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#1
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How do I Unthaw yard hydrant underground?
I have a yard hydrant in my barn. It had heat tape on it, and the top
part above the ground was not frozen (I took off the head and put a wire down). Its frozen under the ground. I know it's not to the bottom, because its down at least 5 feet into the ground. Its frozen below the surface. I have concrete around it, but there's a 1 inck gap around the pipe, and I did have the heat tape down a few inches, but I found that right below that tape the ground is frozen because I tried to drive a piece of steel rebar into the soil. I put a propane torch on the pipe right above the concrete level and got water to boil out the top, but it's still not working and cant lift the plunger. Is there some sort of electrical rod that I could drive melt into the ground or anything made for that? I did dump some boiling water around it too. I capped the top so I can use the rest of the water on the property. and have an electric heater next to the pipe, (heat tape is off now, so I could use torch). This hydrant is in a small room, so that electric heater should heat the room but it's not going to get what is underground. Anyone have any ideas what to do? Then, when I do get it unthawed, what can I do under the concrete level to keep it thawed? They say not to put that heat tape underground. I did have it down abiut 2 inches into the concrete, but not more. I sure cant think of any other way to do it. IDEAS NEEDED???? Thanks Jake |
#2
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How do I Unthaw yard hydrant underground?
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#3
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How do I Unthaw yard hydrant underground?
On Jan 23, 9:28*am, wrote:
I have a yard hydrant in my barn. *It had heat tape on it, and the top part above the ground was not frozen (I took off the head and put a wire down). *Its frozen under the ground. *I know it's not to the bottom, because its down at least 5 feet into the ground. *Its frozen below the surface. *I have concrete around it, but there's a 1 inck gap around the pipe, and I did have the heat tape down a few inches, but I found that right below that tape the ground is frozen because I tried to drive a piece of steel rebar into the soil. * I put a propane torch on the pipe right above the concrete level and got water to boil out the top, but it's still not working and cant lift the plunger. *Is there some sort of electrical rod that I could drive melt into the ground or anything made for that? *I did dump some boiling water around it too. *I capped the top so I can use the rest of the water on the property. and have an electric heater next to the pipe, (heat tape is off now, so I could use torch). *This hydrant is in a small room, so that electric heater should heat the room but it's not going to get what is underground. *Anyone have any ideas what to do? * Then, when I do get it unthawed, what can I do under the concrete level to keep it thawed? *They say not to put that heat tape underground. *I did have it down abiut 2 inches into the concrete, but not more. *I sure cant think of any other way to do it. * IDEAS NEEDED???? Thanks Jake I can't physically see your problem, so this is just a guess. If the hydrant is 5 feet below ground, inside a room, it is highly unlikely it is frozen due to cold temps. I think you have bigger problems and should investigate the possibility of having to repair whatever the mechanical problem is. Hank |
#5
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How do I Unthaw yard hydrant underground?
On Jan 23, 10:04*am, Hank wrote:
On Jan 23, 9:28*am, wrote: I have a yard hydrant in my barn. *It had heat tape on it, and the top part above the ground was not frozen (I took off the head and put a wire down). *Its frozen under the ground. *I know it's not to the bottom, because its down at least 5 feet into the ground. *Its frozen below the surface. *I have concrete around it, but there's a 1 inck gap around the pipe, and I did have the heat tape down a few inches, but I found that right below that tape the ground is frozen because I tried to drive a piece of steel rebar into the soil. * I put a propane torch on the pipe right above the concrete level and got water to boil out the top, but it's still not working and cant lift the plunger. *Is there some sort of electrical rod that I could drive melt into the ground or anything made for that? *I did dump some boiling water around it too. *I capped the top so I can use the rest of the water on the property. and have an electric heater next to the pipe, (heat tape is off now, so I could use torch). *This hydrant is in a small room, so that electric heater should heat the room but it's not going to get what is underground. *Anyone have any ideas what to do? * Then, when I do get it unthawed, what can I do under the concrete level to keep it thawed? *They say not to put that heat tape underground. *I did have it down abiut 2 inches into the concrete, but not more. *I sure cant think of any other way to do it. * IDEAS NEEDED???? Thanks Jake I can't physically see your problem, so this is just a guess. If the hydrant is 5 feet below ground, inside a room, it is highly unlikely it is frozen due to cold temps. I think you have bigger problems and should investigate the possibility of having to repair whatever the mechanical problem is. Hank To make my statement above more clear........ If, in fact it is frozen, that tells you that the hole that lets the water drain out of the hyrant is not working correctly (plugged?). There for it will need repaired to whatever extent it takes to open the drain hole. Hank |
#6
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How do I Unthaw yard hydrant underground?
