Magdalene’s Bootcamp Experience

Brk day 183

Thanks for posting the hydrant head photos, Magdalene!

Aha.....the picture that is worth a thousand words :-) .......  the little set screw was out of view in the original photo so now it makes sense.  If that set screw was loosened, the plunger rod that goes down through the pipe would just sit there, not moving, while the handle went up or down and no water would come out.  The set screw grabs the plunger rod when tightened and allows the handle to move that plunger rod up and down to open and close the valve at the bottom of the pipe.  Where the one design uses adjusting nuts to find that 'happy place' where the water flows well with the handle up and the water stays shut off with the handle down, the set screw model like what you guys have employs loosening the set screw if you need to re-adjust where along the top of the plunger rod you want that screw to grab.....finding the happy place by loosening, slightly moving the handle, and then re-tightening the set screw to see if the happy place has been reached.  I can see on major, MAJOR advantage to the set screw design:  No disassembly of the flat steel arms that attach to the handle and pull the rod up to access water.  With the adjustment nut design, you have to take the handle and the steel arms off each time (!!!)  just to turn one of the adjusting nuts a quarter or half turn, then reassemble to see if happy place has been achieved.  Not fun on a nice day, really irritating in cold weather.  Are you guys okay with posting the brand or source for that hydrant?  Again, much thanks for that extra photo.....cleared up the confusion immediately!

John Weiland wrote:Super curious about something in your new water hydrant photo.....

In the close-up that I've clipped below, I can't see the adjusting nuts that would allow for 'fine tuning' of water flow in case mild leaks develop, which is not uncommon.  See the photo immediately below that for location of the adjusting nuts above and below the pivot bar.  I'm not able to imagine how your hydrant level pulls the plunger rod up and down, but it may be the angle of the photo.  If time permits, could you snap a photo of the spiggot head from the rear (i.e., the opposite side that the spout is on) with the handle in the up position?  Just curious as this seems to be a knock-off of the Merrill Anyflow hydrant head from some years ago.....their newer models are of a slightly different design.  Thanks!

Edited to add a photo of our own hydrant.....currently non-functional as it's still frozen up solid til the ground thaws completely. :-/

John, bummer about your frozen frost-proof hydrant... I don't think that's how they're supposed to work ;-p
In the new pictures of the reverse side of the new hydrant, my guess is that the square headed set-screw is the valve adjustment, locking the operating rod to that brass pivot.
The smooth op-rod is probably a cost-cutting, or maybe a patent dodge.

Brk day 184

Brk day 185

I hope your flax will succeed. I did grow fiber flax for some years at small patches in my front yard. I always did the sowing on the 100th day of the year (which is somewhere in April), because I read that's the traditional date to sow the flax seeds. And from that day you count 100 days more and then it's time for the harvest.

Brk day 186

Magdalene Bolton wrote:Brk day 186
A cheat sheet from a book Paul lent me

Is that the Square Foot Gardening book, or do other authors use the same format?

Coydon Wallham wrote:

Magdalene Bolton wrote:Brk day 186
A cheat sheet from a book Paul lent me

Is that the Square Foot Gardening book, or do other authors use the same format?

It certainly is Square Foot Gardening

Magdalene Bolton wrote:It certainly is Square Foot Gardening

I found a copy in my university's library sale when I was looking to start my first garden. Looks like they got rid of it because some guy named Mel vandalized the cover with his signature. I wonder how many engineer/math heads have been cast adrift in the tropical island paradise of gardening by that book...