How to Fix a Leaking Hydrant

[@grandmashousebandb]

Wow! Everybody in the family and every contractor we have around keeps telling me I'm going to have to replace that well replace that well I keep telling them it's leaking at the top at the hydrant it's not down in the ground. And they just look at me cuz I'm a 70 year old woman that grew up on a farm! I can hardly wait to make this repair now and shut them up! Thank you your video is great!

[@Fucklifedeadshit]

Get it girl

[@hoosierdaddy9210]

DirtFarmer Jay, you just saved me hours of backbreaking labor. I was ready to excavate this hydrant and replace it. It took me four hours when I was 15 years younger... so at 71 yrs old, this was going to be a nightmare. My hydrant was a little easier with a set screw instead of the 9/16 nuts, but with my superior mechanical aptitude, I figured it out. Many, many thanks, Jay.

[@EvoS76]

Thank you! We just bought a smaller farm on 6 acre. There are frost frees all over the place but they’ve been neglected over the years. 3 of them were leaking but praise God none froze solid and broke over our long northern Idaho winter. Now that the snow is gone I was going to replace the faucets/hydrants but decided to check on KZbin for a fix. I believe you saved me over $300 plus all the time digging them up. Thank you.

[@DirtFarmerJay]

I'm glad to hear this was helpful to you. The manufacturers of these types of faucets thought ahead and made it so you could do most of the servicing from the top without having to dig them up. We have another episode we'll be publishing another episode on servicing the Woodford hydrant. Watch for it! Thanks for writing. Best, DFJ

[@louislandi938]

DF Jay, The average person thinks all a farmer does is plow a field, plant seed, water, sit back for months and finally harvest. You are knowledgeable in sooo many trades out of necessity.

[@DirtFarmerJay]

Louis, thanks for your kind comments, as well as being a part of our viewer family! We appreciate you taking time to write. Best Regards, DFJ

[@roncbailey]

Thank you DF Jay! just saved our day right before a snow. Thanks!!!

[@DirtFarmerJay]

Glad to be of help, Ron. Thanks for writing. Best, DFJ

[@smilinsam65]

Wow just watched your video and I was able to fix my mother in law’s leaking hydrant. Went smoothly and ever your wrench sizes were correct. Thanks for the help.

[@DirtFarmerJay]

Glad I could help! Best, DFJ

[@denisegaylord382]

Thank you for such a simple explanation on how to adjust the valve so it completely closes. I appreciate it. Now to go turn off the water... Wish me 🍀!

[@DirtFarmerJay]

You are welcome! How did it turn out? Best, DFJ

[@denisegaylord382]

@@DirtFarmerJay you're the best! It took me literally like 5 minutes to fix a problem that had been plaguing me for almost a year! ☺️😃👍 The water now shuts off with zero leaks. THANK YOU!💦🎉🍻 Hopefully next months electric bill won't be nearly 300 dollars! 😣🤕 ( I had to fix the tub faucet too. It was leaking hot water... )

[@craigholbrook7420]

Watched your video very helpful. When to my frost free and got it fixed. Thanks

[@Meekmanvideo]

Finally found video on the same faucet I have. I was wondering how to get to those nuts. Thank you.

[@DirtFarmerJay]

Very welcome!

[@thefiddler3409]

Outstanding video, my friend - worked like a charm! I was dreading having to dig my hydrant out and replace it.

[@TNtoolman]

I have 3 of those... now I'm ready if they start leaking... thanks Jay!

[@DirtFarmerJay]

Glad to be of help, Tim! Good to hear from you. Best, DFJ

[@peteheisinger4603]

Right video for me. Right time. Thx.

[@DirtFarmerJay]

Glad to hear it!

[@mikerequa820]

Great video very helpful Great explanation. Believe I can do this now have one leaking just like that. Thanks for sharing be safe have fun

[@slimwantedman6694]

Good morning from Southeast South Dakota

[@DirtFarmerJay]

Hello there, Slim WantedMan! Best Regards, DFJ

[@TimeIsNow902]

For 4 years I have been fighting a leaking yard faucet just to stumble over your video. Plumbers told me you have to dig it up and replace it. Dreading and spent 2 whole winters going in the basement to shut off the water to prevent frost.

[@DirtFarmerJay]

Let me know how it turns out. I've repaired two yard hydrants around here and have been able to do all the work at ground level without wielding a shovel. It's likely you'll have the same experience. Best, DFJ

[@TimeIsNow902]

No more leaking

[@arizflash]

Jay - Thanks for the tip. Save me a lot of work and time. I have a Merrill frost free hydrant and another different brand.

[@DirtFarmerJay]

Glad to help!

[@AlanFriend-j8q]

@@DirtFarmerJay The handle bolt was rusted to the handle. Tried penetrating oil, propane torch and a drift punch to push the bolt out. When that didn't work i used a hacksaw to cut the bolt next to the operating arms and then punched the bolt out from the handle. Adjusted the top nut up a couple threads and tightened the bottom nut. I greased all surfaces with marine grease. Work great now. Thank you again.

[@MerrillMfgCo]

Couldn't have said it better!

