Weird frost proof yard hydrant problem.

chad22 · Oct 17, 2012

Okay so here's the deal. I have one of those cheap import China Junk Pro plumber yard hydrants that's been in the ground nearly 2 years now.

Well today while running the sprinkler to water some grass, I started noticing water bubbling up around the hydrant. So I was thinking oh no. Not a leak. So I shut the hydrant off and the water goes back down. :confused2:

Then after the water goes down and the ground dries up. I turn the hydrant back on. Water starts bubbling up again.

Anyone have this problem occur? It has to be with the hydrant itself right? I mean if it were the pipes leaking the water would continue to bubble up out of the ground.

The water only starts bubbling up with the yard hydrant turned on. The ground dries out when the hydrant is turned off.

I'm thinking the darn plunger isn't sealing off the drain hole likes it's supposed to when it's on.

I hadn't dug it up yet to find the definite problem as I was gonna just replace the 2 pro plumber hydrants with woodfords or simmons hydrants next spring.

Chad

tow653 · Oct 17, 2012

Pretty sure you can get a kit to repair o-rings and washers.

jimmyj · Oct 18, 2012

It only bubbles when you turn it on, so perhaps the pipe above the seal has got a rust hole through.

zzvyb6 · Oct 18, 2012

It may be as simple as the lock bolt has slipped which pulls up the seal/stop rod. It could also just be a pinhole in the casing. You should be able to unscrew the top casting and pull the plunger rod and seal up and out of the standpipe. There is a YouTube video showing how to do this for your El-Cheapo hydrant and for a Woodland Iowa. I just replaced a few parts on my Iowas (40+ years old) with kits (stopper, brass rod, rod seal and brass seal plug. No need to dig them up...

chad22 · Oct 20, 2012

Thanks guys. I tried getting the top of it off today. But it just wouldn't budge. I had my brother hold one pipe wrench with a cheater bar and I held another one with a cheater bar. I may try to wedge one pipe wrench up against my truck and see if I can get it apart that way.

If I still can't get the thing off I'll just wait until spring and just replace it with a better made in USA one.

I got to thinking. Maybe there's some sand or a small rock or something that's not allowing the rubber bulb to fully seal the drain hole when the faucets on?

Another weird thing. I remember about a year ago the thing was leaking out the drain hole when the faucet was turned off. Now it's doing the opposite. (Leaking out the hole when on) :confused2:

The last time I dug it up was by hand with a shovel. Only to find out all I had to do was adjust the handle up top.

Now that I got my excavator it won't be so bad digging it up. Just gotta get some gas money for the excavator.

I looked up the repair kit and it's around $20.00 before taxes. I don't think I'll throw any money at this cheap import of a hydrant.

I'll just put that $20.00 along with a bit more for a quality hydrant. If it were me, I wouldn't have bought these el cheapo hydrants.

A friend of ours bought them at lowes and put them in a few years ago when he rented out the land for his fifth wheel camper.

Chad

turnkey4099 · Oct 22, 2012

chad22 said:
Thanks guys. I tried getting the top of it off today. But it just wouldn't budge. I had my brother hold one pipe wrench with a cheater bar and I held another one with a cheater bar. I may try to wedge one pipe wrench up against my truck and see if I can get it apart that way.

<snip>

Chad

I had the same problem of getting them apart. I put in 7 when the new well was dug. I pumps fine silt occasionally. One by one 4 of them became impossible to turn on. Tried heat, penetrating oil etc. Nothing.

Finally dug up one and replaced it. From curiosity I took the inoperable one apart. It took a leg vice and 24" pipewrench to break it loose. 3 of the remaning ones are still in the ground. 1 is the most convenient for the driveway/front yeard. Unfortunatly it is right next to a tree that wasa sapling I planted 20 years ago. No way to did itup or even put in another one anywhere near that location. I stuck with a 'temporary' run of above groundPVC from another hydrant.