On 1/23/2011 8:28 AM, wrote:
I have a yard hydrant in my barn. It had heat tape on it, and the top part above the ground was not frozen (I took off the head and put a wire down). Its frozen under the ground. I know it's not to the bottom, because its down at least 5 feet into the ground. Its frozen below the surface. I have concrete around it, but there's a 1 inck gap around the pipe, and I did have the heat tape down a few inches, but I found that right below that tape the ground is frozen because I tried to drive a piece of steel rebar into the soil. I put a propane torch on the pipe right above the concrete level and got water to boil out the top, but it's still not working and cant lift the plunger. Is there some sort of electrical rod that I could drive melt into the ground or anything made for that? I did dump some boiling water around it too. I capped the top so I can use the rest of the water on the property. and have an electric heater next to the pipe, (heat tape is off now, so I could use torch). This hydrant is in a small room, so that electric heater should heat the room but it's not going to get what is underground. Anyone have any ideas what to do? Then, when I do get it unthawed, what can I do under the concrete level to keep it thawed? They say not to put that heat tape underground. I did have it down abiut 2 inches into the concrete, but not more. I sure cant think of any other way to do it. IDEAS NEEDED???? Thanks Jake Whenever I want to "unthaw" something, I put it in a freezer or spray it with liquid CO2. If I wish to "thaw" something, I apply heat to melt the ice. I've used the wide flame torch heads on small propane torches, a heat gun or a big torch that fits a 20lb propane tank. http://www.harborfreight.com/propane-torch-91033.html TDD |
#7
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How do I Unthaw yard hydrant underground?
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#8
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How do I Unthaw yard hydrant underground?
Then, when I do get it unthawed, what can I do under the concrete level to keep it thawed? If you can get below the surface then coil some tubing around the underground pipe. thread your electrical tape through this. The tubing should protect the tape. |
#9
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How do I Unthaw yard hydrant underground?
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#10
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How do I Unthaw yard hydrant underground?
dpb wrote:
.... If it's a frost-free and the foot-valve is below frost line, ... If those are true so there's simply a plug, you might since you have the top open try either a piece of 3/8" or such rod w/ a pointy end and see if can break thru physically the ice layer. Or, assuming the 1-1/4" standpipe or similar, a half or 3/4" piece of pipe ought to work, too. Iff'en it's not too thick of a block, that might well be enough w/ a few love taps... -- |
#11
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How do I Unthaw yard hydrant underground?
On Jan 23, 9:28*am, wrote:
I have a yard hydrant in my barn. *It had heat tape on it, and the top part above the ground was not frozen (I took off the head and put a wire down). *Its frozen under the ground. *I know it's not to the bottom, because its down at least 5 feet into the ground. *Its frozen below the surface. *I have concrete around it, but there's a 1 inck gap around the pipe, and I did have the heat tape down a few inches, but I found that right below that tape the ground is frozen because I tried to drive a piece of steel rebar into the soil. * I put a propane torch on the pipe right above the concrete level and got water to boil out the top, but it's still not working and cant lift the plunger. *Is there some sort of electrical rod that I could drive melt into the ground or anything made for that? *I did dump some boiling water around it too. *I capped the top so I can use the rest of the water on the property. and have an electric heater next to the pipe, (heat tape is off now, so I could use torch). *This hydrant is in a small room, so that electric heater should heat the room but it's not going to get what is underground. *Anyone have any ideas what to do? * Then, when I do get it unthawed, what can I do under the concrete level to keep it thawed? *They say not to put that heat tape underground. *I did have it down abiut 2 inches into the concrete, but not more. *I sure cant think of any other way to do it. * IDEAS NEEDED???? Thanks Jake If you're not in a big hurry you might try dumping some RV antifreeze down there as you try to thaw it. RV antifreeze wont hurt any animals. Hank |
#12
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How do I Unthaw yard hydrant underground?
