frozen hydrant

[LPS]

So as you know we have had -35 every night for 4 or 5 nights and another one coming tonight.   I have 2 yard hydrants and ran one the other day but only for a minute or so.  Should have run it longer to get it warmed up some.  Well I didn't and it froze up.  Probably near the ground level where it is the coldest.  Have any of you taken the top off and just run a garden hose down it to thaw it out?   Seems like the easy and logical thing to do to me.  Google wasn't a lot of help but I will look further.  It is a Woodford Frost Free.  LOL 

[Leech~~]

Is it something you can't wait a few days? It's suppose to warm up next week.

[Bobberineyes]

A friend of mine ( passed away a couple of years ago) was telling me on the farm they had to enclose theirs and just run a simple light bulb to keep them from freezing up. Not sure if that helps you out.

[LPS]

I don't actually have to use it now.  I just have to run more hose to run to the other one.  No big deal.  This one is 8' from the horse tank.  The other one is 130'.  I would think it is froze right below the ground. ????

[roony]

I would wrap it with heat tape if you have power nearby.

[glenn57]

  I thought this might be about cooper peeing on a hydrant and being stuck.
.sorry Dotch said too.

[HD]

We used our hydrant every day on the farm and never had an issue. But, that was years ago....

I suppose you could build a heater enclosed hut over it and put a bulb in there to keep it warm. We had to do it with our well before. If it's already frozen, I would think it will take a little longer and more heat.

[Bobberineyes]

I was just thinking old school,  town was 20 miles one way so you took what the course gave you and used what ya had.

[Dotch]

Had issues with hydrants over the years but only once that I recall with a Woodford or Iowa's as they're called here by the well people. Have two of them and the one on the well pit last year froze up when I didn't get to draining the hose as fast as I should have. Luckily a warm up was on the way then too. I sped the process up by attaching one of those magnetic heaters on the head and letting it set for a day. It thawed the next day. I didn't dare take all the bales and planks off the well pit for fear of freezing up the whole system. Like you Barry I could run a longer hose from the barn. PITA but sure beats hauling 5 gallon buckets. Heat tape would work but it's hard to find that old yellow stuff we coiled around the pipe when I was a kid. I've used the newer heat tape and it took two of them wrapped with insulation on the hydrant we used to have in the barn to keep that thawed. Replaced that cheap piece of crap hydrant with an Iowa when it broke underground in the middle of the winter and created a hockey rink in front of the barn. Fine ever since, no extra heat or care required.   

[LPS]

Just went out and the froze one is a Merrill.  The new one is a Woodford.  Great hydrant, I just should have let it run for a few more minutes.  I think it would be easy to take it apart and run water down it.  Just wondered if anyone has ever done that?  When I put my horse waterer next to the hydrant I also put in a curb stop.  So I can shut of the horse waterer when I want to. 

[Dotch]

I've never heard of anyone trying it. My greatest fear if I personally tried that would be I wouldn't get it adjusted so it drains back properly again. That was one of the recurring problems we had with the hydrant in the barn until we replaced it. All that stuff is easier when it isn't so cold.

[LPS]

I am not going to get too excited till it warms up.