Yard Hydrant Problem

[arlen4720]

I have a Woodford Iowa Y1 yard hydrant installed in my barn. My wife used it this morning, everything was fine, but this evening the handle won't come up...the rod is locked up tight.
My first thought was that it didn't drain back and froze, but I can blow air through the spout, and the only place it can go is through the drain hole. It has been cold, but not like last year, or the year before. I installed it myself, backfilled around the drain with pea gravel.
The only thing different that I can think of is that my wife only ran about a pint of water (she filled her water bottle:mur, normally we would run a minimum of 10 gal at a time, so any ice from the prior time would flush out. Since it was -13, I'm wondering if I just have some ice build up that locked the valve in place...since the drain hole appears to be clear.
anybody have any ideas?

 

[Industrial Toys]

One of mine did the same thing the other day. Just a minute of running a propane torch up and down the pipe and around the nozzle freed it up. Probably only the top head needed heat as I may have splashed some water on it, but I heated the pipe in case there was water trapped and frozen in there.

I drilled a hole in my rod, into which I place a cotter pin in the summer so that the handle only goes so far down and shuts the water off and does not drain the pipe, as I have a bucket in an underground pump house that I have to empty on occassion.

 

[pmsmechanic]

When our hydrant would freeze up i winter Dad would just get a kettle full of hot water and slowly pour it over the hydrant. Most times that was enough to get things going again.

 

[2LaneCruzer]

You're really screwed when you don't have running water, and (1) the water bucket is completely empty; (2) Your only source of water is the old long-handled pump out front; (3) it's 20 degrees and the can of primer water is empty, (4) it's your turn to fetch the water, and (5) the only source of primer water is the creek (frozen over) which is a 1/4 mile through sand dunes, sand burrs and a 2000 pound Brahma bull...so you pick up the primer water bucket, a hatchet and head for the creek, hoping you don't miss the bus. Ain't country livin' grand? The story you have just heard is true...only the names were changed to protect the innocent.

 

[zzvyb6]

I keep an electric heat tape wrapped around my barn hydrant just for these circumstances. I wrap it all with a foam pipe insulation and then contain it with a sleeve made from a furnace duct. That keeps the critters from chewing on it.

If there was not enough water flowed through the top pipe to warm it above freezing, there will be a gradual buildup of ice inside the hydrant until it locks up. If that happens, I plug in the heat tape and wait for an hour.

I wouldn't use a torch because there is a wax seal up at the pull-up rod that will be damaged if it gets too hot. You can watch the flowing water heat up the top pipe as the frost will melt around the outside when its 'safe' to shut off.

 

[Industrial Toys]

I just gently brush the casting with the torch. Good to know about the seal though. Using water to thaw it out will only cause it to freeze up again, I would think.

 

[arlen4720]

If there was not enough water flowed through the top pipe to warm it above freezing, there will be a gradual buildup of ice inside the hydrant until it locks up.

I think that's exactly what happened. I need to give my wife some additional training on best practices :laughing:
I did get it thawed out by running a garden hose to the hot water spigot on my shop (750 feet away) and connecting it to the hydrant with a washing machine hose. I forced hot water through it and it only took a couple seconds for it to break free.