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#13
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How do I Unthaw yard hydrant underground?
On Sun, 23 Jan 2011 11:15:22 -0600, dpb wrote:
wrote: ... Then, when I do get it unthawed, what can I do under the concrete level to keep it thawed? They say not to put that heat tape underground. I did have it down abiut 2 inches into the concrete, but not more. I sure cant think of any other way to do it. ... If it's a frost-free and the foot-valve is below frost line, the problem is the weep hole is plugged so it's not draining--there shouldn't be any water in the vertical standpipe to freeze so there's no need to keep it warm. The real solution (as much as you're not going to like it) is to make enough of an access to dig it up and fix that problem. A url that was posted in another thread today, perhaps with a somewhat related name, said that the hole can get frozen by the continued use of small amounts of water. That is, maybe it needs no repair, just a change in habits. And it gave other reasons why it would freeze. It also said that the way to solve this is to pour [boiling?] hot water down the the hole until the ice melts. I guess you shoudl have plenty avaible aso that the ho****er doesnt' get cold and freeze too. The OP should find this thread -- I can't seem to -- and read the url. It gives a some details. Here it is: http://www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/$department/deptdocs.nsf/all/agdex641 Read the whole thing but "A hydrant can freeze due to improper valve adjustment, a saturated drainage bed, a plugged drain hole, or improper use, such as incomplete shut off or the constant withdrawal of only small amounts of water. Should a hydrant freeze, it should be thawed as soon as possible to avoid damage. Hydrants frozen above ground level can usually be thawed by heating with an electric heat tape, a torch or hot water. If the hydrant is frozen below ground level, the head will have to be removed and hot water poured down the inside of the riser pipe. This step is most easily accomplished by soldering a copper tube to a funnel and pouring the hot water through the funnel and tube to the point where the ice has formed. The tube is pushed down the riser pipe as the ice melts." I woudl email this to the OP if he gave a real address. In the short term, I'd try a long ship auger bit or similar and drill a hole (or two) alongside the pipe and drop the heat tape down it. It'll be ok for a temporary. |
#14
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How do I Unthaw yard hydrant underground?
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#15
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How do I Unthaw yard hydrant underground?
On Jan 23, 10:04*am, Fat Dumb & Happy "Fat Dumb &
wrote: wrote: I have a yard hydrant in my barn. *It had heat tape on it, and the top part above the ground was not frozen (I took off the head and put a wire down). *Its frozen under the ground. *I know it's not to the bottom, because its down at least 5 feet into the ground. *Its frozen below the surface. *I have concrete around it, but there's a 1 inck gap around the pipe, and I did have the heat tape down a few inches, but I found that right below that tape the ground is frozen because I tried to drive a piece of steel rebar into the soil. * I put a propane torch on the pipe right above the concrete level and got water to boil out the top, but it's still not working and cant lift the plunger. *Is there some sort of electrical rod that I could drive melt into the ground or anything made for that? *I did dump some boiling water around it too. *I capped the top so I can use the rest of the water on the property. and have an electric heater next to the pipe, (heat tape is off now, so I could use torch). *This hydrant is in a small room, so that electric heater should heat the room but it's not going to get what is underground. *Anyone have any ideas what to do? * Then, when I do get it unthawed, what can I do under the concrete level to keep it thawed? *They say not to put that heat tape underground. *I did have it down abiut 2 inches into the concrete, but not more. *I sure cant think of any other way to do it. * IDEAS NEEDED???? Thanks Jake * If if if, *the line isn't plastic, if ya can make a circuit with the ice block in the circuit, if ya can get enough current to flow, *if you don't electrocute some cows and chickens, * *this ought to work,http://weldingweb.com/showthread.php?t=8719 * *In this copy of The Procedure Handbook of Arc Welding (12th ed. 1973) that I just bought there is a section on using an arc welder to thaw frozen pipes. Now I can't imagine that this is a practice that Lincoln would be wanting to promote today in these litigious times; in fact they must be freaking out that there are still these old copies of the handbook out there with a how-to on burning your house down with a Lincoln HD Tombstone- Hide quoted text - - Show quoted text - There's just about zero risk of burning down the house, unless the welder drops a lit cigarette. There isn't any arcing or welding going on .. What is going on is the welder is used to pass current through metal piping to gradually heat it enough to melt the ice inside. One cable gets securely clamped to each end of the pipe, where accessible. I've seen it done on 50 -75ft runs of pipe. Takes an hour or two. |
#16
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How do I Unthaw yard hydrant underground?
