Home Forums Miscellaneous Topics Rural Living Fixing this water faucet in my barn?

I'm getting ready for some animals this spring, so gotta get the barn set up. I've got power and water, which is good but there is a problem with the water. Tts one of those deals where you pull up on the handle to turn it on, but when you do almost as much water comes out around the junction of the pipe and the head as out of the correct end! I have no idea if I can fix this, how to take it apart. I tried to remove it from the pipe to no avail. Anyone know how these work and what I need to do to fix it?

That's called a yard hydrant. Google "Williams Adjustable Flow Yard Hydrant" and look for rebuild instructions. Is the red part cracked? If you closed the gate valve (in the left side of your picture) prior to pushing down the yard hydrant handle you would have created a vacuum preventing the yard hydrant from draining out and it would be susceptible to freezing.

The above post is good advise.

This is a different brand, but they are much alike.

I think the rod to the valve, which is on the lower end, needs to be adjusted.

Thanks guys. The valve has never been closed by me, noteven sure it turns anymore but never know what was done in the past.No visible cracks, the water squirts down around the pipe and head junction. I'll see if I can find a way to take it off and seal it up.

I would just about bet you've got a split or crack in the pipe or the faucet body. These usually dont start leaking that much just by coming loose because they really shouldn't come loose unless someone loosened it or installed it wrong. Could it have gotten bumped by something or someone in the past maybe? If they start leaking around the top its usually around the stem.

^^^^^

This would be my first suspicion. Something as simple as not unscrewing an attached water hose when your done could cause this condition. If it has frozen and ruptured it's time for a new one imo.

These spiquots do come in different lengths. Remove the old one first or look at a new one and you will know how deep your going to have to dig down. I think the bottom fitting is a female 3/4 or 1" npt.

Much cheaper to make you own freeze proof hydrant. In your water line that is under ground put a ball valve and then on the hydrant side, put a tee with another ball valve on side line of the tee. I put a cap on this line and drilled small holes in the end,and placed gravel around this stub. Run your main line up with a regular faucet. You can get valves with a square key or do as I did and put a piece of pipe up from each valve with a cover for a way to turn the valves on and off. Anyway with the main valve open and the side valve closed you have water. Close the main valve and open the side valve and the water drains out of the faucet where it won't freeze. It does not drain every time, like the freeze proof faucet but only when you want it too. miles

Played with it a bit today to see if I could fix it, but I think you guys are probably correct and its cracked somewhere. Unfortunately its is in a concrete floor so don't want to bust up the floor to dig it out. Instead I think I will drop a pump into the bored well in my pasture, and run it off a switch in the barn, bringing a pipe in through the wall. That'll give me a second water source as well, so thats an added bonus.

You will probably want/need a tank to keep from messing up your pump motor, which brings back freeze up problems. miles