I really appreciate that yall did this video using an old hydrant, rather than working on a brand new one. It more like what most of us watching will be working on. Thanks!
Been a plumber in central California since 1980. We didn’t have these types of hose bibs. I moved to the Ozark’s 4 months ago and everyone has these types of hydrants. I’m going out to repair one this morning and thank God I found this video first. I’ll send another comment when I’m finished. Thank you for the tutorial. Mike the plumber
When I pulled the rod out of the pipe, it was very difficult, when I finally pulled it all the way out, the rubber part was still stuck in the pipe. I simply turned the water back on and blowed it out of the pipe and put everything back together. I had to adjust the set screw because it water still ran when I closed it. Now it works beautifully.
@@on4acres There could be a T in the line that branches off of your mainline that supplies your home, camper or barn. In this case as stated above just turn the breaker off to the well pump and depressurize the line. Otherwise there should be a valve to turn off. My situation is with a camper and I'm tied directly to the mainline from the city. Had to call the water department to shut my water off.
I just replaced my Simmons hydrant head and plunger by following this video, it was a project i was dreading to do but this video made it easy. Thanks!!!
After 21 years my hydrant head froze and broke. I had never messed with one so I called Simmons and ordered the parts to rebuild mine. The lady was very knowledgeable and sold me a complete kit for a very fair price. I didn't find this video until after I did the job and only watched it to check myself. Very well done!Thanks Robert and Simmons!
I bought a repair kit 10 years ago and it’s been sitting in my shed. I had been avoiding the repair thinking it was too difficult. Well Recently the hydrant started leaking so bad I had no choice but to replace it. I found this video and it made it so easy. The only difference was my pipe is set in concrete so I just need a single pipe wrench. My hydrant was rusted on so I had to go to Home Depot for a lever to get the head loose. I used a steel chainlink fence post worked great. Had it off and repaired in about30 minutes. Much easier to operate now and I’m not getting sprayed because the two o-rings had worn away. Thanks for a great video.
I bought a farm with these units. Most of them leak (after ~20 years). I found this most helpful. I would also recommend taking garnet paper to the shaft where it contacts the packing rings (O-rings) and smoothing out the rough surfaces. This is a great design and I'm proud that it is an American company! Good job.
There are two ways to do anything, including this task. One way is to do it. The other way is to do it RIGHT. This video shows you how to do it RIGHT. Thanks.
This guy knows his stuff well. Simmons is the best company for outdoor hydrants like this one. I've had them on my farm property for years and they take a lot of wear. They also have a no-hassle life time warranty!
Very helpful video. My hydrant was leaking from the drain when the hydrant was turned on. Turned out the plunger somehow got twisted up and/deformed. I managed to lift the plunger about 18" but then the rubber portion broke off and remained stuck in the pipe. I had to dig up the whole hydrant, remove the pipe from the valve body and force the old plunger out of the pipe by pounding it through. All back together and working now. I hope it lasts more than 6 years this time!
The clevis rod on mine broke. Took it all apart and replaced the plunger too. Pretty sure it was a different brand but this video was the most help of many I watched.
Great video, had to review the exact sequence of steps before getting the old plunger to come up, it was stuck, but the video will explain a very critical step to follow, then it really is easy.
Victory, baby ! Got it done. THANKS for video ! Propane TORCH was needed to heat/remove spigot housing threads(@1-2 mins torch under collar pointing up on pipe threads and nut housing of spigot), and old bottom plunger threads (#45-60 sec), cuz parts were sooo old and rusty - even after spraying PB Blaster solvent. (Follow all torch safety instructions !). Also, there's 3 O-rings in my kit, but video says just use 2 (had to remove third after reviewing vid) . Keep packing nut loose till u put spigot fully back on plunger rod, like in video. I put lots of Vaseline on new plunger/plug at bottom of rod, cuz it was tight fit going back down into pipe. Helps to have friend holding second monkey wrench for spigot removal, and plunger rod when removing old plug thread at bottom to replace w new one if yours is old, rusty and stuck like mine. Happy camper 😎. No more water spewing all over the pump handle when on, no more spigot drip when off.
Very well filmed and explained in easy to follow step by step instructions. My hydrant is not the same brand as the Simmons but is same design. Learned lots from you video. Thanks. Am working on proper rod adjustment today.
