Nice job explaining the process. There are about 100 different ways to install these things, this is the first time I’ve seen a concrete block in the bottom of the hole for the hydrant to sit on. Cool idea.
Not all galvanized is the same. Cheep Chinese galvanized fittings will corrode in an indoor plumbing application just from pipe condensation. The pipe on the Woodford Y34 he replaced was galvanized, it wasn’t corroded away. My grand parent’s have several on their farm that are 70+ years old that have never had an issue. They have been rebuilt a few times, which can be done from the top, but a proper galvanization process is key.
Well not bad... you should actually have the gravel below the weep hole so the water has a place to drain to... and it may help to place a 1/8" galvanized street elbow onto your threaded weep hole and pint it down so your weep hole has zero chance of getting clogged
Have you ever had any trouble mixing brass and galvanized metal. I tried that a few years ago hooking up a pressure tank, a year later the joints were built up with rust and corroded pipe. Still have rust in my lines under the house, comes up after sitting for a week or so off. I would be afraid of mixing metals again, and placing a slab on top I am afraid of doing even more work later when the next one leaks. Nice instructions!
Mary The big no/no is copper to galvanize pipe without using dielectric unions. The simple answer is copper is a better conductor and will degrade. This yard hydrant is all galvanize metal and the supply line is 3/4" PVC. The fittings connecting the hydrant to the PVC supply line are all galvanize so there are no different metals used and there is no chance of electrolysis taking place that would degrade the metal and cause future leaks. Most electric hot water installations use galvanize pipes and brass valves to cut off the water. Using a SS flexible supply lines (made for washing machine hook ups) to join the two would eliminate the electrolysis trouble of using different metal directly to each other. Without a concrete slab simply pulling of a garden too hard could break the PVC underground. The rust may have already been in your pipes if they are steel and not copper and the are old. It is hard for me to imagine one brass and galvanize mix at one point in your home would make all of the water pipes contain rust. Copper pipes do not rust on the inside or outside. Brass to galvanize can cause electrolysis in piping over time, but it would take longer than a few years to corrode pipes to the point they would leak from pinholes in the metal and it would not make the pipes rust on the inside. Bernard
The Woodford Y34 hydrant (considered by many to be the hydrant of choice) has a galvanized pipe fit into a brass valve body. The biggest problem with galvanized fittings corroding is cheep Chinese galvanized fittings. You want a good quality American hot dipped galvanization.
thanks for the help, but when I drop pipe with plunger into the bottom, I have to press down hard to be able to screw the handle assembly on, I wonder if its because it was taken apart with handle in the up or open position. when I got it back together it could barely pull it up. why would it pull up so hard.
+pat McCormick Glad you did it with the handle up. I forgot to tell you that you would have the handle in the up position when you do this. It was late and after my bedtime when I saw your comment. That way the plunger would be pulled to the highest position in the base of the unit and a little easier to pull out. The hole in the base is smaller than the plunger so it does have to be pushed into and pulled out of the base. You lower the rod into the pipe until it stops and then you can feel that you are pushing it into the lower unit. Push it down until it stops, which means the plunger is all the way down and is in the off (handle down) position. Then you screw the handle assembly on. With the handle UP OR DOWN and the rod not attached to the handle you should not have to push down to get it to screw on the pipe. On the top of the rod you should be able to see where the bolt that connects the rod to the handle assembly was originally and that is where you tighten up the bolt. The bolt makes a circular mark on the rod. It is on the side or back of the rod. The handle may be not aligned and binding but first I would take the rod lose from the handle and remove handle assembly. I would pull the rod out and check the plunger for damage. If no damage to plunger lower the rod and plunger into the pipe and push down on the rod to push the plunger into hole by hand to make sure it is seated at the bottom. It is now in the off handle down position. Screw handle assembly back on until tight. With the handle in the down or off position hook the rod to the handle assembly where it was originally attached. Your first comment said you could not pull the plunger out. What did you do different to get the unit out of the pipe. Just curious! Bernard
thanks for the comeback, come to find out the rod had unscrewed from the long pipe, the rod must have been turning with the handle assembly, I cleaned everything up put a new packing gasket in and its works great, don't know if it came off putting back together the last time or what happened, thanks to you I have got these things figured out now.
+pat McCormick I am glad that it works and you can now move on to something more enjoyable like having a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Glad I could help! Bernard
I have y34 woodford iowa yard hydrant, I bought a kit to rebuild it, I can not hardly pull it up, could it be hanging up down at the bottom. wondered what was your thoughts on this.