On Jan 23, 11:44*pm, mm wrote:
wrote: I have a yard hydrant in my barn. *It had heat tape on it, and the top part above the ground was not frozen (I took off the head and put a wire down). *Its frozen under the ground. I know it's not to the bottom, because its down at least 5 feet into the ground. *Its frozen below the surface. Three it's in the last two sentences. I don't understand the first two of them or the sentence they are in. * What do the it'ses refer to? ... There's a lot that isn't clear. Leading me to wonder if it's really frozen where he thinks it is, or somewhere completely different. If this thing is in a barn, ie reasonably protected, goes straight down 5ft, and has heat tape on it, one would tend to doubt that it froze there. Perhaps there is somewhere else the pipe is more exposed? |
#17
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How do I Unthaw yard hydrant underground?
wrote:
On Jan 23, 10:04 am, Fat Dumb & Happy "Fat Dumb & wrote: wrote: I have a yard hydrant in my barn. It had heat tape on it, and the top part above the ground was not frozen (I took off the head and put a wire down). Its frozen under the ground. I know it's not to the bottom, because its down at least 5 feet into the ground. Its frozen below the surface. I have concrete around it, but there's a 1 inck gap around the pipe, and I did have the heat tape down a few inches, but I found that right below that tape the ground is frozen because I tried to drive a piece of steel rebar into the soil. I put a propane torch on the pipe right above the concrete level and got water to boil out the top, but it's still not working and cant lift the plunger. Is there some sort of electrical rod that I could drive melt into the ground or anything made for that? I did dump some boiling water around it too. I capped the top so I can use the rest of the water on the property. and have an electric heater next to the pipe, (heat tape is off now, so I could use torch). This hydrant is in a small room, so that electric heater should heat the room but it's not going to get what is underground. Anyone have any ideas what to do? Then, when I do get it unthawed, what can I do under the concrete level to keep it thawed? They say not to put that heat tape underground. I did have it down abiut 2 inches into the concrete, but not more. I sure cant think of any other way to do it. IDEAS NEEDED???? Thanks Jake If if if, the line isn't plastic, if ya can make a circuit with the ice block in the circuit, if ya can get enough current to flow, if you don't electrocute some cows and chickens, this ought to work,http://weldingweb.com/showthread.php?t=8719 In this copy of The Procedure Handbook of Arc Welding (12th ed. 1973) that I just bought there is a section on using an arc welder to thaw frozen pipes. Now I can't imagine that this is a practice that Lincoln would be wanting to promote today in these litigious times; in fact they must be freaking out that there are still these old copies of the handbook out there with a how-to on burning your house down with a Lincoln HD Tombstone- Hide quoted text - - Show quoted text - There's just about zero risk of burning down the house, unless the welder drops a lit cigarette. There isn't any arcing or welding going on . What is going on is the welder is used to pass current through metal piping to gradually heat it enough to melt the ice inside. One cable gets securely clamped to each end of the pipe, where accessible. I've seen it done on 50 -75ft runs of pipe. Takes an hour or two. I gotta ask, were you trading options at the time? |
#18
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How do I Unthaw yard hydrant underground?
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#19
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How do I Unthaw yard hydrant underground?