Wish I would have watched this before I started digging.....very humbling moment. Thank you for the video. Hole is filled and repair kit soon to be ordered
Before you screw the head back on you need to dope the pipe threads with a good pipe dope. Work it in well to both Male and female threads. These threads corrode and once they are shot you may have to dig and replace the pipe or whole unit. Mine were in very bad condition and I had to chase them with a hand threader. Never make it up a pipe joint without good pipe sealant.
Good info, but probably should have put pipe dope or tape on the head threads to prevent it from leaking. Also file down any burrs raised by the set screw so that they don't tear the o-rings and clean that portion of the shaft until it is smooth. Otherwise you will constantly have leaks. The other issue is there is no way to know if it has a small leak. It will drain out the weep hole underground. Only if there is a very large large leak will you notice above ground. The only way I can think of to address that is to have a pressure gauge somewhere in the line near it's source that you can shut off the pipe to the hydrant and see if the gauge pressure falls.
Awesome video - I followed the instructions and saved a pile of money. The repair kit I purchased had all the right pieces but I had to mix and match from the red or blue parts in order to facilitate the repair. THanK YOU
The reason not to replace a frost free is that you have to dig up the entire installation to replace it. If you rebuild it you can do all the work from the top and save at least an hour or more in labor of digging up the old faucet.
Well, not when you get to the point of inserting the new plunger into the valve and it just doesn't want to go. No amount of lubrication and force will get mine to go down any further. My only option now is to dig it up.
As a retired motorcycle mechanic, my heart stopped when he grabbed that pretty blue handle with a pipe wrench, when a Crescent wrench would have removed it without damage. I see this on chrome urinal plumbing often. It is barbaric!
We repaired a hydrant but the connection between the hydrant , L shaped connector and the water line stays damp. This is not water coming out at the bottom when you turn off the water. It is not dripping and the soil under the area doesn't feel soaked. It this amount of water acceptable? The guy that did it for me came back undid it, added new tape on the threads and really tighten everything up..still damp to the touch. Tell me if I can fill it in or do I need to look at something else?
If you have any questions or experience unexpected problems, please give us a call. 800-241-1935. Sometimes it can happen that the rubber part of the plunger does separate from the metal part and stay inside the valve body when you pull the rod. Do not worry about having to dig up the hydrant. Give us a call and we can send you a tool to quickly remove the old plunger.
I'd like to get that tool on hand or make one before I tear mine down. My prob is linkage wear(I hope) is not raising rod high enough to open. I made provision to prize up under the set screw but seems to take undue pressure to raise rod further, as if something inside's keeping it from raising. Have to keep pressure under set screw to get water flow too. I'll call before I undertake.
Bought your 850-SB from 67 Hardware off Ebay. Went to install today, was seriously disappointed and aggravated. The new one had more slack than old one. One POORLY machined piece. I turned some bushings to take up slack in old one, it's working fine now. Don't know who y'all contracting to make parts but you NEED to do something different.
When I turn the lever down to turn off, there still is small amount of water coming out the hose. It's not leaking around or outside or the handle. Is this the plunger ?
Looks good but when I tried to pull the plunger rod out it would not come out. I even hooked a wire to it and tried to use a pipe as a pry bar to pull it out and it started pulling the pipe out of the ground. I can turn the rod no problem but it won’t come out.
Mine's stuff in the shaft. Not even a come-a-long is pulling it out. Installed in an outbuilding in a 4 ft deep french drain filled with rocks in a tight space. Probably easier cap it and dig another line
Thank you for viewing. Please call Simmons at 800-241-1935. Open Monday through Friday 8-5. We will be able to help you with getting at kit or any other questions you may have. Thanks, Robert
As a 20 year veteran service plumber I have one wonderful peice of advise when doing any work on pressurized lines. Always turn the water off before working on any pipes or fixtures. Isolation valves are your best friend. When turning a line back on, always do it slowly and check for leaks. Leaks can happen even when pros do work, so be ready to turn back off if a problem still exists. Ok that was more than one piece of advise.
I have water seeping up through the ground all around my hydrant. If I replace the plunger, should that stop the leak or do you think I need to dig everything up and change the piping at the bottom of the unit?
Is it possible to replace a simmons hydrant with a iowa brand handle? I wasnt sure if i took broken simmons hydrant off if iowa model and plunger could be installed into existing 1" pipe without digging it up
