Stand pipe won't drain....any fixes that don't involve a backhoe?

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Aerindel

Aerindel

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Joined
Oct 20, 2020
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On some scarred slope of battered hill
The frost free standpipe I fill my household water tanks from....no longer back drains when shut off, and instead is freezing up.
Today I pulled the top/spigot/handle part, pulled the rod, and replaced the plunger...(which was in bad shape) but it still won't drain. It doesn't leak...but the water just sits in the pipe after you shut it off.
 
Maybe it's not buried below the frost line? Or not included gravel in the bottom to facilitate draining? Might have to do some exploratory digging?
 
Aerindel said:
It's 5 feet deep.

It's not leaking.
Click to expand...
Then it has to be not draining back down the pipe.
That can be caused by the seal at the bottom of the stand not opening up so the water just sits in the pipe and freezes.
That can be adjusted without digging.
The other possible problem is what @FarmOR said. The drain port at the bottom is plugged with mud or something so the water just sits in the pipe and freezes.
I got lucky and was able to use a big pipe wrench on the pipe and actually unscrew the hydrant for the supply line and rebuild it. Your problem would be if you broke the supply line then you have no option but to dig it up.
Another option is to use 2 big pipe wrenches and unscrew the top from the pipe and take out the working and replace the seals.
I could not get this method to work because the hydrant was old and I could not break them free.
 
Aerindel said:
The frost free standpipe I fill my household water tanks from....no longer back drains when shut off, and instead is freezing up.
Today I pulled the top/spigot/handle part, pulled the rod, and replaced the plunger...(which was in bad shape) but it still won't drain. It doesn't leak...but the water just sits in the pipe after you shut it off.
Click to expand...
See my OP.
backlash said:
Then it has to be not draining back down the pipe.
Click to expand...
Yep. Thats the title of the post.
 
Aerindel said:
It's 5 feet deep.

It's not leaking.
Click to expand...
Cap the garden hose/discharge end. Turn on the water. Only way the water now has to escape is out the drain hole(s). Sometimes the drain holes get blocked and sometimes the surrounding ground doesn’t allow water to drain.

This how we got the non-leaking fire hydrants to drain.
 
The Lazy L said:
Cap the garden hose/discharge end. Turn on the water. Only way the water now has to escape is out the drain hole(s). Sometimes the drain holes get blocked and sometimes the surrounding ground doesn’t allow water to drain.

This how we got the non-leaking fire hydrants to drain.
Click to expand...

Yeah, tried that. Problem is, drain hole is blocked, when the feed valve is open, and vis versa.

What I'm going to try, is making a adapter to attach an air compressor, to the faucet end, and then pressurize it, with the valve closed.
 
Good Idea. you might also be able to thread a spigot into it to bypass the valve temporarily and blast it out with air or a water surge.
 
Neb said:
Did you try the air pressure idea yet?

Water will melt at elevated pressure.

Ben
Click to expand...
Not yet. I don't get to town that often and I don't have the fittings on hand to adapt an air chuck, to garden house threads on hand.
Melting the ice isn't hard, its a metal pipe so I just put a blow torch on it...but until I can get it to drain it just freezes up again a few minutes later.
 
Aerindel said:
Not yet. I don't get to town that often and I don't have the fittings on hand to adapt an air chuck, to garden house threads on hand.
Melting the ice isn't hard, its a metal pipe so I just put a blow torch on it...but until I can get it to drain it just freezes up again a few minutes later.
Click to expand...

Fill it with IPA (or, I suppose Glycol..) meantime, then worry about 'clean out' later? Thinking IPA, first, since it'll evaporate, etc..

.02
jd
 
I did make a supply run a few hours ago. Needed propane, grinding wheels, corndogs, etc.
Got all the fittings I need to make my blow-out adapter. Hopefully I'll get too it tomorrow. Weather is a balmy 15º
On unrelated note, it was pretty hard to find anyone in this town that want to sell my propane.
Went to my usual place and the guy told me "I don't have anyone right now who can fill for you". I asked him "When will you?", The reply was "The regular guy was beating his wife, so he got fired"....
Plan B place "Its broken and its been broken for two weeks, no idea when America Gas will come by and fix it.

Plan C, which used to be plan A until they got all stuck up and 'certified'.....was still stuck up and wouldn't fill more than 90lbs because they consider a pickup topper to be an enclosed vehicle. I chatted up the girl filling tanks, told her how brave and strong etc she was to be out in this weather working at all....and got her to fill my tanks as long as promised not to tell anyone...sheeshh....the modern world...
 
