The hydrant in my barn has develpoed a drip, and when the temperature dropped, it froze up. I have now unfrozen it with heat tapes, but it is still dripping. How do I adjust or repair it? Thanks.
Laura, I don't think anyone can tell you how to fix it without knowing what kind of faucet it is. First thing, of course, is to turn off the water to that faucet and open the faucet to relieve any pressure in the lines. Then some have a rubber faucet washer so you just have to unscrew the top (the big nut) to remove it, take out one phillips screw and put a new faucet washer on it and replace. If it's leaking around the stem when the water's on, you may need to tighten the packing nut (the small nut). Then of course, there are washerless faucets in which case you may have to simply replace the entire faucet. Naturally, anytime you put a wrench on the faucet, you also need hold the pipe it's on to make sure you don't break that. Is it PVC, galvanized pipe, copper; screwed on faucet, sweated, etc.? Is it a freeze proof faucet? And then there are the cartridge types in which you just replace the cartridge. Personally, I haven't seen one of those used outdoors, but that doesn't mean they don't exist. Good luck with it, and maybe someone else can help more, especially if you can post a picture or tell us just what kind it is.
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