wrote:
On Mon, 24 Jan 2011 04:34:07 -0800 (PST), wrote: On Jan 23, 10:04 am, Fat Dumb & Happy "Fat Dumb & wrote: wrote: I have a yard hydrant in my barn. It had heat tape on it, and the top part above the ground was not frozen (I took off the head and put a wire down). Its frozen under the ground. I know it's not to the bottom, because its down at least 5 feet into the ground. Its frozen below the surface. I have concrete around it, but there's a 1 inck gap around the pipe, and I did have the heat tape down a few inches, but I found that right below that tape the ground is frozen because I tried to drive a piece of steel rebar into the soil. I put a propane torch on the pipe right above the concrete level and got water to boil out the top, but it's still not working and cant lift the plunger. Is there some sort of electrical rod that I could drive melt into the ground or anything made for that? I did dump some boiling water around it too. I capped the top so I can use the rest of the water on the property. and have an electric heater next to the pipe, (heat tape is off now, so I could use torch). This hydrant is in a small room, so that electric heater should heat the room but it's not going to get what is underground. Anyone have any ideas what to do? Then, when I do get it unthawed, what can I do under the concrete level to keep it thawed? They say not to put that heat tape underground. I did have it down abiut 2 inches into the concrete, but not more. I sure cant think of any other way to do it. IDEAS NEEDED???? Thanks Jake If if if, the line isn't plastic, if ya can make a circuit with the ice block in the circuit, if ya can get enough current to flow, if you don't electrocute some cows and chickens, this ought to work,http://weldingweb.com/showthread.php?t=8719 In this copy of The Procedure Handbook of Arc Welding (12th ed. 1973) that I just bought there is a section on using an arc welder to thaw frozen pipes. Now I can't imagine that this is a practice that Lincoln would be wanting to promote today in these litigious times; in fact they must be freaking out that there are still these old copies of the handbook out there with a how-to on burning your house down with a Lincoln HD Tombstone- Hide quoted text - - Show quoted text - There's just about zero risk of burning down the house, unless the welder drops a lit cigarette. There isn't any arcing or welding going on . What is going on is the welder is used to pass current through metal piping to gradually heat it enough to melt the ice inside. One cable gets securely clamped to each end of the pipe, where accessible. I've seen it done on 50 -75ft runs of pipe. Takes an hour or two. Just curious. I'm trying to picture this. You take a welder and connect one cable to the metal hydrant pipe. That part is clear. But you have to connect the other cable to the other end of the pipe. Well, that end is under the ground. How the heck do you connect to that end without digging it up? (Which digging would be impossible in winter anyhow, without machinery, and if dug up, the hydrant may as well be replaced). Most underground piping is plastic these days too, so that eliminates connecting the welder to something like another hydrant, which would likely be a hundred feet away (or more), and think how long the welder cables would need to be. This just is not making sense to me. You connect it to metal somewhere else where the pipe surfaces. Obviously this won't work if part of the path is plastic. I also doubt any animals would get electrocuted. Welders only operate at 24 volts or so. It's just lots of amps. I've gotten a tingle several times when welding on wet ground if my shoes are wet. It dont feel good, but wont kill anyone. The solution when that happened was to just stand on a piece of dry plywood. Changing to dry shoes also helps, but the plywood seemed to work best. (or both). One infrequent hazard I have seen a warning for is if you are using an electric welder to heat the water service pipe for a building - other end a fire hydrant, with a metal municipal water supply. Since electric services are connected to the water service pipe as a grounding electrode, a possible parallel path is "grounding electrode conductor" to service, to neutral through N-G bond, to another house through the service neutrals, to that house's water service pipe through the "grounding electrode conductor". You could have high currents in an adjacent house that has rarely caused a fire. Temporarily removing the system ground wire and water meter is probably a good idea (but could rarely be hazardous in in itself). -- bud-- |
#20
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How do I Unthaw yard hydrant underground?
On Sunday, January 23, 2011 6:28:52 AM UTC-8, wrote:
I have a yard hydrant in my barn. It had heat tape on it, and the top part above the ground was not frozen (I took off the head and put a wire down). Its frozen under the ground. I know it's not to the bottom, because its down at least 5 feet into the ground. Its frozen below the surface. I have concrete around it, but there's a 1 inck gap around the pipe, and I did have the heat tape down a few inches, but I found that right below that tape the ground is frozen because I tried to drive a piece of steel rebar into the soil. I put a propane torch on the pipe right above the concrete level and got water to boil out the top, but it's still not working and cant lift the plunger. Is there some sort of electrical rod that I could drive melt into the ground or anything made for that? I did dump some boiling water around it too. I capped the top so I can use the rest of the water on the property. and have an electric heater next to the pipe, (heat tape is off now, so I could use torch). This hydrant is in a small room, so that electric heater should heat the room but it's not going to get what is underground. Anyone have any ideas what to do? Then, when I do get it unthawed, what can I do under the concrete level to keep it thawed? They say not to put that heat tape underground. I did have it down abiut 2 inches into the concrete, but not more. I sure cant think of any other way to do it. IDEAS NEEDED???? Thanks Jake |
#21
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How do I Unthaw yard hydrant underground?