+pat McCormick First you need to loosen or remove the square nut bolt that hold the rod to the handle assembly. Then you need to unscrew the packing nut that the rod goes through in the lower half of the faucet head. Usually the hard part is to unscrew handle assembly from the pipe in the ground using two pipe wrenches, especially if the unit is old and exposed to the weather like most are. One wrench holds the pipe to keep it from turning and the other to unscrew the whole upper assembly from the pipe. IF THE PIPE IN THE GROUND TURNS YOU COULD BREAK IT OFF FROM THE WATER SUPPLY PIPE UNDER THE GROUND AND YOU WOULD HAVE TO DIG IT ALL UP AND REDO EVERYTHING. If it is hard to break loose you can use a length of pipe on the pipe wrenches for better leverage to take the head off. You need to keep the pipe stationary and just turn the upper assembly. Once you have removed the upper handle assembly the rod should just pull straight up. If you could move the rod up and down with the handle before you took the handle off it should pull straight up. Normally the rod will come out when you raise the handle assembly from the pipe in the ground. The rod goes down into the pipe to the required depth and it is just a rod with a plunger screwed on the bottom of the rod. Unscrew the plunger, screw the new one on and push down into the pipe until it hits bottom. Screw handle assembly onto the pipe using Teflon ribbon dope to keep it from leaking with just a couple of turns. Place packing nut over rod and tighten it with a couple of turns it into the head. Tighten the handle assembly on the pipe while keeping the pipe from moving. Attach rod to handle assembly and screw in square not bolt at the same mark it was positioned on the rod and tighten. Tighten packing nut on nut to keep it from leaking. Done! Bernard
Just because nobody uses it anymore doesn’t mean it isn’t out there. It’s a possibility you could come across cast iron supply lines. Also, not all yard hydrants are run off of well water...
anselb2000 Thanks! I try and explain how to do things like I am talking to someone who has never done what I am showing. It was nice to use the yard hydrant to water today. I had to replace the end of the hose where I had knocked it off. The birds loved the birdbath being full all the time now. Bernard
If you are replacing an existing hydrant, probably in the $200-$500 range. If you are adding a new hydrant and need water lines run, it could easily get into the thousands. Also, note that a plumber most likely will not do the little extras like the 6” PVC sleeve or gravel in the bottom of the shut off valve box.
Nice job explaining the process. There are about 100 different ways to install these things, this is the first time I’ve seen a concrete block in the bottom of the hole for the hydrant to sit on. Cool idea.
Enjoying your calm voice and knowledgeable presentation. Thanks.
I would use brass fittings. Galvanized fittings will not last long and you will be digging it out in a few years.
Not all galvanized is the same. Cheep Chinese galvanized fittings will corrode in an indoor plumbing application just from pipe condensation. The pipe on the Woodford Y34 he replaced was galvanized, it wasn’t corroded away. My grand parent’s have several on their farm that are 70+ years old that have never had an issue. They have been rebuilt a few times, which can be done from the top, but a proper galvanization process is key.
Thanks for taking the time to put this up. I learned a few things. Appreciate!
Fantastic! Thank you for sharing your great knowledge.
Great video. Thank you.
Well not bad... you should actually have the gravel below the weep hole so the water has a place to drain to... and it may help to place a 1/8" galvanized street elbow onto your threaded weep hole and pint it down so your weep hole has zero chance of getting clogged
thanx Bernard, I won't have to carry water. you and yours have a Merry Ccristmas.
I would love to have something like that here in Florida, but since I'm moving next year we will probably not get around to doing it. Good info.
Why waste a union? and why seal the bottom of your bucket on a block?
Thanks for the video and instructions. I've learned several things.
Have you ever had any trouble mixing brass and galvanized metal. I tried that a few years ago hooking up a pressure tank, a year later the joints were built up with rust and corroded pipe. Still have rust in my lines under the house, comes up after sitting for a week or so off. I would be afraid of mixing metals again, and placing a slab on top I am afraid of doing even more work later when the next one leaks. Nice instructions!
Mary The big no/no is copper to galvanize pipe without using dielectric unions. The simple answer is copper is a better conductor and will degrade. This yard hydrant is all galvanize metal and the supply line is 3/4" PVC. The fittings connecting the hydrant to the PVC supply line are all galvanize so there are no different metals used and there is no chance of electrolysis taking place that would degrade the metal and cause future leaks. Most electric hot water installations use galvanize pipes and brass valves to cut off the water. Using a SS flexible supply lines (made for washing machine hook ups) to join the two would eliminate the electrolysis trouble of using different metal directly to each other. Without a concrete slab simply pulling of a garden too hard could break the PVC underground. The rust may have already been in your pipes if they are steel and not copper and the are old. It is hard for me to imagine one brass and galvanize mix at one point in your home would make all of the water pipes contain rust. Copper pipes do not rust on the inside or outside. Brass to galvanize can cause electrolysis in piping over time, but it would take longer than a few years to corrode pipes to the point they would leak from pinholes in the metal and it would not make the pipes rust on the inside. Bernard
The Woodford Y34 hydrant (considered by many to be the hydrant of choice) has a galvanized pipe fit into a brass valve body. The biggest problem with galvanized fittings corroding is cheep Chinese galvanized fittings. You want a good quality American hot dipped galvanization.