Can you hire a company to run a camera down there on a long snake and look to see what might be the problem? I know they do that in sewer lines (we've had it done). But I don't know about water supply lines (do those have access ports like sewer lines do? Or could you put one in?) One look could be worth a thousand guesses, if they indeed do this camera/snake thing for supply lines.
 
Haertig said:
Can you hire a company to run a camera down there on a long snake and look to see what might be the problem? I know they do that in sewer lines (we've had it done). But I don't know about water supply lines (do those have access ports like sewer lines do? Or could you put one in?) One look could be worth a thousand guesses, if they indeed do this camera/snake thing for supply lines.
Click to expand...

I'm sure in theory someone could do that. I doubt for less than it would cost to just dig it up and replace it all. I'm not in a place well known for available services.

You can actually just buy your own inspection scopes for about $50 on amazon, at least ones long enough for this. I'll will probably try that if this doesn't work.
 
Aerindel said:
I'm sure in theory someone could do that. I doubt for less than it would cost to just dig it up and replace it all.
Click to expand...
The sewer inspections are not expensive around here. At least not when you've already called them out to clear a clog. They charge you whatever they charge to clear the clog, and included in that is a camera inspection of your sewage line all the way out to where it connects to the street system. You can see low spots (the camera dives underwater then resurfaces), roots, breaks, etc. At least this is what is offered by most sewer/plumbing outfits here in the suburbs. You being more remote from services, and needing to inspect a clean line (assumed to be small diameter as well) rather than a sewer line - that could shoot the price upwards.

We have one of those inspection scopes from Amazon (maybe it was Costco). They work OK. But they only have a few feet reach. Maybe they make longer ones. I don't know if the cheap home ones are waterproof either. We've looked down drains before searching for foreign objects that cause slow draining, but we've never attempted to submerge the camera.
 
SoJer said:
Fill it with IPA (or, I suppose Glycol..) meantime, then worry about 'clean out' later? Thinking IPA, first, since it'll evaporate, etc..

.02
jd
Click to expand...
I wouldn't use Glycol if I was going to drink the water later I would use Everclear. Then you can drink what's left and you won't care if the water is frozen. :D
As for using IPA I would rather dump it out before I drank it.
I have never been a fan of IPA.
 
Propylene glycol is a non-toxic food grade antifreeze that you could use. (it is used as a sweetener in cake mixes and other boxed mixes)
 
Aerindel said:
Seems like a waste of a good IPA to me...
Click to expand...

Why a waste? I wouldn't expect ya'd leave it in there till it All evap'd. :) It could be aspirated out / filtered / used for "wiper fluid" if nothing else.. (I mean, what Percentage of methanol is In most 'wiper fluid', anyway? IIRC, 40% or less (by Volume) and IPA should perform as "antifreeze" nearly as well..

backlash said:
I wouldn't use Glycol if I was going to drink the water later I would use Everclear. ..As for using IPA I would rather dump it out before I drank it.
I have never been a fan of IPA.
Click to expand...

..Uhh, I'm.. sensing a 'disturbance in the Force', here.. Just to be Clear guys - I meant This "IPA"...
S-16419_US

..NOT this "IPA"...

Sierra%2BNevada%2BFresh%2BHop%2BIPA.JPG
😄

The only idea of favoring the 'IPA' (the Non-drinkable stuff :) is that any 'residue' would evap better / clean-out more completely vs the Glycol (and yes - @SheepDog - I Meant "PG" though only typing Glycol 👍 ..though you Could always 'flush' later, before filling drinking-water tanks, etc..

Just thinking 'economy of scale', here (PG vs IPA cost / availability, up there..) but if it were Me, personally I'd 'trust' the IPA, first.. (and Drink the 'Other IPA'.. :) ..but I'd Never waste Everclear for this, either.. That's for dissolving Trespassers, later.. :)

.02
jd
 
It needs a new rubber, unscrew the hydrant top from the pipe it will pull the stem from inside the pipe it has a rubber on the bottom of the stem unscrew the rubber from the stem and replace. It takes two big pipe wrenches but it’s an easy repair.
 
hashbrown said:
It needs a new rubber, unscrew the hydrant top from the pipe it will pull the stem from inside the pipe it has a rubber on the bottom of the stem unscrew the rubber from the stem and replace. It takes two big pipe wrenches but it’s an easy repair.
Click to expand...
Previous in this thread @Aerindel. indicated that did not work. I am left guessing that the hydrant isn't draining, backing up, rising above the frost line.

So I don't see a solution that doesn't involve digging.

My 2 cents

Ben
 
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