On Sunday, January 23, 2011 6:28:52 AM UTC-8, wrote:
I have a yard hydrant in my barn. It had heat tape on it, and the top part above the ground was not frozen (I took off the head and put a wire down). Its frozen under the ground. I know it's not to the bottom, because its down at least 5 feet into the ground. Its frozen below the surface. I have concrete around it, but there's a 1 inck gap around the pipe, and I did have the heat tape down a few inches, but I found that right below that tape the ground is frozen because I tried to drive a piece of steel rebar into the soil. I put a propane torch on the pipe right above the concrete level and got water to boil out the top, but it's still not working and cant lift the plunger. Is there some sort of electrical rod that I could drive melt into the ground or anything made for that? I did dump some boiling water around it too. I capped the top so I can use the rest of the water on the property. and have an electric heater next to the pipe, (heat tape is off now, so I could use torch). This hydrant is in a small room, so that electric heater should heat the room but it's not going to get what is underground. Anyone have any ideas what to do? Then, when I do get it unthawed, what can I do under the concrete level to keep it thawed? They say not to put that heat tape underground. I did have it down abiut 2 inches into the concrete, but not more. I sure cant think of any other way to do it. IDEAS NEEDED???? Thanks Jake |
#22
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How do I Unthaw yard hydrant underground?
I got a 2 foot small white hose (like the one used behind refrigerators for water), and a squeezie bottle. Cut a hole in the top on the bottles lid and push the white hose into it only about 1/2 inch. Put glue around to seal. Pop off lid of squeezy bottle (with hose connected) and 1/2 fill with table salt and 1/2 boiled water. Shake as best as possible. Then put lid back on bottle. Go to hydrant, push hose end up into faucet of hydrant. And prop bottle upside down (like an intervense) and start squeezing mixture into hydraunt. Mix bottle frequent between squeezes to make sure salt mixture doesn't clog. If it does, blow out salt in hose and start again. This make take a couple tries, but it works.
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#23
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How do I Unthaw yard hydrant underground?
On Sunday, January 23, 2011 6:28:52 AM UTC-8, wrote:
I have a yard hydrant in my barn. It had heat tape on it, and the top part above the ground was not frozen (I took off the head and put a wire down). Its frozen under the ground. I know it's not to the bottom, because its down at least 5 feet into the ground. Its frozen below the surface. I have concrete around it, but there's a 1 inck gap around the pipe, and I did have the heat tape down a few inches, but I found that right below that tape the ground is frozen because I tried to drive a piece of steel rebar into the soil. I put a propane torch on the pipe right above the concrete level and got water to boil out the top, but it's still not working and cant lift the plunger. Is there some sort of electrical rod that I could drive melt into the ground or anything made for that? I did dump some boiling water around it too. I capped the top so I can use the rest of the water on the property. and have an electric heater next to the pipe, (heat tape is off now, so I could use torch). This hydrant is in a small room, so that electric heater should heat the room but it's not going to get what is underground. Anyone have any ideas what to do? Then, when I do get it unthawed, what can I do under the concrete level to keep it thawed? They say not to put that heat tape underground. I did have it down abiut 2 inches into the concrete, but not more. I sure cant think of any other way to do it. IDEAS NEEDED???? Thanks Jake |
#24
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How do I Unthaw yard hydrant underground?
On 2/24/2014 8:19 PM, wrote:
On Sunday, January 23, 2011 6:28:52 AM UTC-8, wrote: I have a yard hydrant in my barn. It had heat tape on it, and the top part above the ground was not frozen (I took off the head and put a wire down). Its frozen under the ground. I know it's not to the bottom, because its down at least 5 feet into the ground. Its frozen below the surface. I have concrete around it, but there's a 1 inck gap around the pipe, and I did have the heat tape down a few inches, but I found that right below that tape the ground is frozen because I tried to drive a piece of steel rebar into the soil. I put a propane torch on the pipe right above the concrete level and got water to boil out the top, but it's still not working and cant lift the plunger. Is there some sort of electrical rod that I could drive melt into the ground or anything made for that? I did dump some boiling water around it too. I capped the top so I can use the rest of the water on the property. and have an electric heater next to the pipe, (heat tape is off now, so I could use torch). This hydrant is in a small room, so that electric heater should heat the room but it's not going to get what is underground. Anyone have any ideas what to do? Then, when I do get it unthawed, what can I do under the concrete level to keep it thawed? They say not to put that heat tape underground. I did have it down abiut 2 inches into the concrete, but not more. I sure cant think of any other way to do it. IDEAS NEEDED???? Thanks Jake Jan of 2011. Wonder if he got it "unthawed" yet? Though, with the cold this week, might need to "unthaw" it again. -- .. Christopher A. Young Learn about Jesus www.lds.org .. |
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How do I Unthaw yard hydrant underground?
