Since installing my outside hydrant 2 years ago it has never froze, but the other day when it was 40 degrees out, I intended to water the sheep again and left the hose on the spigot. I forgot about it, and since then it has been frozen; much to the chagrin of my sheep! I tried to dump boiling water over it, but that failed to work, hot water over the pipe going into the ground did not work, and today I tried to take off the top part of the hydrant and blow out the water with compressed air, then dump boiling water down through the top. I did the latter in cycles,,,blow out the cooled down water, add boiling water, rinse and repeat. That has not worked either! Any ideas? I DON"T want to lug water to my sheep until June!
Can you build a small wood fire around the base of the hydrant pipe? The valve that may be damaged by heat is located well underground.
Build something around and over top of it and blow a heater on it for a couple days. Heat doesn't travel down real well. Takes time
Heat the part above ground with a torch...there is nothing in there to melt except maybe the stem seal at the top, and then the rubber seals at the bottom...but you'll never hurt them from above ground! I have heard of people melting frozen metal pipes with a welder too...never done it...could see that working though...careful with that one though...could go sideways on ya, cause a lot more work!
Never done it but lots of people use welders but of all the options so far I like the heat tape options the I would put on pipe insulation, wrap it with newspapers/fiberglass insulation and put a barrel over it then maybe use a a space heater. Make sure to seal up around the bottom real well. That or maybe just pile up your sheep poop around it
I already tried heat tape, and that did not work, and fire and manure is not an option because it it by my barn and the gates have to open. I know I did not explain the situation fully, so I am not giving anyone grief for any suggestion, but is this ever frustrating. I thought boiling water would work well. I might get some salt and dump it down there in the hopes that boiling water and brine might melt the ice.
We have the same situation here on our ship piers in the winter because we need to keep Fresh water for the ships. simple solution actually, Build a plywood box around it and insulate well with hard foam panel. Run a heat lamp or halogen light in the box affixed appropiately inside and run an extension cord to it. We've been doing this for years and it works. We use the heat lamps but even a 150 watt light bulb will work, all you have to do is keep it above the freezing point and the light bulbs will do the trick in the box!
What I've done in the past if you can get what the truck to it, take your jumper cables, hookup to battery, put the 2nd negative on the frame of the truck put your positive on the metal of the pipe. And leave it for an hour it should break up the ice.
Electric pipe heat cable? https://www.walmart.com/ip/Frost-King-Electric-Water-Pipe-Heat-Cable-12/21950050 ***never mind, I see that was already suggested.***
I'm sure you understand the philosophy of this hydrant. When you shut it off the water in the pipe drains through a weephole into the ground. If the hose is left on and in the trough, it can create a siphon and empty the trough back through the weephole. Thus, if you had a siphon going on, you have a large block of ice at the base of your hydrant underground that is frozen solid. I have had good luck with a large diameter piece of pvc (mine is green if that matters) and I have a metal shield of a heat lamp screwed to the one end. I slip this contraption over the hydrant (pipe has to meet the ground) Turn on the heat lamp and leave for at least 24 hours in mild weather. It will thaw, but it will take a while. I had a hard time convincing my girls to stop turning on, turning off countless times in severe cold weather. Turn on and use the shut off at end of hose then when done, shut off and disconnect hose, so only draining the hydrant once per chore time.
I'm not sure I understand but... I'm talking a small fire. You could even use charcoal briquettes started elsewhere and dumped on the ground around the hydrant. The heat would thaw both the ground and the pipe - especially given the comments in the previous post about the weep hole.
Yea, pics or it didn't happen right Eric VW ? Btw did you insulate with the heat tape. If the heat doesnt stay in that wont work.
Just FYI. A cutaway of a water hydrant like the one (I think) we're talking about. Source: Hydrants - Simmons Manufacturing Company
Welders work fine but you need to know what you are doing. It's not something that I can tell someone how to do safely on a forum. A local plumber or a maintenance/repair weldor should have the experience and not screw you over. Oh, if it's plastic well.....
“Honey, why is my hair dryer plugged up to 4 extension cords and mounted on a tripod at the water spigot?”
I don't know how big your line is but if it can pass the hose off of a steam cleaner you can try that. Any small hose you can snake in that can carry hot/warm water will work. This is how we cheese heads open drain lines.
