Leaking water hydrant

[super99]

My hydrant leaks from time to time and needs repaired. I know there are repair parts available but have never taken one apart,what is involved?? I tried to post a picture but my phone says the file is too large, never had that happen before.

 

[wore out]

My hydrant leaks from time to time and needs repaired. I know there are repair parts available but have never taken one apart,what is involved?? I tried to post a picture but my phone says the file is too large, never had that happen before.

Shut off the water supply and unscrew the cast iron upper part off of the hydrant, then withdraw the mechanism/rod "upward", I'll GUESS it's not going to be 10+ feet long like they need to be here!

You'll need to figure out the mfg. to find the correct parts.

 

[m16ty]

I’m assuming you are talking about a frost proof hydrant. If so, the top part screws off of the pipe and most of your seals are down at the other end of the long pipe on a stem. If it’s just leaking out the top when the water is on, you can usually change that seal with just disassembling the handle.

If you screw the whole top off, just be sure to put a wrench on the pipe to keep it from turning and causing you problems down at the bottom. If you mess it up down there you’ll have to dig it up.

 

[Scott(Ks.)]

Sometimes it's just that your plug on the end of the rod is just not seating tight enough. you can adjust the rod at the top. If that doesn't stop the leak it's generally pretty easy to change the plug on the end of the rod.

 

[caterpillar guy]

Scott has it.Might be just the adjustment on the rod. I've never had to change parts in one in 50 years. Had to chang out one that was leaking and froze. Split the pipe down the side.

 

[da.bees]

My 2 cents is to start early with all the above advice so there's still enough daylight left to get a plumber out after you've got the hydrant in pieces and realize you still don't know how to fix it or put back together for the night.

 

[used red MN]

Also if you didn’t realize this if it has been leaking out of the spigot you have also been leaking water below ground out of the drain back valve saturating the earth around the gravel “drain back” bed. When you open the hydrant lever the drain back port is closed so the water flowing past the on-off valve to flow out of the hydrant is not feeding a stream of water out of the drain back port. When you close the hydrant lever the drain back port is opened to allow drain back to keep the hydrant stand pipe water free so it will not freeze. But if the supply stop valve does not seal water leaks past it and out of the drain back port. If the leak rate is high enough more water than the drain back port can flow fills the stand pipe and starts flowing/dripping from the spigot.
Freeze proof hydrant video

 

[Mcrafty1]

So.....it turns out after reading down through this thread "freeze proof' is not synonymous with 'idiot proof' some of us (me) will never be too old to learn.

 

[Bob Bancroft]

So.....it turns out after reading down through this thread "freeze proof' is not synonymous with 'idiot proof' some of us (me) will never be too old to learn.

Ha, idiot proof?
When I bought this place the old fellow had a hole started just outside the milkhouse where he intended to install a new hydrant he bought. I got the bright idea to install it inside. I was able to incorporate the milkhouse drain with the bottom of the hydrant so drain back was no issue. It was handy having running water inside as the old milkhouse was auxiliary to my shop. Over time I adjusted it, but eventually ordered a couple of new seals for the bottom end. Then I went to disassemble it. Couldn't withdraw the rod as it hit the ceiling! As I recall, I finally bent the rod to get it out. Then I went to the work of straightening it, cut it in two, threaded the ends, and got a deep nut to couple them back together. It wasn't too much later the old underground system sprung a leak, and all of the underground water line was abandoned. It was a complicated system and parts of it had already been repaired and/or abandoned. The pump is still functional in the pit in the old barn foundation. Now my access is with a hose.

 

[MarkB_MI]

You will need two BIG wrenches and probably some pipe extensions to get the head off. The head will probably take a Crescent wrench and you'll use a pipe wrench to keep the pipe from turning. A 24 inch pipe wrench and an 18 inch Crescent, plus two four foot extensions should do the job. Try to get a helper.

Good hardware stores in rural areas typically carry the repair kits for major brands such as Woodford and Merrill. I think Menards does as well. Or you can buy them on line. Note that different models within a manufacturer's line may require different kits. I know that's the case with Merrill.