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How do I Unthaw yard hydrant underground?
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How do I Unthaw yard hydrant underground?
On Mon, 24 Feb 2014 21:52:05 -0700, Tony Hwang wrote:
wrote: On Sunday, January 23, 2011 6:28:52 AM UTC-8, wrote: I have a yard hydrant in my barn. It had heat tape on it, and the top part above the ground was not frozen (I took off the head and put a wire down). Its frozen under the ground. I know it's not to the bottom, because its down at least 5 feet into the ground. Its frozen below the surface. I have concrete around it, but there's a 1 inck gap around the pipe, and I did have the heat tape down a few inches, but I found that right below that tape the ground is frozen because I tried to drive a piece of steel rebar into the soil. I put a propane torch on the pipe right above the concrete level and got water to boil out the top, but it's still not working and cant lift the plunger. Is there some sort of electrical rod that I could drive melt into the ground or anything made for that? I did dump some boiling water around it too. I capped the top so I can use the rest of the water on the property. and have an electric heater next to the pipe, (heat tape is off now, so I could use torch). This hydrant is in a small room, so that electric heater should heat the room but it's not going to get what is underground. Anyone have any ideas what to do? Then, when I do get it unthawed, what can I do under the concrete level to keep it thawed? They say not to put that heat tape underground. I did have it down abiut 2 inches into the concrete, but not more. I sure cant think of any other way to do it. IDEAS NEEDED???? Thanks Jake SNIP Remove as much water as possible from above the frozen water, add a few cups of rock salt, Redo the above procedure until well is open. To reply to this message please remove the AT after the kgs1 in the reply to address. To a conservatist's it truly is a free country, YOU may do whatever they wish. KG |
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How do I Unthaw yard hydrant underground?
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How do I Unthaw yard hydrant underground?
The Daring Dufas posted for all of us...
And I know how to SNIP On 2/24/2014 7:50 PM, Stormin Mormon wrote: On 2/24/2014 8:19 PM, wrote: On Sunday, January 23, 2011 6:28:52 AM UTC-8, wrote: I have a yard hydrant in my barn. It had heat tape on it, and the top part above the ground was not frozen (I took off the head and put a wire down). Its frozen under the ground. I know it's not to the bottom, because its down at least 5 feet into the ground. Its frozen below the surface. I have concrete around it, but there's a 1 inck gap around the pipe, and I did have the heat tape down a few inches, but I found that right below that tape the ground is frozen because I tried to drive a piece of steel rebar into the soil. I put a propane torch on the pipe right above the concrete level and got water to boil out the top, but it's still not working and cant lift the plunger. Is there some sort of electrical rod that I could drive melt into the ground or anything made for that? I did dump some boiling water around it too. I capped the top so I can use the rest of the water on the property. and have an electric heater next to the pipe, (heat tape is off now, so I could use torch). This hydrant is in a small room, so that electric heater should heat the room but it's not going to get what is underground. Anyone have any ideas what to do? Then, when I do get it unthawed, what can I do under the concrete level to keep it thawed? They say not to put that heat tape underground. I did have it down abiut 2 inches into the concrete, but not more. I sure cant think of any other way to do it. IDEAS NEEDED???? Thanks Jake Jan of 2011. Wonder if he got it "unthawed" yet? Though, with the cold this week, might need to "unthaw" it again. I use liquid nitrogen to "unthaw" most things. ^_^ TDD If a plane crashes on the border between US & Canada where do they bury the survivors? -- Tekkie |
#31
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How do I Unthaw yard hydrant underground?