Harry K

boggen · Oct 22, 2012

going to assume a few things...

plastic hose ran below frost line for your area, from house or well. to the given spot.
a 90 degree fitting. on hose, and then directly to the outside garden hose faucet pipe.

the garden hose faucet pipe. is any were from 2 to 7 feet long. and extends a couple feet above ground. and a few feet down into the ground. were it connects to the 90.

====================
if your soil is "rocky" or small hard rocks to boulders or like in it. there is a good chance something has punched a hole in the pipe. if this is the case, you may need to provide some good clean fill dirt with no rocks in it. when ya re-put new faucet in.

i am out of my area. but some chemical make-ups of the dirt around a pipe. can cause certain metals, to corrode faster than another type of metal.

chad22 · Oct 24, 2012

Sorry I haven't updated this topic. I've been busy with my new web hosting company. Had to code the billing software into the newly purchased template.

The other template had some display problems including the bottom scroll bar. And I'm not the coding type. xd. I know just enough about coding websites to get by. Was about to hire it out. But finally got the darn thing working.

Anyway. I'm going off topic. :laughing: Now onto the hydrant.

The pictures I've attached are pics I took back in 2010 of how I reinstalled it back in 2010. The friend who put them in had installed them with a pvc street elbow and it got broke. So I replaced it with a galvanized elbow as well as piece of 1ft long galvanized pipe.

Then I connected it to the pvc. I didn't really want to use the female pvc connector to the galvanized. But I had picked up the female connector instead of the male connector. The store was 30 miles away so wasn't gonna run back in just for the fitting and connected it all up. So far it hasn't split like I was thinking it would.

And although the pics don't show it. I did fill it up with Gravel before covering it back up. Also that hole was dug out by hand. I ain't doing that again. I'm using the excavator next time.

Anyway I confirmed it was coming out the drain hole when on. I adjusted it and it was leaking when off. Then I adjusted it again then it reversed and started coming out when the hydrant was on. lol

Anyway I'm just gonna replace it this summer. But thought I would go ahead and throw some pics in that I took back in 2010. I know we all love pics on TBN. xd

Chad

chad22 · Oct 27, 2012

The reviews on lowes for this hydrant are mentioning the same leaking problem out the drain hole. Knowing that many others are having the same problem makes me definitely want to replace it with a better quality one.

Definitly not throwing any money at it. This ones going in the junk pile. Getting a USA Made one instead.

Shop ProPlumber 2' Yard Hydrant at Lowes.com

Purchased 4 for a back yard project 2 out of 4 leaked from the below ground drain hole almost immediately. Followed the adjustment procedure but the leaks would not stop. Factory rep said max water pressure the product can take is 80 psi. which is what our pressure is most of the time. It might work better on a low pressure system. He advised the installation of a pressure reducer and maybe that would stop the leaking. I chose to return the products and buy a different more expensive brand. Disappointing that Lowe's continues to sell this product when it's track record is so poor.

Purchased a few years ago installed it where it is used very little, it leaks at the valve and I could not repair it so I had to replace it.

we bought this hydrant less than a year ago and it worked fine at first but it started leaking at the drain hole and even putting a new plunger in it did'nt help.so save your money and go with a better one.

Save your money and engery and buy the more expensive unit. This is a cheap import copy of a USA designed product. Lasted less than a year and started leaking into the ground. Could not be adjusted to work right after digging it up. I have a dozen of these on the farm and won't try the import again. 1/2 the price 1/10 the value. Buyers beware.

I have replaced this hydrant three times. It allows water to flow all the time either out the drain hole, or out the top of the hydrant. If you like wasting water this is the hydrant for you.

I'm another one here who wouldn't recommend this hydrant. Folks if your thinking about saving some money buying this el cheapo hydrant. Then Don't. Get a better USA Made one.

Chad

KWentling · Oct 28, 2012

Replace with a Woodford and use brass fittings underground. Every galvanized fitting I ever buried eventually failed. That may be a "here" thing, but for the trouble they can cause, it isn't worth taking a chance.

Kim