barn hydrant problems

[mark boucher]

I have a 7 foot Clayton Mark hydrant (3 feet above ground) that was put into the barn 2 years ago. The first winter I had freezing problems with it and had to put heat tape on it. This disturbed me because the previous place I had never had a freezing problem and the hydrant was outside and not inside. A year ago, my nephew forced the lever up, and the bolt came out of the handle. I replaced it, but I’ve had problems with the plunger ever since. During the winter, I had to keep making adjustments because it wouldn’t shut off. Once I got it to shut off, then I couldn’t get water out again without another adjustment. Of course, that means that the plunger has started to slip every time Imake an adjustment. during the summer the problem went away, but the first cold night, no water. Plug in the heat tape, and the hydrant worked…but then wouldn’t shut off. Now I can’t get it to work at all, no matter what adjustments I make. To make things work, the hydrant will move 180 degrees side to side and 5 or 6 inches out of the ground, leading me to believe there’s something broken at the bottom.

Here’s my question(s). 1) Does this sound like something that can be fixed without digging the whole thing up. 2) If so, do I need to replace then entire rod as well as the gasket on the bottom? 3) If I don’t need to replace the rod, are the parts for the 5451 Hydrant the same as for the 7 foot hydrant? 4) I’ve looked in vain for a way to call Clayton Mark. Does anyone have a phone number? Thanks very much for your help. We’re having a mild spell, and I’d like to get this fixed soon before the cold really comes in.

[Retired plbg1Participant]

Is water comming out of the ground, if not you unscrewed something on the valve, go to http://www.google.com and use there search and maybe they will show you a pic.

[rosawoodParticipant]

I’ve already done a web search, before I ever posted. That’s why I’m asking here. I have a diagram of the hydrant already, and its hard to tell if any water was escaping because the hydrant itself was leaking water and the ground is already all wet. What I need to know is how do I know if the pipe itself is damaged or if it’s something that can be repaired with the repair kit?

[Retired plbg1Participant]

Dig it up are put air test on it.

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