Hello all,
I wanted to provide some pictures of what I did when installing a frost proof water hydrant inside my unheated garage. This site has been so useful I wanted to provide some input of my own that I hope will help someone else as the site has helped me out.
I live in a an area where the frost depth is 4 foot during winter. I wanted water in my garage but didn't want to worry about keeping the space heated year round. I installed a water hydrant inside under the slab, and supported it with rebar. I connected a 1" water line to a brass elbow and secured to the bottom of the hydrant. I set the hydrant with the elbow on a brick near my wall footing for a sturdy level surface that I hope will not settle.
To solve the drainage issue, I connected a 1/4" pex tubing with a hose clamp to a barb fitting and screwed it into the drain hole on the hydrant. I then ran the tubing to a small pit outside of the foundation wall under the footing. I dug a hole a little larger than a 5 gallon bucket into the ground and filled it with washed rock. In the middle of the rock pit, I put in a short piece of perforated tile and two caps, and drilled a hole in the top cap to insert the piping. The perforated tile creates an airspace so that the 1/4" drainage pipe should never plug. I then covered the pit with silt fabric before backfilling to prevent dirt from silting into the gravel pit. Be sure to test all connections for leaks before back-filling everything.
This may be way overkill, but didn't want to worry about an issue down the road. I hope this helps someone, and comments welcome
I wanted to provide some pictures of what I did when installing a frost proof water hydrant inside my unheated garage. This site has been so useful I wanted to provide some input of my own that I hope will help someone else as the site has helped me out.
I live in a an area where the frost depth is 4 foot during winter. I wanted water in my garage but didn't want to worry about keeping the space heated year round. I installed a water hydrant inside under the slab, and supported it with rebar. I connected a 1" water line to a brass elbow and secured to the bottom of the hydrant. I set the hydrant with the elbow on a brick near my wall footing for a sturdy level surface that I hope will not settle.
To solve the drainage issue, I connected a 1/4" pex tubing with a hose clamp to a barb fitting and screwed it into the drain hole on the hydrant. I then ran the tubing to a small pit outside of the foundation wall under the footing. I dug a hole a little larger than a 5 gallon bucket into the ground and filled it with washed rock. In the middle of the rock pit, I put in a short piece of perforated tile and two caps, and drilled a hole in the top cap to insert the piping. The perforated tile creates an airspace so that the 1/4" drainage pipe should never plug. I then covered the pit with silt fabric before backfilling to prevent dirt from silting into the gravel pit. Be sure to test all connections for leaks before back-filling everything.
This may be way overkill, but didn't want to worry about an issue down the road. I hope this helps someone, and comments welcome
