Need help finding special U-bolt or clamp???

[pharmvet]

I am installing some frost free faucets. I have a 2" water line and have a 90 degree elbow leading to the pipe on the hydrant. I want to drive a 1" cold roll rod down beside the faucet to keep it rigid and to minimize stress at the 90degree junction of PVC to metal. Because of the transition from 2" PVC to approx. 1-1/4" galvanized pipe (faucet body) The cold roll rod support will be about 1/2" away from the faucet body. Im looking for a nifty clamp of some sort to attach the support rod to the faucet. I want it to look clean and professional. I was looking through u-bolt rod clamps and found some that looked close but would not work exactly. Any suggestions? thanks

 

[bcp]

Do a Google image search for

safety handrail fittings

There may be some fittings or ideas you can use.

Bruce

 

[jinman]

The old way of doing that was to drive down a section of angle iron (paint it if you like) and attach the pipe using padded stainless steel hose clamps. If you are looking for something more dressy and finished, maybe something related to stainless steel muffler/exhaust system clamps would work.

 

[MillWeld]

I had a similar problem with a 3/4" Pex to hydrant connection. My connections were in a concrete box which was a lot of trouble and may not be an easy solution. The pic shows 2 pair of treated supports wedged inside the box with the pipes bolted to them. (There two lines - well water and rainwater from a cistern.) The pipes can't move left, right, up or down.

 

[pharmvet]

Here is a picture of my setup. As you can see, the transition from the 2" pipe to the faucet will prevent me from driving the rod in right down beside the upright faucet pipe. There will be a slight offset.


Im thinking something like this clamp. Whatever I use, It will have to allow for a small gap between the 1" support rod I have and the upright of the faucet. Also, it will have to allow for the difference in diameter of the support rod and the faucet pipe.
http://ts1.mm.bing.net/th?id=H.4967577332943240&pid=1.7

 

[Western]

Maybe you could heat and bend your cold roll to fit the transition profile?, then use a standard clamp

 

[BeezFun]

Texas is probably not as cold as here in Chicago, but I wouldn't insert a good heat conductor like steel from above ground down to your source of water. I use a treated 4x4 and clamp it directly to the side of the frost proof hydrant pipe, and run it above ground to just below the hydrant valve. You can use pipe clamps and screw into the 4x4. That way when a horse bangs into it, or plays tug with the hose, the 4x4 takes the mechanical load. The 4x4 also doesn't conduct near as much heat out of the ground and up to freezing conditions in the winter. Around here frost line is 42", so I use a 6' 4x4 and it sticks up just over 2' above ground. The other thing people do around here if they're going to pour concrete around the hydrant is put a piece of 3" PVC around it at ground level going down a few feet. Then they spray rigid expanding foam into the 3" PVC to rigidly support the hydrant pipe, which gives pretty good insulation and provides mechanical support without having anything ugly sticking above the concrete finish.

 

[MillWeld]

I would drive a ~3" pipe parallel to the water pipe as far a I could and sandwich treated wood between the pipes and clamp together with U-bolts. I think the 3 incher would flex less than a 1" solid bar.

 

[pharmvet]

After really looking over my setup, Im beginning to wonder if I should have tried to make a steel elbow and then transition from steel to PVC in a straight line. Most of the stress on this is definately going to be in the elbow. Your thoughts?

 

[MillWeld]

make a steel elbow and then transition from steel to PVC in a straight line.

Couldn't follow that.

BeezFun makes a very good point if freezing is an issue.

 

[SPIKER]

If you go to Menards they have offset pipe clamps, look in the Copper Section as they offset or drop hangers have a threaded end and a round clamp. two could be bolted together to get what you need.

I used treated 2x material like in one of the above posts to support mine. I also used a METAL T at the bottom and continued past my hydrant to the barn. that T can have extra hunk of pipe to a CAP that does nothing more than help support the pipe at the bottom...


Mark

 

[Carl_NH]

After really looking over my setup, Im beginning to wonder if I should have tried to make a steel elbow and then transition from steel to PVC in a straight line. Most of the stress on this is definately going to be in the elbow. Your thoughts?

On the same lines, put a PVC Tee then extend the pipe thru the other wall of the drum and cap it. Support the pipe underneath and clamped to 2x8 PT screwed in from outside the drum.

Then put some vertical pipe/rebar/stiffeners along the vertical pipe thru the PT to the bottom of the drum and fill up drum with some concrete to the PT.

 

[BeezFun]

You might consider adding a water hammer arrestor as long as the patient is open for surgery. If these faucets are on a long line and you use any kind of spring actuated shutoff device like a hose nozzle, you can get some loud banging in the house. Plastic fittings really don't like water hammer. When I put my barn water in I installed two arrestors in case one fails.

 

[quicksandfarmer]

I would install a 4x4 as if it were a fence post, and then attach the pipe to it as if it were a wall.

 

[Willl]

Loose the "cold roll rod" and go concrete.

 

[Paddy]

I agree with Willl. If you ever need to get to it, it won't take much to crack up the concrete. Most of the stress is tugging on the garden hose. I put one on my roof. It goes through a 4" slab but is just "pipe strapped" to the joist below. Very rigid.

 

[Xfaxman]

Here is a picture of my setup. As you can see, the transition from the 2" pipe to the faucet will prevent me from driving the rod in right down beside the upright faucet pipe. There will be a slight offset.

I can't tell from the picture, is the bottom out of the blue barrel? The water level looks higher in it.

Are you going to fill it and the bottom of the trench with rocks?

I have always driven a T Post down and clamped it with a stainless steel hose clamp to the valve at the top, which is offset the same from the pipe.

 

[Oliver1655]

Ideas mentioned I like:
- Use a "Tee" in place of the elbow to allow you to go though the other side of the barrel
- Use a "Tee" post or imbed a cross support at the top of the barrel to fasten hydrant to with hose clamp
- Bottom removed from barrel & clean rock up to the "tee" or elbow making sure the drain hole on the side of the brass fitting at the bottom the hydrant is kept open.
- If using concrete at the top, place 2 - 3" PVC pipe around it to keep concrete from making contact & use spray foam to lock hydrant in place. Do not wrap reinforcing material for the concrete around the hydrant.

 

[Xfaxman]

This is what I have on the Tee Post.


Bailing wire even works! :ashamed:


Looks like I need to brace the electric box.

 

[Notforhire]

These come in lots of different pipe sizes. If you back to back them you can attach two pipes at any angle. @ your local electricial supply store.