[@DirtFarmerJay]

Great to hear from you guys! I use our Merrill faucet daily. It's installed right beside our chicken coop and makes taking care of the chickens, throughout the year, much easier. I enjoyed visiting your Facebook and KZbin pages. Thanks for watching and writing! Best, DFJ

[@MerrillMfgCo]

It was really great to see a perfect explanation on how to fix such a tried and tested hydrant! We will definitely be using those Facebook and KZbin pages to refer people to this video if they need an in depth breakdown of this repair.

[@barrybarber4924]

Thanks....I have the exact model myself...and it is leaking...now I know what to do!

[@DirtFarmerJay]

Glad I could help - let me know how the repair turns out for you. Best, DFJ

[@lawrenceklein3524]

Thanks for the great video!👍

[@DirtFarmerJay]

Glad you liked it!

[@bonitacallipare5338]

Nice! Thank you!!!

[@DirtFarmerJay]

You bet!

[@juliekraft4102]

Thanks for the lesson!👍

[@DirtFarmerJay]

Glad to be of help, Julie. Best, DFJ

[@abdikarimtiifow4405]

Good plumbing work done ✔

[@DirtFarmerJay]

Thanks 👍 - Best, DFJ

[@KpxUrz5745]

Thanks. Helpful video.

[@waynejackson3707]

Thanks.

[@matthall6974]

Thanks!

[@SnyderCreekRanch]

Thank you for this video! Several of our spigots leak underground at the base(where I believe a pressure screw is), do you have a fix for that?

[@claytonwesley]

I have a Woodford Iowa variable flow water hydrant on a stand pipe. When I turn the water on, there is high pressure and then within about three seconds the pressure goes to a very low amount. I’ve tried to make adjustments and even cleaned out the head, but I’m wondering if there may be an area damaged along the standpipe allowing water to exit after turning it on. Or possibly the drain at the plunger is not being blocked by the plunger with the water on. If I remove the entire plunger and head assembly and have the water on from the house, the water barely spills over the standpipe. In fact, I can put my hand on top of the standpipe hole and stop the water flow completely. Any suggestions? I’m wondering if possibly my plunger is worn out and that needs to be replaced.

[@mikepotts52]

Ive got a red one thats leaking only when presurized to an attached water hose, but not leaking from the spigot mouth. mines pressure leak appears to comes from the top of that adjuster nut area, as if it bubbles up past a rubber ring seal or something. But yeah, leak is from that assembly area rather than the mouth spout. Never had one apart before. Hopefully I can tinker around up top and fix it simple enough.

[@DirtFarmerJay]

mikepotts52, I'm sorry for the prolonged reply! For some reason, this didn't show up in the feed, but your comment was right there when I visited this video to review it again. I don't know if you've tackled this already or not, but the red unit you describe is likely the Woodford Y34. Your faucet probably needs the packing nut replaced. Woodford has a video on that located at: kzbin.info/www/bejne/pIeocpR6ma-LbdU Here's a troubleshooting list for this hydrant: www.woodfordmfg.com/woodford/Yard_Hydrant_Pages/Model-y34.html Also, here is a link to a pdf that shows the parts and kits that you can get for this faucet. www.woodfordmfg.com/woodford/Yard_Hydrant_Pages/Model-y34.html Let me know how this turns out! Best, DFJ

[@phillhuddleston9445]

@@DirtFarmerJay If there is a nut on top you might be able to tighten it a bit to squeeze the packing a bit more stopping the leak.

[@EdKutsko]

What do you do if the hydrant leaks from the piece you adjusted only when the hydrant is on?

[@brandonnugent1887]

@edkutsko - I have this exact same problem. Did you figure it out?

[@auggie911]

Thanks

[@truptuck88]

Somehow I’m thinking there’s a washer at the bottom of the rod? Can’t you pull it up and replace it?

[@kenibnanak5554]

Looks like my leak is down in the bottom around the drain hole. The area around the faucet is a muddy swamp. I will try this method.

[@DirtFarmerJay]

It sounds like your faucet did not have sufficient gravel or high-drainage material placed around the lower end of the unit. If the water can't drain away every time the faucet is cycled, the water has no place to go. This shows up on faucets that are turned on and off a lot. Let me know how this goes for you. Best, DFJ

[@kenibnanak5554]

@@DirtFarmerJay It gave no problem for 30 years, and no it is not frequently used. There was a recent lightning strike nearby and I am suspecting a connection of some kind. Of course it could also be a valve plunger gone bad. My fear of course is a hole in the pipe that feeds the faucet.

[@kenibnanak5554]

@@DirtFarmerJay Actually, a little digging and having a friend stand by and watch the drain hole while I went inside the house and turned power to the pump back on showed the problem. I had first thought the plunger had cracked or worn, but nope. The Y34 was working perfectly. No leaks. Instead water came out of the side of the hole I had dug. Further digging disclosed the pipe to the house had broken (fixed now) within 2 feet of the faucet location which caused the confusion as to what was leaking.

[@bettinagregor]

What does one do when it leaks at the Bolt when you flip the handle?

[@omrjordan4847]

thanks

[@DirtFarmerJay]

You're welcome!

[@StevenBugnacki]

E z fix

[@DirtFarmerJay]

Right on.

[@ritterjon]

💥 Very useful video, thank you very much!! 😁👍 *Keep on tractoring!* #ARITTERBITWILLDO