So I take it you did not go to town to get a ball valve shut-off....?....
How's your day been?
- Thread starter Kevin
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No, should have clarified that earlier. The extra pipe coming out of the house only feeds the hydrant right next to the house.
This hydrant predates the house and is closer to the well than the house. What I think they did is split the line from the pump at the well head leaving the lines to the existing two hydrants and added the line to the house.
I don't know if this quick little sketch on an aerial photo helps or not. The little green square is the well, the yellow are the hydrants. The red lines are where I think the water lines run. The one that is leaking is the one just to the left of the well. For scale, it's ~45 yards from the well to the house.
Looks like your well was a barn well and the house was added on later. Animals came first at our place, but we had a spring so no pumps to deal with. The pipe was 500 yards uphill from the barn. One time the water stopped and dad went for a walk. Found a dead skunk blocking the water feed line. Later years they added a step screen so it was a bit harder to block. To shut the water off, you pulled the step screen and added a pipe extention. The spring would rise a bit and go out the overflow. Simpler times.
The original house was about 50ft north of where the well is and had 2 cisterns next to the house and a windmill by the eastern hydrant. There was a barn to the east of the machine shed. The well was drilled when Mom and Dad bought the place.
When we moved there, it was all corn field just to the west of the problem hydrant. We lived one winter in the old house that had wood shingle siding, lath and horsehair plaster finish and was all put together with square nails. When the wind blew hard, it could cause a candle's flame to flicker inside.
When they dug the basement for the current house, came back the next day and the hole was half full of water, had hit a little spring even though it sits on "high ground". Had to pump it dry and backfill several feet. The house sits 3-4 feet higher than it was supposed to.
We've got lots of little "seeps" on hillsides around here, but nothing that would supply enough flow to rely on for livestock, or household use.
When we moved there, it was all corn field just to the west of the problem hydrant. We lived one winter in the old house that had wood shingle siding, lath and horsehair plaster finish and was all put together with square nails. When the wind blew hard, it could cause a candle's flame to flicker inside.
When they dug the basement for the current house, came back the next day and the hole was half full of water, had hit a little spring even though it sits on "high ground". Had to pump it dry and backfill several feet. The house sits 3-4 feet higher than it was supposed to.
We've got lots of little "seeps" on hillsides around here, but nothing that would supply enough flow to rely on for livestock, or household use.
woodtickgreg
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I scored another tool box for the garage mechanical stuff. Nice box with a power strip also so my batteries can go on top.
51" box 16" deep.
Its going to go where the small top box is. I bought that box brand new in 1979 when i was a kid and a moped mechanic. First box I ever purchased. I'll donate it to the church for tool storage.
There is a lip that goes all the way around the boxes so i cut so.e plywood to give clearance for that. 1 piece of 3/4" and 1 piece of 5/8" because one box sits a little higher.
Now I have a flat base.
The new box will cover half of the side cabinet.
51" box 16" deep.
Its going to go where the small top box is. I bought that box brand new in 1979 when i was a kid and a moped mechanic. First box I ever purchased. I'll donate it to the church for tool storage.
There is a lip that goes all the way around the boxes so i cut so.e plywood to give clearance for that. 1 piece of 3/4" and 1 piece of 5/8" because one box sits a little higher.
Now I have a flat base.
The new box will cover half of the side cabinet.
woodtickgreg
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Next was to cut a rubber mat to fit. I salvaged 2 rolls of this stuff when I was trucking. They would lay the mat on the floor and then set coils of wire on them so they wouldn't slide around.
Trimmed to size and prepped for double stick tape.
Double stick tape applied all the way around.
A nice flat non skid surface.
New box set in place. A neighbor helped me set it in place.
And now I have a wall of tool boxes and some empty drawers for expansion if I need too.
It's nice to be able to spread out my tools a little now and have everything in one place. The red boxes are harbor freight all purchased used for good deals, all soft close. The brown box is a Kennedy and was given to me, its full of hardware. And now the black craftsman box also soft self closing.
