Water Hydrant/ Well Question

I've got several of these Non-operational hydrants located on the farm from days gone past. Believe they probably went in in the 50's. My thought is they had to have been plumbed about 50+ yards or so and across a field back to the old farmhouse where the main well & power was.....but that seems quite a distance. The other thought was that they pumped some how and the pipe goes down a ways to ground water. I do have one that is in the barn that's attached to a pretty long length of pipe...about 20'
Any thoughts? They kind of look like this:


Edited by Scott B - 08 Feb 2021 at 10:25am

Valve at bottom of the pipe and is serviced by disconnecting the rod at the handle , a bolt holds handle to rod , then removing the head from the drop pipe , then pulling rod up with the valve fitting attached . It has a seal on it that closes valve but when handle is raised allows water to flow up pipe but at same time blocks the drain hole in side of lower valve body . 
 They come in different lengths for depth of burry , most in 6' or 8' below ground and about 2 to 3 ft above ground . 
 Several things go wrong - pipe rots out feeding the hydrant, drain hole gets plugged and they freeze , valve leaks and water rises from blocked hole and they freeze , operating rod out of adjustment and valve doesn't open or wont shut off . 
  The lower valve body is straight line pointing down so a 90 ell is needed at bottom and then connected to pipe run , a place where if the hydrant was not set on a solid footing block they settle and break the connection to plastic pipe or put strain on supply pipe to cause failure 

Edited by Coke-in-MN - 08 Feb 2021 at 10:53am

jay, If the water doesn't drain down to the bottom of the pipe (below frost line), then how does it remain not frozen.  Just asking.

Thanks for the explanation JW,  if I ever have to change one of mine out again, I guess it will spend a little time on the drill press first. 

JW in MO wrote: New ones are tube within a tube, water which would have drained into the ground is now drained within the outer tube and should be buried deep enough to be below frost line. The next time the hydrant is turned on, old water is syphoned out of the outer tube to make room for next shutoff. Now if that water were to sit in there for say a few months and you happened to get a drink of it, let’s just say your next few hours will be predetermined, have plenty of reading material at hand. But while you’re sitting there you can pat yourself on the back for saving the environment, from water that came out of the ground! And 'they' want us to take them serious!?!?