On 2/25/2014 7:07 PM, Tekkie® wrote:
If a plane crashes on the border between US & Canada where do they bury the survivors? First time I heard that question was probably 40 years ago. I bet some have been buried by now. |
#32
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How do I Unthaw yard hydrant underground?
On 2/25/2014 6:07 PM, Tekkie® wrote:
The Daring Dufas posted for all of us... And I know how to SNIP On 2/24/2014 7:50 PM, Stormin Mormon wrote: On 2/24/2014 8:19 PM, wrote: On Sunday, January 23, 2011 6:28:52 AM UTC-8, wrote: I have a yard hydrant in my barn. It had heat tape on it, and the top part above the ground was not frozen (I took off the head and put a wire down). Its frozen under the ground. I know it's not to the bottom, because its down at least 5 feet into the ground. Its frozen below the surface. I have concrete around it, but there's a 1 inck gap around the pipe, and I did have the heat tape down a few inches, but I found that right below that tape the ground is frozen because I tried to drive a piece of steel rebar into the soil. I put a propane torch on the pipe right above the concrete level and got water to boil out the top, but it's still not working and cant lift the plunger. Is there some sort of electrical rod that I could drive melt into the ground or anything made for that? I did dump some boiling water around it too. I capped the top so I can use the rest of the water on the property. and have an electric heater next to the pipe, (heat tape is off now, so I could use torch). This hydrant is in a small room, so that electric heater should heat the room but it's not going to get what is underground. Anyone have any ideas what to do? Then, when I do get it unthawed, what can I do under the concrete level to keep it thawed? They say not to put that heat tape underground. I did have it down abiut 2 inches into the concrete, but not more. I sure cant think of any other way to do it. IDEAS NEEDED???? Thanks Jake Jan of 2011. Wonder if he got it "unthawed" yet? Though, with the cold this week, might need to "unthaw" it again. I use liquid nitrogen to "unthaw" most things. ^_^ TDD If a plane crashes on the border between US & Canada where do they bury the survivors? Before or after they're unthawed? ^_^ TDD |
#33
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How do I Unthaw yard hydrant underground?
On 2/25/2014 8:19 PM, Ed Pawlowski wrote:
On 2/25/2014 7:07 PM, Tekkie® wrote: If a plane crashes on the border between US & Canada where do they bury the survivors? First time I heard that question was probably 40 years ago. I bet some have been buried by now. I often think that all the people who may have mistreated me when I was younger are dead now. I outlived them! ^_^ TDD |
#34
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How do I Unthaw yard hydrant underground?
On 3/3/2014 3:46 AM, The Daring Dufas wrote:
On 2/25/2014 6:07 PM, Tekkie® wrote: I use liquid nitrogen to "unthaw" most things. ^_^ TDD If a plane crashes on the border between US & Canada where do they bury the survivors? Before or after they're unthawed? ^_^ TDD Have to check with DHS, and see what they say. -- .. Christopher A. Young Learn about Jesus www.lds.org .. |
#35
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How do I Unthaw yard hydrant underground?
The Daring Dufas posted for all of us...
And I know how to SNIP On 2/25/2014 6:07 PM, Tekkie® wrote: The Daring Dufas posted for all of us... If a plane crashes on the border between US & Canada where do they bury the survivors? Before or after they're unthawed? ^_^ TDD In the latent stage... -- Tekkie |
#36
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How do I Unthaw yard hydrant underground?
The Daring Dufas posted for all of us...
And I know how to SNIP On 2/25/2014 8:19 PM, Ed Pawlowski wrote: On 2/25/2014 7:07 PM, Tekkie® wrote: If a plane crashes on the border between US & Canada where do they bury the survivors? First time I heard that question was probably 40 years ago. I bet some have been buried by now. I often think that all the people who may have mistreated me when I was younger are dead now. I outlived them! ^_^ TDD Yeah, I guess there is something about that isn't there? -- Tekkie |
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How do I Unthaw yard hydrant underground?
replying to jakesm2010, Bob the farmer wrote:
I'm not sure about how to thaw it out ,but one of the main reasons they freeze up is from leaving a hose connected when turning it off.It will usually not drain a long hose and ends up leaving water in the hydrant to freeze -- for full context, visit https://www.homeownershub.com/mainte...nd-616741-.htm |
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