Need help with frost free hydrant issue

[Incantation]

I have a FF hydrant that froze over the winter. It was in need of repacking. We did get it thawed, and repacked, but were having trouble adjusting it so it would shut all the way off (frozen fingers), so ended up shutting the water supply to it off, and wrapping insulation around it for the remainder of the season.

I have got it adjusted and working again now, but after filling about 1 1/2 buckets of water from it, it begins to “glug” (like a coke bottle that is being poured too quickly). Any ideas what could be wrong? It seems like it is some type of vent problem but I am at a loss as to how to fix it.

[kdreger]

There is air in the system. Either you need to run it more to remove the air from when it was turned off or you have a problem between it and the pressure tank.
So run it for 3-5 minutes and see if the problem goes away if not then there is a break in the line to the hydrant.

There may be a problem with the vent where the hydrant drains when you turn it off. That would keep the hydrant from draining and cause it to freeze but is too small to allow enough air in to “glug”. You do not need or want the water system vented when under pressure. When under pressure a “vent” equals a water leak.

[Incantation]

Thank you! I will hook a hose to it and let it run and see if it helps.

[fourfillies]

Resurrecting this thread. I’m having the same issue BUT no freezing of the hydrant. Started to gulp a little intermittently over the winter. I naively thought it was just the hydrant (it’s a 20ish year old Campbell). Reached out to a handyman thinking I needed the hydrant “fixed” now I’m fearing there is air in the line? The water line is almost 250 feet from the house
Any thoughts or am I on the correct but expensive/disruptive right track the line is cracked somewhere between the house and hydrant?

[Simkie]

When I was concerned I had a leak in the line from the house to the barn, my well guy said it would be SUPER APPARENT. The well would be constantly kicking in because of the leak, and there would be an obvious wet sinking spot between the house and barn.

I ripped out my Campbell hydrants a couple years ago and would have lit them on fire if I could’ve. Nothing but trouble from them. My vote is the hydrant itself.

[fourfillies]

Thank you for the quick reply. I am panicking a bit. I had a leak at our first farm and we literally burned out our well pump within days of the turning the on water to that hydrant. Agree it seems odd the well pump isn’t running like crazy. Heck if a toilet runs a bit I hear the well pump running

[LCDR]

Similar situation for me last year. The hydrant shut off fine and there were no apparent leaks in the supply pipe and the well pressure tank held pressure.

When I dug down to the base of the hydrant (luckily only a foot since I live in the south) I found that the base of the hydrant pipe was cracked in a place that allowed shutoff but when the hydrant was turned on it sucked air from the area of the gravel pit up into the water flow. I needed to replace the entire hydrant, A rebuild kit would not have solved the problem.

[fourfillies]

Interesting. I’d much rather dig 4ft down than 4ft down for 250ft!