Im wupped, that was a lot of work.
Trimmed to size and prepped for double stick tape.
Double stick tape applied all the way around.
A nice flat non skid surface.
New box set in place. A neighbor helped me set it in place.
And now I have a wall of tool boxes and some empty drawers for expansion if I need too.
It's nice to be able to spread out my tools a little now and have everything in one place. The red boxes are harbor freight all purchased used for good deals, all soft close. The brown box is a Kennedy and was given to me, its full of hardware. And now the black craftsman box also soft self closing.
Im wupped, that was a lot of work.
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Dang Greg, you must have a bunch of tools to store. Either that or lots of socks.
You had a better day than I did. I'm refurbishing a 5wt fly rod for a neighbor friend. I had to remove the old reel seat, the cork grip, and all the guides, which I did yesterday. That's kind of a pain because you have to remove all the old epoxy too without scarring the rod blank. I fit the new reel seat with insert, a new pre-formed cork grip (that fit perfectly, which was a bonus for me) and glued it all in place. Looking good I thought. Then I started fitting the guides and discovered the guy who built this previously was WAY off in his spacing. I don't know how it cast the way he had the guides placed. Anyway, I googled up the recommended spacing, ground the guide feet (something else the previous builder hadn't done), and taped them in place. On a whim I decided to run a line through them and put a bend in the rod. You do this to check if the line flows evenly along the bend of the rod - if there's any place the line gets closer or farther away from the rod, you adjust the spacing of those guides. Anyway, when I stuck the reel on the seat, I discovered I'd made the insert about a sixteenth too long and the reel seat would not snug up tight to the reel foot. Dammit!!! Got out my heat gun and immediately removed the reel seat. Luckily it came off pretty easily since the epoxy wasn't totally cured. Cleaned it all up, trimmed down the insert, which then meant I also had to trim a little off the butt end of the rod blank (the cork grip was still glued in place so the part sticking out for the reel seat was still the same length it was before). It was kind of a harried hour or so to get it all straightened out. But it's glued up and back in the clamp now and looking good. I don't plan on telling my neighbor friend his 9ft rod is now actually 8ft 11 and 3/4 inches. During the process I ran my arm along the hasp on my cabinet where my fly reel was stored and later put my elbow on the still hot heat gun.
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woodtickgreg
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Well I now have some empty drawers so I can expand if need be. Mostly I was able to.spread out what I had. I'm 66 years old and I've been buying tools for probably at least 50 years of it. I used to be a power equipment mechanic so I also have a lot of specialty tools for that. Motorcycles are really my thing. Car repairs and maintenance for my own vehicles. But thats getting harder to do as I age. But I still like working on my own stuff.
Congrats! Can’t imagine having extra toolbox storage available! Like the way you set up the toolboxes. Chuck
Yeow! Hate it when those hiccups happen!
Cars these days, and vehicles in general, require computer specialists and not wrench turners mostly. Modules are replaced rather than repaired on site. Heck, couple years ago I went to check the oil in my car and there is no dipstick. The car tells you if it wants oil, supposedly.
Parents requested no pictures of little one be posted but in Boston for granddaughters first birthday. She is days from taking her first step. I’m predicting Monday, the day after we fly home……. Middle stepson had a horrible relationship with his dad. To see him right now is a true miracle!! I’ve known him a long time…
That’s another story for another time. Just grateful to be in his life the way I am now.
That’s another story for another time. Just grateful to be in his life the way I am now.
Finally got the well/pump guys out to fix the hydrant.
Started digging and scared the crap out of me as the hydrant was attached to steel pipe. Afraid we would have to trench all the way back to the well to replace the pipe.
Luckily, it was only an 8' length, and hooked to poly.
Had to dig more of a hole than I was expecting.
Once, they found the end of the poly, quick job to install.
