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About Merrill MFG: Installation & Troubleshooting

Merrill Manufacturing disclaims all liability of any kind and voids the hydrant warranty for installations of this product where it can or could drain back into a drinking water supply.

Install Heated Hydrant beside, manufactured mobile home (or anything else not easily moved) to allow future service of unit.

First be sure line on which hydrant is to be installed has been thoroughly flushed to wash out foreign particles. Sand or other debris will damage hydrant water seals. Merrill will not warrant or accept any responsibility if the water line is not flushed out prior to attachment of hydrant.

Install the proper length heated hydrant so the top is 7" above ground level (or to specifications of the local plumbing code) and valve body is below the depth of frost in your area. If the ground freezes below the bottom of this hydrant, your warranty is void. Damage due to improper installation or act of nature is not covered by manufacturer.

When installing Drain Back Any Temp Yard Hydrant, be sure the hydrant is installed with provision for drainage below the frost line.

• If hydrant is installed in a pit, the pit must have an open bottom or some form of drainage.

• If hydrant is buried in the ground, a few tile can be laid in gravel or coarse material to form a field system for the drain. Do not use sand during installation. Sand can damage inside of hydrant and easily becomes mixed with dirt for poor drainage.

If hydrant is buried in the ground, it is a good idea to put a brick or large stone under the hydrant, because when the hydrant drains and the subsoil becomes wet, it will allow the hydrant to settle and thus put a strain on the pipe to which it is connected. A brick or stone would carry this weight.

To connect the hydrant to the water line, thread pipe fitting into the inlet female pipe thread connection. Merrill has hydrant ells and tee fittings available for connection to flexible poly pipe.

• When the hydrant is tightened, be careful that it is not tightened in a way that the valve body will be screwed further onto the standpipe and thus change the adjustment of the hydrant. Your wrench must be on the valve body hex, not the riser pipe.

• The correct of this hydrant can be checked before installation, by making sure that distance from bottom of black valve body to bottom of plunger is 1-3/8". This is done with hydrant in complete “on” position.

Do not connect heated hydrant directly into water main or PVC pipe fittings, due to movement of ground (heaving and thawing action) during freezing weather. Connection is recommended using a brass insert fitting, hose clamp and flexible (Polyethylene) plastic pipe with large rock or brick under insert fitting to support weight. After connection to water line, check all fittings for leaks.

Using the heated hydrant for an electrical ground is a violation of the National Electrical Code and the cord for the cable should be plugged into a ground fault protected circuit.

The water inside the center pipe should not freeze as long as the heating cable is plugged into a standard 110 volt outlet and power is continually supplied.

Push hydrant head down & turn clockwise______	Water will flow
Turn hydrant head counter-clockwise head up___	Water will stop
To lock hydrant “on”_______________________	Tighten set screw

In maintenance, nothing is normally needed.

To replace any valve or plunger parts, NO NEED DIGGING UP HYDRANT - Simply remove (2) socket head cap screws, pull hydrant head and pipe, up through standpipe. To re-install, drop pipe down through standpipe, align holes and install the cap screws. If you have to replace valve body, make sure that distance from bottom of black valve body to bottom of plunger is 1-3/8". This is done with hydrant in the complete “on” position. This assures proper alignment inside valve body.

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The self-regulating heating cable in Merrill Heated Hydrant is commercial grade heating cable. This heating cable provides only the amount of heat needed for the varying outdoor temperatures and does not waste electricity like the heat rod used by another company. Our heating cable is attached to the outside of the water supply pipe, so rust and other minerals will not build up and reduce the efficiency and life of the heating cable. The other company inserts a heat rod inside the pipe, which has a short life and needs to be stocked by the distributor because of replacements.

Winterize the Heated Hydrant when not electrically heated or plugged in, or unit may freeze and break, voiding warranty.

Shut the hydrant off.

You will need to remove the water inside the hydrant before you unplug the heating cable. This can be done easily with the winterizing kit available from Merrill. The winterizing kit consists of a special pipe plug, air valve, tubing fitting and tubing.

Remove the cover on the top of the heated hydrant by taking out the one screw on the side of the hydrant head.

Remove the water line from the hydrant head.

Push the tubing from the winterizing kit down the center pipe of the hydrant until it is in as far as you can push it, pull part of the tubing back out and cut the tubing 2" shorter than the length you pushed into the hydrant.

Attach the tubing (you pushed into the hydrant) to the tubing fitting screwed into the pipe plug, contained in the winterizing kit.

Push the tubing back down and screw the pipe plug into the hydrant head outlet.

Force air into the hydrant, through the air valve in the pipe plug, until the water inside
the hydrant has been removed through the tubing or hole in the pipe plug. A hand pump
can be used where pressurized air is not available.

Cap the water outlet after removing pipe plug and tubing, then replace the cover on the top of the hydrant head. Winterizing is completed.

Unplug heating cable, shut off hydrant and water line to hydrant.

Remove two socket head cap screws from steel collar with 3/16" hex wrench.

Pull up and take out entire insides of hydrant.

Cut the tape holding the insulation together (along the seam).

Cut the tape holding the heating cable to the pipe.

Using a pair of pliers, squeeze the top and bottom or the strain relief bushing (that holds the electrical cord to the hydrant head) and pull the cord and bushing out.

Replace the heating cable and electrical cord the same way as removed with a new replacement from Merrill.

Tape the heating cable to the pipe as it was and to tape the cable securely at the top of the pipe.

Retape the insulation around the pipe and heating cable.

Put the entire insides of the hydrant back down the steel collar and replace the two socket head cap screws.

Plug the heating cable back in and turn water back on.

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