Standard 3/4" E-5000

Inlet - 3/4" NPT in Casting
Outlet - 3/4" Hose Thread Adapter
Brass or No-Lead Brass and molded Rubber Plunger
Graphite Packing
1" Galvanized Stand Pipe

E-5000 Series, ENL-5000 Series, EM-5000 Series & EMNL-5000 Series Economy and Quality, Plastic/Metal Packing Gland, No-Lead Available.  "The Best of Both Worlds - Quality and Price"

Features & Benefits

The E-5000 Series Yard Hydrant gives year-round water service that drains below the frost line once shut off.  Only Merrill Manufacturing™ builds in more benefits to give you the best value in the industry.

* 1) Lever Control operates by cam principle and pulls straight up on operating rod.  Provides variable flow from trickle to full flow without lock to hold lever.

Benefit - Variable flow with no lock that rusts in place.

2) Draw Straps are made of 1040 high carbon hot rolled steel which is much harder (Brinell 175/200) and stronger.  Greatly reduces wear of straps and eliminates side pull on operating rod.

Benefit -  Longest operating life.

3) Operating Rod has smooth galvanized surface for maximum packing life.

Benefit - Longer service life of seal around rod.

4) Heavy-Duty Solid Hose Adapter threaded for standard 3/4" hose coupling.

Benefit - Standard hose fitting, readily available.

5) Heavy Cast Iron Head with the same design Merrill Manufacturing™ has used for over sixty years.

Benefit - Time-proven design takes years of abuse.

* 6) Pivot Connector a 1/4" hex head bolt provides simple positive adjustment and eliminates unreliable set screws used by other companies.

Benefit - Adjustable for years, not like rusting set screw.

7) Tough Packing Gland for easy plunger removal. Option: Metal packing gland available in EM-Series.

Benefit - Less time for plunger replacement.

8) Galvanized Pipe has no exposed threads subject to weather.

Benefit - No exposed steel on pipe to rust.

9) One-Piece Plunger uses double seal design to assure positive shut-off even when foreign particles are present.  Plunger positively opens drain to prevent freezing, and positively closes even at slow flow rates.

Benefit - Economical design that still closes drain hole.

* 10) Long Life Plunger is molded with ethylene propylene material that is self-lubricating and will not bond to brass or no-lead brass valve body like rubber plunger used by other companies.

Benefit - Longest operating life in one piece design.

11) Double Bypass Valve Body provides a large volume of water and the time-proven design used for over sixty years.

Benefit - High water flow with economical design.

12) Locking Eye on head and lever allows hydrant to be padlocked shut when not in use.

Benefit - Protects from waste of water.

* 13) Simplest Hydrant to Service no need to dig up hydrant to inspect plunger.  Shut off water supply.  Remove lever handle, loosen packing gland in head casting and pull up rod with plunger, or simply unscrew head and pull out rod and plunger.

Benefit - Very simple repair, easily done at ground level.

* Exclusive Merrill Quality Features NOTE: If hydrant is to be used in a high pressure application, please contact the factory.

E-5000 Yard Hydrant Installation Instructions

Almost NO Reason to Ever Dig up a Hydrant to Fix a Leak
Under no circumstances should Merrill Manufacturing Yard Hydrants drain back into well or drinking water supplies!
*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.

Step 1: First be sure water line on which hydrant is to be installed has been thoroughly flushed to wash out foreign particles.  Merrill Manufacturing will not warrant or accept any responsibility if the water line is not flushed out prior to attachment of hydrant.

Step 2: 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.
• If hydrant is buried in the ground and no tile are used, be sure to put a quantity of gravel, crushed rock or some coarse material, not sand, around the drain of the hydrant.  This will permit faster and better drainage.

Step 3: Important - 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 this 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.

Step 4: To connect the hydrant to the water line, just turn it onto the male thread connection for which it is intended.  Merrill Manufacturing™ has hydrant ells and tee fittings available for connection to flexible poly pipe.

• CAUTION: When the hydrant is tightened, be careful that it is not tightened so tightly that the hydrant head or valve body will be screwed further onto the pipe and thus change the adjustment of the hydrant.  If this should happen, refer to the adjustment section for the proper adjustment.

Step 5: Important - Before backfilling the trench, turn on the water.  Then turn on the hydrant by raising the handle to let the water flow.  If the hydrant is not working properly, refer to the adjustments below.  Merrill Manufacturing™ will not accept any responsibility for digging up the hydrant if the installer fails to flush out the water line before attaching hydrant to water line and to check the hydrant for proper operation before backfilling the trench.

WARNING: If the ground freezes at or below the bottom of this hydrant, your warranty is void and damage due to improper installation or act of nature is not covered by manufacturer.

CAUTION: Use wrench on valve body and fitting only!  Do not use wrench on this stand pipe!  Additional tightening or loosening will change adjustment of hydrant and could restrict water flow or may make the hydrant inoperative.

CAUTION: If the hose is attached to the nozzle of the hydrant when hydrant is shut off, back siphoning can occur if end of hose is left in container of liquid.  The end of the hose must be left open to the air so hydrant can drain back. 

Yard Hydrant Adjustment Instructions

The correct adjustment of this hydrant can be checked by raising the lever.  Water should not run through the hydrant until the lever passes the half way point or horizontal position.  When water is flowing through the hydrant it should shut off when the lever comes down to the horizontal point.  The last half travel of the lever in closing the hydrant opens the drain hole.  Also in turning the hydrant on, the first half travel of the lever puts the cup seals in position to positively close the drain before the water is turned on.  This advanced patented feature is found only in the Merrill Manufacturing Anyflow Hydrant.

