We are about to trench a water line to the barn. Between Home Depot, Tractor Supply, Lowes, etc. there seems to be a lot of choices and differences in cost/quality. Which frost-proof hydrant do you like and where did you buy it?
Also is there something I can use that could be recessed into the barn wall between the studs?
TIA!
I bought mine at Home Depot 3 years ago and so far so good. I don’t have enough experience to recommend a particular brand, but I will say that the frost free part REQUIRES excellent drainage at the bottom of the hydrant. They have a small drainage hole at the bottom and come with a short drainline to attach. When you install the hydrant make sure you set this up so it won’t get clogged.
When I installed mine I attached the drainline, slid an extra piece of water line over it to prevent crushing or kinking, put that in a section of drain tile and then put that in a large gravel bed so the standpipe will drain quickly to below the frost line (and in my case the gravel bed also connects to my french drain which is convenient but not needed).
If the standpipe doesn’t drain the hydrant will freeze. Digging them up, especially in the winter, is a major pain and heat tape is a pain and potential fire risk.
Great info, thanks, @Christa P! The person who’s going to be helping me with this project suggested adding drainage. Thanks for describing how you went about installing yours!
I used Woodford hydrants because parts are available if needed, but they have been in place twenty some years without needing repair
My Merrill hydrant was trouble-free for 15 years, and was probably 10 years old before it was ever installed (my dad had bought it but never put it in, and I took it when I was ready for one). I have no idea where he originally bought it. Now, the drainage part still works fine, but I need to replace the inner workings because it just lets the water come through even with the handle off, so we are now turning the water to the hydrant on and off as needed from the cut-off in the basement of the house. The Merrill website makes it sound as if I can replace the inner parts without digging it up. We’ll see…
Another vote for Woodford, and if you can find it, I got installation advice a while back from Tom King.
Basically… big hole with a cinder block vertically underneath where it makes the 90 degree turn upright, fill with gravel, and a soda bottle + landscape cloth to keep dirt out of it. Because the cinder block is vertical, you can set a post right next to the upright for support and protection.
-Wendy
I have a Campbell and I HATE it. It was expensive and it’s a total piece of junk. Don’t buy one.
I have found them all to be pretty similar. What matters is them being installed correctly.
Hello @Bluey in Texas are you using the 6ft bury? For example: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Woodford-1-in-x-3-4-in-NPT-x-MPT-1-in-Galvanized-Steel-Pipe-x-6-ft-Bury-IOWA-Y34-Freezeless-Yard-Hydrant-Y34-6/204799168
No, we only have to go 36" here.
6’ would be closer to the North Pole, I think.
I used a 6’ bury model, but it is closer to 3 1/2 feet above ground instead of the 2 feet 3 1/2 inches they recommend. I prefer more clearance and this way it is still buried well below our frost line.
One that won’t let people out of the barn until they have disconnected the hose from the hydrant.
I put a quick disconnect on our hydrant. Making sure the piece on the hydrant is the flow free end. Some quick-disconnects hold the water. Then, we throw the 15 foot long hose over a tree limb. (water tub is within the hose reach) That makes sure the hose is drained for the next use. My hose anchor allows drainage too.
Another vote for Woodford. I think they are the best.
I have hydrants for every pasture right by the water troughs and all the hoses are A. short; just long enough to reach the troughs. And B. they do not have shut off valves on the end.
Reason for A. is that no one can walk away; you have to stand there and hold the hose until the trough is filled-- prevents forgetting to shut off the water and causing an overflow/flood. And B. is a winter time precaution. Should someone forget to dissconnect the hose at least it will self drain enough to prevent a frozen hydrant.
Where we may have hydrants and portable tanks for horses or cattle, we use a short hose and one of these as long as it is not freezing weather, protected from the horses, cattle don’t bother them:
https://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail…SABEgJFFPD_BwE
Those floats attach to the top of the tank and work very well.
Some we have had for decades and still work fine.
The old ones have an aluminum casing, the newer ones plastic.
I’m very happy with my Woodford as well.
All of my Woodford hydrant handles have ‘plunger resistance’ (for lack of a better description) – they are a bit hard to lift to turn on, and hard to push back down. I think this is because they are so well made; no parts that loosen or get wonky over time + no leaks.
But you really have to position yourself in a way that allows you to lift/push the handles in a straight fashion – not from the side. Lifting the handles from the side puts quite a bit of torque on them which could result in eventual wear and tear.
So, if you recess them sideways in a wall cavity you’ll have to lift from the side. If you install them with the handle facing out, that would be fine except for the fact that the spout will be against the back of cavity = difficulty in getting a hose on and off + the handle will be sticking out into the barn aisle or wherever. I personally wouldn’t put a hydrant in a standard 2x4 wall cavity – but maybe a very deep cavity with plenty of room around the hydrant head.
I personally wouldn’t put a hydrant in a standard 2x4 wall cavity – but maybe a very deep cavity with plenty of room around the hydrant head.
If this was done it would make the hydrant unrepairable as it is designed to remove everything upward by unscrewing the head. This was done to facilitate repair (if needed) without having to dig the complete hydrant up
Other than the nut by the top of the rod where it shows outside getting loose, generally the rubber bullet at the bottom of the plunger rod is what fails.
It can come unscrewed or it breaks down where it doesn’t stop water from coming into the pipe any more and it can freeze there, causing other to fail.
That bullet is easy to change if you can pull the rod up, all the many feet of it, so leave room above for that.
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