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Frost free hydrant for livestock

C

CWL

Member
Just finished digging up and replacing a frost free hydrant that was shot. It is close enough to a maple tree that the roots had plugged up the drain at its base. The tiny little hair sized roots were grown into the pea gravel that I put around the bottom of the hole years ago making it about like soft cement. I put about three bags of pea gravel back in the bottom of the hole before backfilling around the new hydrant. I'm hoping it will be a long time before doing this again. Any suggestions on keeping the roots from coming back with out killing the tree? I thought about mixing up a strong bleach and water mix and letting it siphon back into the hydrant drain periodically.
 
I have heard that copper sulfate will work for that, I have been planning on getting some to treat a drainfield that has roots in it. I know that it works to reduce aquatic vegetation in ponds.
 
I looked at a copper sulfate product for septic systems when I was at the hardware store. I chickened out when I read on the instructions not to use it on a sink with a metal drain because it would corrode the pipe.
 
If when you have the hydrant out put a fitting in the hole in the bottom then add a section of hose about 10 feet long to go back the ditch it will help get some distance from your tree. also will give more room for the water to go.
 
Hind sight is always 20/20 but now you have me thinking of lining the entire hole with corrugated drain pipe with a barrier in the bottom of the hole.
 
Copper sulfate won't hurt PVC, but you don't want to run it through the septic tank.

Best to feed it through a riser after the tank, directly into the lateral line.
 
They make a trifluralin impregnated cloth called Biobarrier. I'm not sure if the label allows it to be placed next to a hydrant. Trifluralin (Treflan) is not very toxic.
 
Copper Sulphate aka septic system root killer, available everywhere. Granular form, just add to your gravel.
 
Had you not already installed it I would have recommended a can of spray zinc (galvanize) and spray the bottom of it where the pipe threads into the valve assy. The galvanize is apparently done before the threads are cut and that area rusts out. Course it's a question of will it rust out befrore the valve starts leaking.
 
(quoted from post at 15:26:20 12/04/17) Just finished digging up and replacing a frost free hydrant that was shot. It is close enough to a maple tree that the roots had plugged up the drain at its base. The tiny little hair sized roots were grown into the pea gravel that I put around the bottom of the hole years ago making it about like soft cement. I put about three bags of pea gravel back in the bottom of the hole before backfilling around the new hydrant. I'm hoping it will be a long time before doing this again. Any suggestions on keeping the roots from coming back with out killing the tree? I thought about mixing up a strong bleach and water mix and letting it siphon back into the hydrant drain periodically.
Click to expand...

Copper sulfate will keep tree roots 'burnt' off. I use it yearly to keep the sewer line to the leach field open, works good.
 
(quoted from post at 19:05:36 12/04/17) Copper sulfate won't hurt PVC, but you don't want to run it through the septic tank.

Best to feed it through a riser after the tank, directly into the lateral line.
Click to expand...

Why? I've been running it through the tank for over 40 years with nary a problem.
 
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