Miss you Navakopa31.
thanks for the help, but when I drop pipe with plunger into the bottom, I have to press down hard to be able to screw the handle assembly on, I wonder if its because it was taken apart with handle in the up or open position. when I got it back together it could barely pull it up. why would it pull up so hard.
+pat McCormick Glad you did it with the handle up. I forgot to tell you that you would have the handle in the up position when you do this. It was late and after my bedtime when I saw your comment. That way the plunger would be pulled to the highest position in the base of the unit and a little easier to pull out. The hole in the base is smaller than the plunger so it does have to be pushed into and pulled out of the base. You lower the rod into the pipe until it stops and then you can feel that you are pushing it into the lower unit. Push it down until it stops, which means the plunger is all the way down and is in the off (handle down) position. Then you screw the handle assembly on. With the handle UP OR DOWN and the rod not attached to the handle you should not have to push down to get it to screw on the pipe. On the top of the rod you should be able to see where the bolt that connects the rod to the handle assembly was originally and that is where you tighten up the bolt. The bolt makes a circular mark on the rod. It is on the side or back of the rod. The handle may be not aligned and binding but first I would take the rod lose from the handle and remove handle assembly. I would pull the rod out and check the plunger for damage. If no damage to plunger lower the rod and plunger into the pipe and push down on the rod to push the plunger into hole by hand to make sure it is seated at the bottom. It is now in the off handle down position. Screw handle assembly back on until tight. With the handle in the down or off position hook the rod to the handle assembly where it was originally attached. Your first comment said you could not pull the plunger out. What did you do different to get the unit out of the pipe. Just curious! Bernard
thanks for the comeback, come to find out the rod had unscrewed from the long pipe, the rod must have been turning with the handle assembly, I cleaned everything up put a new packing gasket in and its works great, don't know if it came off putting back together the last time or what happened, thanks to you I have got these things figured out now.
+pat McCormick I am glad that it works and you can now move on to something more enjoyable like having a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Glad I could help! Bernard
I have y34 woodford iowa yard hydrant, I bought a kit to rebuild it, I can not hardly pull it up, could it be hanging up down at the bottom. wondered what was your thoughts on this.
+pat McCormick First you need to loosen or remove the square nut bolt that hold the rod to the handle assembly. Then you need to unscrew the packing nut that the rod goes through in the lower half of the faucet head. Usually the hard part is to unscrew handle assembly from the pipe in the ground using two pipe wrenches, especially if the unit is old and exposed to the weather like most are. One wrench holds the pipe to keep it from turning and the other to unscrew the whole upper assembly from the pipe. IF THE PIPE IN THE GROUND TURNS YOU COULD BREAK IT OFF FROM THE WATER SUPPLY PIPE UNDER THE GROUND AND YOU WOULD HAVE TO DIG IT ALL UP AND REDO EVERYTHING. If it is hard to break loose you can use a length of pipe on the pipe wrenches for better leverage to take the head off. You need to keep the pipe stationary and just turn the upper assembly. Once you have removed the upper handle assembly the rod should just pull straight up. If you could move the rod up and down with the handle before you took the handle off it should pull straight up. Normally the rod will come out when you raise the handle assembly from the pipe in the ground. The rod goes down into the pipe to the required depth and it is just a rod with a plunger screwed on the bottom of the rod. Unscrew the plunger, screw the new one on and push down into the pipe until it hits bottom. Screw handle assembly onto the pipe using Teflon ribbon dope to keep it from leaking with just a couple of turns. Place packing nut over rod and tighten it with a couple of turns it into the head. Tighten the handle assembly on the pipe while keeping the pipe from moving. Attach rod to handle assembly and screw in square not bolt at the same mark it was positioned on the rod and tighten. Tighten packing nut on nut to keep it from leaking. Done! Bernard
Cast Iron, nobody uses cast iron anymore, do they? If it's used with well water, it'll block up in just s few years.
Just because nobody uses it anymore doesn’t mean it isn’t out there. It’s a possibility you could come across cast iron supply lines.
Also, not all yard hydrants are run off of well water...
Good job!
anselb2000 Thanks! I try and explain how to do things like I am talking to someone who has never done what I am showing. It was nice to use the yard hydrant to water today. I had to replace the end of the hose where I had knocked it off. The birds loved the birdbath being full all the time now. Bernard
thank you!
Does anyone know how much a plumber roughly charge for a job like this?
If you are replacing an existing hydrant, probably in the $200-$500 range. If you are adding a new hydrant and need water lines run, it could easily get into the thousands. Also, note that a plumber most likely will not do the little extras like the 6” PVC sleeve or gravel in the bottom of the shut off valve box.
Don’t use galv fitting will rust
Christmas.