The ball valve installed the other day worked well. So well in fact that it did not create enough back pressure for the frost free hydrants to run. When the lever was raised, the faint sound of the ocean gurgled in pipe, but not a drop came out.
The solution was relatively clear. Replace the ball valve with a gate valve and hope for the best. I should have gotten a picture before putting it in the ground to make the difference clear. A gate valve uses a screw to open a gate like the hose to your house. A ball valve is literally a ball with a hole drilled through and a lever attached. When the lever rotates the ball, the whole allows the liquid to flow freely. Ball valves last longer than gate valves but don't give the flexibility to adjust flow.
The gate valve I picked up with Freddie is beefy and built for steam applications. I imagine it will last a long time. Our second stop was the metal supply store. I finally picked up some angle iron they owed me as well as a bar intended as an extension to turn the gate 4+ feet in the ground. After drilling a whole with the lathe and trying to tap it smoothly, Freddie found that the back of the socket would fit the valve and matches up pretty nicely with the side of the pipe. Tomorrow the socket will be welded to the bar with a small metal T for torque creating a 5ft extension. I don't want to speak too soon, but it looks like it won't need too much adjusting. Freddie turned on a near hydrant, and I adjusted the valve until the water flowed nicely, the trend continued at the other hydrants on the property. The volume isn't as much as before, however it is still a substantial flow where as yesterday there was nothing.
Butch comes back tomorrow, and by the end of the day we should be able to cross a huge item off the list. It looks so good already.
Butch comes back tomorrow, and by the end of the day we should be able to cross a huge item off the list. It looks so good already.
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