I’ve wanted a DIY fire hydrant yard ornament for a while now. Louie feels the need to “pee” on everything I display in my yard, my totem, my plant bench, and my plants.
I bought these pvc parts at Home Depot.
Cathy gave me this large piece of pvc pipe.
Here is the pipe after I cut it down to size.
I used primer on all the pieces.
Then I spray painted them red.
I sprayed several coats of red on each piece.
I tried to keep the paint off of the threads of the pieces.
To attach all the pieces I used some of my trusty Gorilla Epoxy! This epoxy is awesome and the dual tube dispenser is great. You just remove that little black tab, squeeze out equal parts of the epoxy, then reattach the little black tab to keep the epoxy from drying out.
I used some bar soap to help “grease” the threads.
I put it together, and then gave it a couple of more light coats of red.
I put some black on the nuts.
Then I decided it would be easier to tape them off.
Here’s the little beast that pees on all my yard ornaments.
Gail Wilson is the author and mastermind behind My Repurposed Life. She is obsessed with finding potential in unexpected places and believes that with a little hard work and imagination, any old thing can be made useful again, including herself!
Gail reinvented herself during a midlife crisis and has found purpose again. She hopes you will find new ideas for old things and pick up a few tools along the way.
25 Comments
I just stumbled upon your website and trying to find out what was the width of the pipe you used. I haven’t seen any info on it. Thank you!
Btw, it looks amazing!
I apologize for not being more specific. It’s visible in a couple of the pictures. PVC pipe is always identified with it’s size. The pipe was three inches, and the fittings were for that size.
So happy you found my little project. My Louie is gone now, but that DIY fire hydrant was built to outlive me, I’m sure!
gail
Brilliant! I love your version much better than the resin models I’m finding for sale online. Do you recall approximately how much it cost and how tall was the finished product?
You’re so sweet, thanks for your kind words about my sweet Louie. I still miss him so much. The finished project isn’t very tall. Louie was a medium sized dog so that may give you some idea. However it is much taller than the resin and concrete fire hydrants I’ve seen for sale. No, I’m sorry I don’t remember how much it cost. PVC never goes on sale, so I know I paid full price.
Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to leave a comment. I hope your project comes together quick and easy.
gail
You are a total ‘legend’. Thank you so much for this. I’ve been looking to buy a fire hydrant for my puppy, but they are SO expensive. Thank you!!!
Thanks Heather! I’ve lost my little Louie but the fire hydrant remains in his honor. I buried his ashes there using the fire hydrant as a marker to remember him always.
I, like Midge, was looking for the shot of him er, ahem, “using” it. Then I realized that of course you would never post a picture like that. What was I thinking?!!!!? 😉 Now who’s silly? lol, Rose
Yes, it’s very silly! Yay! It’s adorable and so is Louie. I thought you’d include a shot of him giving it a try, but maybe he’s camera shy! Let us know how he likes it. Midge
I just stumbled upon your website and trying to find out what was the width of the pipe you used. I haven’t seen any info on it. Thank you!
Btw, it looks amazing!
Niko,
I apologize for not being more specific. It’s visible in a couple of the pictures. PVC pipe is always identified with it’s size. The pipe was three inches, and the fittings were for that size.
So happy you found my little project. My Louie is gone now, but that DIY fire hydrant was built to outlive me, I’m sure!
gail
Brilliant! I love your version much better than the resin models I’m finding for sale online. Do you recall approximately how much it cost and how tall was the finished product?
Very sorry to hear about Louie.
Thank you.
Stacey,
You’re so sweet, thanks for your kind words about my sweet Louie. I still miss him so much. The finished project isn’t very tall. Louie was a medium sized dog so that may give you some idea. However it is much taller than the resin and concrete fire hydrants I’ve seen for sale. No, I’m sorry I don’t remember how much it cost. PVC never goes on sale, so I know I paid full price.
Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to leave a comment. I hope your project comes together quick and easy.
gail
You are a total ‘legend’. Thank you so much for this. I’ve been looking to buy a fire hydrant for my puppy, but they are SO expensive. Thank you!!!
Thanks Heather! I’ve lost my little Louie but the fire hydrant remains in his honor. I buried his ashes there using the fire hydrant as a marker to remember him always.
gail
made our own and our lab loves it!
Maybe its a little silly… but it is totally cute and I love how you made it yourself. Anything for the furry memebers of the family!
Have a great weekend!
Oh my gosh! This is a fabulous idea. You are so wonderfully creative. Lucky Louie
haha how cute? Now all you need is to add No. 2 to it lol
I, like Midge, was looking for the shot of him er, ahem, “using” it. Then I realized that of course you would never post a picture like that. What was I thinking?!!!!? 😉
Now who’s silly?
lol,
Rose
Pretty darn cool!!! Your little beast is adorable!!!
Yes, it’s very silly! Yay! It’s adorable and so is Louie. I thought you’d include a shot of him giving it a try, but maybe he’s camera shy! Let us know how he likes it.
Midge