 

[Fred Werring]

Never had much luck getting the head unscrewed off those hydrants. But I was also working solo, may have gotten it done with help.
Last one I installed I unscrewed the head, cleaned off the pipe dope(glue) off the threads and used teflon tape.
Hopefully that'll make it easier to unscrew when I need to remove the head.

Also installed a few of the Baker Monitor hydrants, they use 3 orings at the bottom of the stem as seals, really easy to R&R.
I replace the orings yearly, they're cheap and it's easy to do.

 

[Fixingfarmer]

Ha, idiot proof?
When I bought this place the old fellow had a hole started just outside the milkhouse where he intended to install a new hydrant he bought. I got the bright idea to install it inside. I was able to incorporate the milkhouse drain with the bottom of the hydrant so drain back was no issue. It was handy having running water inside as the old milkhouse was auxiliary to my shop. Over time I adjusted it, but eventually ordered a couple of new seals for the bottom end. Then I went to disassemble it. Couldn't withdraw the rod as it hit the ceiling! As I recall, I finally bent the rod to get it out. Then I went to the work of straightening it, cut it in two, threaded the ends, and got a deep nut to couple them back together. It wasn't too much later the old underground system sprung a leak, and all of the underground water line was abandoned. It was a complicated system and parts of it had already been repaired and/or abandoned. The pump is still functional in the pit in the old barn foundation. Now my access is with a hose.

I’m glad I’m not the only one who has had to bend one although mine are from running into them bent over the whole thing pipe and all. Once hit one with an 8 row planter straightened it out it would function but I broke the handle luckily I had one to rob a handle off.

Mom bent one over running clean over it with the lawn mower. one of the good woodford Iowa ones all the way down to the ground. Dad Was nervous about straightening it winter was coming and they didn’t want to mess with it in case it started to leak which it wasn’t. Just a few days ago I used the golden buddy tire tool like a conduit bender and straightened it out while the dirt around it was soft from a rain. Thing isn’t leaking so far. Time will tell. At the moment both of them function as usual. They are tough simple things. Expensive but anything that fits those descriptions anymore is.

 

[Ellis Kinney]

Once the water is off at the supply, OPEN THE HYDRANT, IF YOU TRY TO UNSCREW IT SHUT YOU WILL TEAR UP THE GASKET AT THE BOTTOM. Leave the hydrant open to re install. Ellis

 

[Brownie450]

Hi, Chris. What brand is the hydrant?
I had to put in a new one last year & went to the well
drillers. Sticker shock----$200 for an Iowa/ Woodford.
Last one I bought was a Merrill for $80, so prices have
gone up. The nephews got a Farm & Fleet hydrant a
couple years ago & it didn't last 2 years.
Jim

 

[Geo-TH,In]

My hydrant leaks from time to time and needs repaired. I know there are repair parts available but have never taken one apart,what is involved?? I tried to post a picture but my phone says the file is too large, never had that happen before.

I dug up my hydrant and replaced it because it leaked in the winter and the riser pipe froze and broke.
I bought the Woodford hydrant from my well man. I don't know what I would do without my little big man, the terramite.

He claimed it was the best.

 

[m16ty]

My 2 cents is to start early with all the above advice so there's still enough daylight left to get a plumber out after you've got the hydrant in pieces and realize you still don't know how to fix it or put back together for the night.

Also if you didn’t realize this if it has been leaking out of the spigot you have also been leaking water below ground out of the drain back valve saturating the earth around the gravel “drain back” bed. When you open the hydrant lever the drain back port is closed so the water flowing past the on-off valve to flow out of the hydrant is not feeding a stream of water out of the drain back port. When you close the hydrant lever the drain back port is opened to allow drain back to keep the hydrant stand pipe water free so it will not freeze. But if the supply stop valve does not seal water leaks past it and out of the drain back port. If the leak rate is high enough more water than the drain back port can flow fills the stand pipe and starts flowing/dripping from the spigot.
Freeze proof hydrant video

That's why I go ahead and pull the stem and replace the seals in the bottom whenever it starts leaking around the stem at the top. You can have a pretty major water leak down in the bottom and not even know it.