Troubleshooting Guide

CNL-1000
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.
CNL-1000
Leaking out the drain hole
What you need to know here is if it is leaking in
the “off” position or the “on” position. These
are two completely different adjustments. If it
is leaking when in the “on” position, the plunger
may be too low and 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 here. Move the adjustment
nuts down a half turn only. 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 the nozzle. Or the plunger could be worn
or damaged and needs to be replaced. If the
leak continues when the hydrant is in the “off”
position, the plunger needs a slight adjustment
down. This means raise the adjustment nuts
up a half turn to make the plunger go down.
Again, if two or more adjustments does not fix
the problem, the plunger needs to be replaced
as in above directions. The only circumstances
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 other reason to ever dig
up a hydrant to fix it for a leak. It is a 100 to
1 odds that a hydrant needs to be dug up to be
fixed.
CNL-1000
Leaking out the nozzle
This would mean the plunger needs to be
lowered. To do this, the adjusting nut above and
below the pivot connector need to be raised one
turn. This may need to be repeated again to
completely stop the leak. Smaller adjustments
are better than adjusting several turns at once,
as it might 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. 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
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 probably
no further adjustment may 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.