 5.5 in the grounds and 2.5 ft above.
insulate what is out of the ground. have your water trough right against it and insulated as well. make sure the lid that covers the trough covers the culvert as well. If you have a good seal on the lid so the wind can't get in the ground heat that is coming up out of the culvert will keep it from ever freezing. If you do this you can throw away the hydrant and just have a normal tape mounted in the culvert. Basically making a frost free water trough. Works better than a lot of the ones you buy if you spray with foam so it is all sealed up. wind is the biggest killer of water tanks in the winter. I even found that in a building even if unheated the water fountains don't freeze with a 10 inch pipe coming out underneath

One thing I noticed over the years with this setup is the small tank works better in preventing freezing up.
When I had 10ish cattle on it I only had to plug it in if we were going to remain below freezing for an extended period.
Just dipping below freezing at night it warmed itself enough from their use to prevent freezing
Now that its just a few goats I pretty much have to keep it plugged in all winter

I suppose thats one reason I should bite the bullet an start running some cows again
Cheaper electric bill

 

[cjunrau]

One thing I noticed over the years with this setup is the small tank works better in preventing freezing up.
When I had 10ish cattle on it I only had to plug it in if we were going to remain below freezing for an extended period.
Just dipping below freezing at night it warmed itself enough from their use to prevent freezing
Now that its just a few goats I pretty much have to keep it plugged in all winter

I suppose thats one reason I should bite the bullet an start running some cows again
Cheaper electric bill

goats don't drink much water. you could just fill the tank once a day or even every other day. My sheep drink only a couple times a day in the summer. In the winter if the fountain is 200 yards away they eat snow instead of drinking at the fountain.

 

[cjunrau]

I didn’t realize they made heat tape that could be put under insulation.

I like the heat tape that goes in the line. more money but out of sight and out of the way.

 

[joeysmith]

goats don't drink much water. you could just fill the tank once a day or even every other day. My sheep drink only a couple times a day in the summer. In the winter if the fountain is 200 yards away they eat snow instead of drinking at the fountain.

True an i may go that route this year.
Just fishing for ideas mostly

 

[Brian G. NY]

Fair enough
This is southern kansas
It is rare for us to spend a full week below freezing
Will dip down at night but usually warms above freezing during the day
But we do occasionally get a week stretch with wind an never rise above freezing

This hydrant is outside unprotected
The tank is just a small 25 gallon tub with a electric tank heater in it well insulated with half the top covered

Float an short hose going to the tub
The hose an float are heat taped an insulated as well

The tires have worked well for years an ill probably just go back that way just was seeing if anyone else had a creative way of accomplishing the same thing

The whole idea of having a "Frostproof Hydrant" is so you can turn it off and it won't freeze.
When installed correctly the actual shut off valve which is below frost level is connected to the shut off lever with a long rod.
When you shut off the valve, the water in the hydrant drains away leaving an empty pipe.
Same concept as a Frost Proof sill cock on the side of your house.
Maybe if you look it up on line you will find a complete description including a diagram.

 

[craigco]

I drilled a hole on the bottom of my stock tank installed a bulk head fitting. Dug under tank and tied into the water line with a valve. Installed hard pipe in the water up to a float valve. Set the float valve so it's under water with the float controlling the level. Heater in the tank valve doesn't freeze since it's under water. This is a 200 gallon tank I believe so I'm not moving it. Drain plug is still available to drain the tank when needed. Woodford does make a hydrant for winter rv hook up that has a electric heater built in if you had to replace the hyd.

 

[caterpillar guy]

We used to have hydrants under the water. the heat from the water kept the hydrant from freezing in winter and you could shut it off when not in use like a pen in summer. We had 2 that were outside.One was pretty sheltered though being it was just at the end of the parlor for milking and the west tide was the parlor and south had a wall past the front of the water. the other was outside in the open with the hydrant under it Then we used a short hose on the bottom with sand or gravel in the bottom of the ditch this let the water get away from the hydrant when shut off and kept the water from setting right by the hydrant to possibly not drain back. Hose was probably about 8-10 feet long. Water had to run out the hose and with gravel or sand back there it didn't seem to set by the hydrant or freeze during the winter and the one we used all winter for checking tire leaks when fixing them. So a lot of off and on stuff. Wash out a radiator once warmed up then run till dry and things like that. This is in MI a bit colder but not like in MN or ND and other colder northern places. We get to freezing a lot and may not thaw out for the winter at times but most of the time it is pretty similar to your area. I've been down there in winter. the Heat from the water did keep the hydrant from freezing in winter without extra heat cords and such. The hydrants were kept on all the time under the water without freezing.

 

[MarkB_MI]

It's fairly simple. If you have to leave the hydrant turned on in winter, you have to keep it warm. Heat tape is the simplest solution. Of courxe you need a power source that's 100 percent reliable, which I assume is why you resort to using ridiculous amounts of insulation. I don't think you'll find a better solution in your situation.

Back in the day I owned a NC beach cottage on pilings. I kept the plumbing wrapped in heat tape, but almost every winter I'd freeze a pipe. I finally resorted to letting a couple of faucets drip on very cold nights and that solved my problem. I guess you could punch a hole in your stock tank, but then your tank would be surrounded by a sheet of ice. How about digging a dry well next to the tank and letting the tank leak into it?

 

[joeysmith]

The whole idea of having a "Frostproof Hydrant" is so you can turn it off and it won't freeze.
When installed correctly the actual shut off valve which is below frost level is connected to the shut off lever with a long rod.
When you shut off the valve, the water in the hydrant drains away leaving an empty pipe.
Same concept as a Frost Proof sill cock on the side of your house.
Maybe if you look it up on line you will find a complete description including a diagram.

I fully understand how a frostproof hydrant works.
Have installed them an repaired them for years

 

[joeysmith]

How about digging a dry well next to the tank and letting the tank leak into it?

I suppose I could dig it deep an big enough it would
Could put a pump in it an just keep it circulating through the tank to i reckon

 

[Jeff tazecounty]

Lets see/hear your ways of keeping a frost free farm hydrant from freezing
This style
View attachment 127622
I leave mine on year round to a small tank with a float for the livestock
Been wrapping everything in heat tape then insulation
After that I stack old tires around it an fill it with wood chips.
Wrap the tires with a heavy tarp to block the wind.
Need to redo it this fall an wondering if anyone has a simp

 

[showcrop]

With the way I have been doing it it does not freeze
Was just curious if/how others accomplished the same thing
Surly I can't be the only one around that does something similar.


I don't really have an issue with my setup just having a conversation about different ideas is all
Thought I made that clear but sorry for any confusion

I did the same thing for many years. I just did it the easy way. I used a TEE They make them out of brass copper cast iron, steel, PVC, poly butelene, and even polyethylene. By simply in stalling a TEE, you can have year around supply to your waterer, and year around supply to your hydrant 40 feet or ten feet away. So SIMPLE!!!

 

[da.bees]

Rube Goldberg would be envious .