Going to be an expensive little job, but 45 minutes from the time they drove in to driving out.
I had been feeling guilty for not doing more digging, thinking I could do it myself, but seeing the 8' length of steel pipe and the hole that needed to be dug, glad I stopped when I did.
There will be some work as everything settles, but that's nothing. Just happy to have it done and can mentally relax now.
Started digging and scared the crap out of me as the hydrant was attached to steel pipe. Afraid we would have to trench all the way back to the well to replace the pipe.
Luckily, it was only an 8' length, and hooked to poly.
Had to dig more of a hole than I was expecting.
Once, they found the end of the poly, quick job to install.
Going to be an expensive little job, but 45 minutes from the time they drove in to driving out.
I had been feeling guilty for not doing more digging, thinking I could do it myself, but seeing the 8' length of steel pipe and the hole that needed to be dug, glad I stopped when I did.
There will be some work as everything settles, but that's nothing. Just happy to have it done and can mentally relax now.
Definitely good to have that behind you! Appears to have been completed efficiently if they were in & out in 45 minutes!
As they said, helps to have the right equipment. If I had rented a small excavator, would have probably taken a full day to dig it while trying to figure it out. That's one machine I've never operated.
Here is where the main leak was, at the bottom of the elbow. Not much thickness left in that steel elbow. Although, what can you expect for 50+ years buried in a wet environment.
Many plumbers (over 40) still use a 6' to 10' length of galvanized, brass or steel pipe to the hydrant foot fitting. It anchors the line. Poly lines run directly to the hydrant often lean, twist or lift in climates exposed to frost.
Glad it all worked out Tim. Thank goodness they didn’t have to spend all day digging and back-filling. Labor is the biggest expense.
I think it was good to go poly all the way to the hydrant. Will never corrode. I’m sure they dumped some washed rock around the base. Serves a few important purposes.
Number 1 - allows draining of the water out of the standpipe, and into the stone, when the hydrant is shut-off. If it’s only dirt, the drain holes eventually clog.
No.2 - the stone generally keeps soil away from the steel elbow and hydrant at the base. Some soils are corrosive to steel and the washed rock is typically not.
No 3. - stability. The rock is typically shoveled around the base and a couple feet up around the hydrant and the the hydrant is held plumb when backfilling. Much better than relying on soil by itself.
If you let it go through a winter, the ground should settle pretty well with the rain and snow. Will be ready for maybe a little topsoil and seed in the spring.
I think it was good to go poly all the way to the hydrant. Will never corrode. I’m sure they dumped some washed rock around the base. Serves a few important purposes.
Number 1 - allows draining of the water out of the standpipe, and into the stone, when the hydrant is shut-off. If it’s only dirt, the drain holes eventually clog.
No.2 - the stone generally keeps soil away from the steel elbow and hydrant at the base. Some soils are corrosive to steel and the washed rock is typically not.
No 3. - stability. The rock is typically shoveled around the base and a couple feet up around the hydrant and the the hydrant is held plumb when backfilling. Much better than relying on soil by itself.
If you let it go through a winter, the ground should settle pretty well with the rain and snow. Will be ready for maybe a little topsoil and seed in the spring.
I am involved with selling wood to woodworkers and Woodturners. We have a retail store in Batavia, IL.
Me and a couple buddies also sell woodturning wood at local (Chicagoland) symposiums. For the past few years we sell at Turn on Chicago (TOC) and the Midwest Pen Turners gathering.
We were at TOC the past 3-days and had some good sales. We’re pretty involved/active members of both the Chicago Woodturners and the Windy City Woodturners.
Me and a couple buddies also sell woodturning wood at local (Chicagoland) symposiums. For the past few years we sell at Turn on Chicago (TOC) and the Midwest Pen Turners gathering.
We were at TOC the past 3-days and had some good sales. We’re pretty involved/active members of both the Chicago Woodturners and the Windy City Woodturners.
