# frozen hydrant!



## Golden Horse (Feb 20, 2010)

You need to get some heat on it, what do you have available, and how close to power is your hydrant?


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## natisha (Jan 11, 2011)

Careful use of a heat gun.


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

By hydrant, do you mean the one that drops the water out of the pipe? If so you need to loosen where it bolts onto the pipe. There's an internal pipe. Lift it out, all 8' of it. Take it to where you can warm it up with a hair dryer. Keep the top end elevated a bit and a bucket under the lower end. Once the ice is clear. put it back in the pipe and tighten the head bolts. Rather than a using a hose and having this happen, I use a piece of 4" plastic sewer pipe. On the pump end is an elbow with two drywall screws on opposite sides. Then a hanger made of twine, catches the lip on the spout. This never freezes up.


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## zandstrafarms (Feb 14, 2015)

Wrap it good with heat tape. There are several kinds, but the solid black kind works best (colored types don't do much). Use a blow drier where the hose attaches to the hydrant.

Another idea is to wrap it with a heated blanket. I would not detatch anything unless you pull the whole thing off the main water line. We just put hydrants in this fall, and there's no way I'd be taking it apart as there are many working parts inside our hydrants. Ours are freeze proof long handle hydrants. But they will freeze if attached with a hose.

You might just have to dig the whole thing up to thaw it. 

Our plumber told us we should get a quick connect... it's a device that attaches to both hose and faucet and clicks hose on and off quickly so less of a pain to keep detatched. 

Honestly, if you didn't put the hydrants in yourself, and you need to dig them up, just put a new freeze proof one in. Get it at a water pipe supply store, it will be a better price and they'll tell you how to install it correctly. You should be able to buy one for under $100.


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## HarleyWood (Oct 14, 2011)

I did a heat tape thing and that worked now it's in a building and usually stays thawed. I have to thaw a 150 foot hose.


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## waresbear (Jun 18, 2011)

I have left the hose attached to the hydrant and yeah, she froze up good. I pour a bucket of hot water on it, and that's all it took. The hose is pretty short as the trough is close by, but to unthaw the hose, I just drag it into the basement, thaws out in about 1/2 hour or so. Temps are always below freezing now, so I make sure to take off the hose and drain it so I don't have to thaw it out. Doubt that would work with a 150' ft one though.


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

The Nelson hydrant is double walled so wrapping with heat tape is pointless. Keeping a set of off=set pliers handy will help with undoing a hose and no wet hands or mitts from what dribbles out. The outer pipe is metal but the inner is plastic.


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## HarleyWood (Oct 14, 2011)

i wrapped it with heating tape and within a few hours it worked again. i will have a semi heated tack room and a smaller hose for the winter.


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

Before the Nelson was installed I had to run about 50' of hose from the house. I put a hook just under the eaves and left a small ladder there. The hose was hung from the hook and then I'd grab it at waist high and walk the length making sure it was empty. It was easier to carry buckets.


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## greentree (Feb 27, 2013)

Hoses in winter are such a pain! We installed drains at our hydrants in the barn(the floor is concrete over gravel, so they just drain into the gravel-I'm in KEntucky, not Canada). I installed heavy harness hooks above them, and I hook the hose over that, with the hydrant turned off, then unhook the hose and loop it one section at a time to drain it. If it is really cold , I drag it to the house. 

I have those quick connects on my hydrants, but they seem to retain just enough water to freeze.....I have to remove them in the winter!


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