I have a yard hydrant about 75' from the house. Sprung a leak about 5' from the hydrant, and 3' down. I've cut out a 1/2" piece where it was leaking, and am now trying to figure out what kind of pipe it is.

It's black, fairly flexible, just over 1" OD and about .81" ID. Wall thickness 1/8". I know the hydrant was put in 50 years ago, and PRESUME the line is the original. I first thought it was plastic but after looking at it in the basement where it leaves the house (no markings)--and examining the cut out piece--which cuts pretty easily with a utility knife--I now suspect it's just somewhat hardened rubber. Would that make any sense?

If so. To repair = barbed fittings and hose clamps?

Thanks.

For a while, about that period, they used ABS for water service pipes, so that may be what you have. IF so, the barbed connectors and hose clamps are the only repair.

How are the fittings connected to the piping ? I run into 1" ABS from time to time and I have a supply of male adapters to transition over to a more modern piping.

The only fitting I can see is in the basement, and it looks like it's probably barbed. Probably should have said that what I can see in the basement makes a half a loop, with about an 18" radius. Guessing ABS isn't that flexible?

Either way sounds like getting a barbed fitting to splice is the next step.

Thanks.



Edited 1 times.

quote; Guessing ABS isn't that flexible?

Yes it was. You are thinking about sewer pipe which is made so it is NOT flexible. It was used in mobile homes just like spaghetti, or PEX.



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I see.

Whatever it is, it had a 'tear',maybe a 1/2" long on the bottom, which I cut out. Bottom of each cut end felt smooth. Used a hair dryer and heated the pipe, barbed fitting went into one side fine. Then had to try to lift both ends up, to make room for the fitting to go into the other side. It did, but I can now feel the pipe splitting on the bottom again, on that second side. Maybe because of the force/angle of pushing the other end of the barbed fitting in, maybe because it was weakened already from the original problem?

I'm guessing I'd have to dig up a lot of pipe to get enough slack that this wouldn't keep happening, if I try to splice in new stuff. Are couplings or unions available for this if it's that type of ABS?

Thanks again.

it wouldn't be very hard to assemble some nipples with a union in the middle and barb fittings on the ends.

yeah--I could do that!

I called the fairly knowledgable plumbing supply place around here, and they never heard of flexible ABS for supply lines, so maybe never common here?

Could this be what's often called black poly, which I think is often used in wells on jet pumps or to hang submersibles? Seemed like the wall was too think, but maybe not?

Thanks.

black poly came in different wall thicknesses.
one was rated for 100 PSI. another for 200 PSI which had a thicker wall.