Adjusting the plunger in the lower valve body

• To lower the plunger assembly into the valve body, take the G-15 bolt out of the head casting and remove the handle and G-20 draw straps (Note: draw straps are bent inward which applies pressure on the handle when opening the hydrant).  With two wrenches loosen the (2) 9/16" nuts on each side of the G-25 pivot connector.  To lower the plunger, turn the top nut upward, only one thread, then tighten the lower nut upward toward the G-25 pivot connector (or raise the G-25), then tighten the top nut.

• To determine if the water is not draining out of the stand pipe, turn the hydrant on and let the water flow.  Then push down the handle to close the hydrant with a cup of water covering the nozzle.  If the water in the cup siphons back through the hydrant, the plunger is in the correct position.  If the water does not siphon out of the cup, then adjust the plunger in the same way as stated above.  Then check to see if the water siphons out of the cup after adjustment.

E-5000 Yard Hydrant Adjustment Instructions

Adjusting the plunger in the lower valve body

To lower the plunger assembly, first turn off the water pressure.  Then loosen the C-5 1/4" stainless steel hex head bolt using a 11 millimeter wrench.  Raise the handle up all the way, tighten the 1/4" hex head bolt and lower the handle until the plunger bottoms out.  Then loosen the 1/4" hex head bolt, lower the handle until the handle end is 2" from closing against the head casing.  Then, hold the handle and retighten the hex bolt.  The water pressure can now be turned on.

To determine if the water is draining out of the stand pipe, turn the hydrant on and let the water flow.  Then push down the handle to close the hydrant with a cup of water covering the nozzle.  If the water in the cup siphons back through the hydrant, the plunger is in the correct position.  If the water does not siphon out of the cup, then adjust the plunger in the same way as stated above.  Then check to see if the water siphons out of the cup after adjustment.

E-5000 Yard Hydrant Troubleshooting

Leaking out of the packing

First tighten the packing nut a half turn while moving the handle up and down a few times.  If this does not completely stop the leaking, turn the packing nut another half turn while moving the handle up and down.  Sometimes this may have to be repeated again and again, depending on how long the leak has gone without being fixed.  Small adjustments are much better than turning the nut a full turn or more right away, as that may not be necessary.  If the adjustments do not cure the leak, a new packing piece must be installed under the packing nut.  There is no reason to shut off the water to do this adjustment.

Leaking out of the nozzle

This would mean the plunger needs to be lowered.  To do this, loosen the bolt on the side of the pivot connector and raise the pivot connector one turn to move the plunger.  This may need to be repeated again to completely stop the leak.  Smaller adjustments are better than adjusting several turns at once, as it may not be necessary.  If three or so adjustments does not fix the leak, the plunger must be replaced.  Most likely it is damaged or worn excessively. 

Replace the Plunger

To replace the plunger, a piece of tape needs to be put around the standpipe just under the hydrant head and mark the location of the nozzle.  Turn off the water supply and unscrew the head from the standpipe and pull out the inside rod and plunger.  Replace the plunger, lubricate and install back in standpipe.  Tighten head so that the head touches the tape and likely no further adjustment will be necessary.  Test to make sure it is draining properly by holding your hand over the outlet nozzle right away after shutting off hydrant for a few seconds.  Remove hand and you should hear a sound of air rushing into the hydrant.  This means it is draining properly and should be in good working order.  If it is not, do the adjustment as described above.

Leaking out of the Drain Hole

What you need to know is if it is leaking in the "off" position or the "on" position.  These are two completely different adjustments. 

"On" Position Leak

If it is leaking when in the "on" position, the plunger may be too low which means the plunger is not coming up far enough to shut off the drain hole when the hydrant is running.  Making small adjustments at a time is more critical in this situation.  Loosen the bolt on the side of the pivot connector and move the pivot connector down a half turn only to make the plunger go up.  By going too far you will raise the plunger so much it will not shut off when the handle is down, causing it to leak out of the nozzle.  If the leak does not stop, the plunger could be worn or damaged and needs to be replaced.

"Off" Position Leak

If the leak continues when the hydrant is in the "off" position, the plunger needs a slight adjustment down.  Loosen the bolt on the side of the pivot connector and move the pivot connector up a half turn only to make the plunger go down.  Again, if two or more adjustments does not fix the problem, the plunger needs to be replaced. 

The only circumstances in which a hydrant would need to be dug up would be damage to the valve body or standpipe due to freezing weather or aggressive soil conditions and it rusted through.  No amount of adjusting will fix this and those parts would need to be replaced.  There is no reason to ever dig up a hydrant to fix a leak.  It is a 100 to 1 odds that a hydrant needs to be dug up to be fixed.

E-5000 Yard Hydrant Maintenance Instructions

In maintenance, nothing is needed, but a few drops of oil occasionally on the cam of the lever will prolong its life.

To replace the plunger, NO NEED TO DIG UP HYDRANT, first turn off water pressure, then remove the handle and draw straps, loosen the packing nut, unscrew the packing gland and pull up the inside rod with plunger for easy service, or simply unscrew head casting from stand pipe and remove rod and plunger.

If hydrant is to be used in a high pressure application, please contact the factory.