Another Day on Marketplace

It began innocently as these things do, I saw an old fire hydrant for sale on Marketplace and was immediately attracted to it. It was a unique lawn decoration and although Juno has never shown an affinity for urinating on them, she likes to stop and sniff hydrants whenever possible. It was not very practical but I never did shake the idea of acquiring one. 

Recently I was able to close a deal on an older hydrant from Toronto. The seller bought it at auction and never did refurbish it like he intended to. This was an older hydrant and shows more character than today's hydrants which are utilitarian looking. This thing is heavy. Really heavy. 300lbs heavy. Its moments like this that I rejoice in being a truck owner. With a small group we were able to load and secure this gem. The smile on my face as we loaded the beast and headed off was only surpassed by the smile on the sellers’ wife’s face.   

First impressions - It's built to last. This thing is solid and will be around a long time. The caps are seized and threads have dozens of layers of paint. I had planned to leave them alone but the spout is a loose at the joint so I will have to investigate further. The top cap is a bronze/brass and I am debating polishing vs. leaving the patina in place.  No paint for the top cap.

The Plan - General cleanup with wire brush. There are some chips in the paint. Address the movement I found in the spout and secure them in position. A fresh coat of paint and display proudly in the garden.

I took the time to learn a little about fire hydrants. Going down the rabbit hole - some interesting things I've learned. This YTWW embossed on the barrel - York Township Water Works. The cap is labelled with the machine company who manufactured this beauty. They went out of business in the mid 50s.

I've started paying attention to hydrants and there are a lot more of them than I realized. I can be so oblivious in everyday life.  We take these for granted. I can see 3 hydrants from my front lawn but never properly noticed them.

Go Down the Hydrant Rabbit Hole

I can see 3 hydrants from my front lawn but never properly noticed them. There is tremendous infrastructure in place and I'm not sure I've ever seen one in use. Ever.

Final Notes I love everything about this hydrant. It's solid, built to last. It's strictly mechanical - there are no computer chips or QR codes. What is not to love? I've decided to honor it with a red paint job. The casting has curves and details you don’t see on today’s hydrants. I will appreciate this unique hydrant for years to come.