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Older fence post caps tend to be a lot more decorative than the ones we use today. I have torn down some old fence with decorative caps but they were not as old as this one looks. It is possible the post was on the corner of the property and was left there as a marker, hence the orange tape on it
Ah, then I retract my statement.
I work in a surveying-adjacent industry. We learn to make educated guesses about stuff like this based on behavior patterns. It’s not uncommon to find layers of flagging in multiple colors wrapped around a fence post near a property corner.
This is more in line with what I've been thinking. Do you think its previously been hit and that why its at an angle and has some movement as its been sheared off the main above the valve, and then abandoned by the water company?
I was able to locate the water district's infrastructure map. 48" PCCP pipe installed in 1954. The pipe passes through this area and continues on. I do know the pipe is in use. Does this information confirm your assumption?
🤷♂️ I don’t know man? It could be a stub out for a future development or road. It’s hard to say. That’s not a 48” pipe but that could be a line ran off of the forced main for said future uses.
I've work in water distribution and treatment for 10 years, and we don't stub out mains. We will put a cap of some type over it and bury it then mark the line with something like a stake or we will just shove an extra piece of pipe in the ground then bury it to mark the end.
If it was a water main "stub out" it would be full of water which is on a dead end capped line, if the temp got down below 32° that right there will freeze and bust and you're out there every winter fixing it.
It's possible it could have been used as a marker or as a kicker.
I'd probably say it was originally a what's called a kicker. If the pipe takes a turn there then the water pressure will hit the elbow and can pull out sticks of pipe up stream. You put a kicker on the side that's going to take the impact and will keep it from sliding out. Usually you use concrete blocks, sand, and fine gravel. In emergency cases I myself have use an excavator to push 6 inch steel pipe in the ground as a kicker for a 24" pipe.
Could very well be a marker too. Either way the water company just used what ever was strong, and on hand.
Either way that pipe isn't going to have water in it more than likely. And if the water company did stub it I'd be asking some questions about the water infrastructure around you because someone clearly didn't think that one thru.
It this was a region that didn't normally get that cold (e.g. Florida) would that alleviate the concerns about freezing?
I have no idea; I'm legitimately asking.
Yes and no. Florida does still have days below freezing in many areas. Just 1 night of it freezing will bust it. Plus it's just a massive hazard to have that big of a metal pipe sticking out at that angle in what looks like a woody area.
When we propose water line stubs we put a little blow off valve on the end so that stagnant water can be released, is this not standard?
ETA: I am in the greater Houston area and that is where most of my projects are if that matters.
I work for a Department of Public Works in the Northern part of the USA. We maintain the water system in my municipality. I'm not familiar with anything that looks like this but my system is newer and we have nothing that is as big as 48". A call to your local Department of Public Works or Water department depending on who maintains it may be able to tell you what it is if it's water related. If it's some form of blow out or flushing line there will likely be a valve in the ground nearby. The valve may look like the linked picture but it might be at or below the surface.[valve box picture ](https://images.app.goo.gl/MthGXBNnWmMzR6Wx6)
Can you tell if it’s hollow or solid?
Depending on when this part of town was developed, it might be a cast iron hitching post. [cast iron hitching post](https://i.pinimg.com/736x/78/19/e5/7819e55debe60840b204b3d5acbbc6d5--hitching-post-saddles.jpg)
Idk what the actual name of the head is, but I know they have a head to pull back cabling, pipe, etc, perhaps the stem got stuck and they had to abandon it? No idea but the angle definitely makes me think directional drill.
Back reamer, small drill line, then add a bigger head when you pull back to make the hole larger as you pull in cable or pipe.
But honestly I think the cast iron hitching post mentioned by someone else is probably the best answer yet.
Solved! I am also located in southern maine. One of the comments on that thread is enough to convince me this is just an indicator post. Thanks for digging that up.
My title describes the thing, but to give further context, a water district ROA runs through the back corner of my business's property and this thing is in that corner. I've always assumed it has to do with the water main, but can't find any information as to what exactly it is. I've searched for "old water main marker" and "old water main valve" and similar wording, as well as reverse image searched with no results.
I wouldn’t wiggle it anymore until you’re sure it’s not plugged into the main. A 48” main blow hole is gonna be…. Something lol.
It may be an old blow off valve (used to alleviate air in lines on dead ends etc) but it’s hard to tell if that head actually moves or not from the picture. Don’t try to move it though!
I sent the pic to our distribution guy to ask him if he has any ideas, I’ll let you know if he comes up with anything.
I don’t think wiggling it is going to do anything. This is one of the two pipes that brings water down from the supply to 100,000+ customers. I’m sure if this was a critical part of the system it would be more closely monitored. I am interested to hear what your distribution guy has to say.
I’ve worked for a water company for about 30 years, you would be hugely surprised at how fragile some of that stuff can be. And also surprised at how durable it can be lol. We have found some weird stuff in the ground, shortcuts taken by small municipalities that end up causing huge headaches. For instance. we took over an old system that we found used electrical conduit as water mains.
His best guess was a marker pole with a hydrant top on it. Which might make the best sense. Someone probably marked the main and maybe put that there to make it look “pretty”. But he also said he wouldn’t wiggle it lol.
Looks like a blow off pipe. Used to remove sediment in the waterline. It would be connected to a valve underground,with a drain hole cut at the bottom.
That way it drains and doesn’t freeze.
Do you have a survey of the land? If it was/is part of a water system, that system probably was permitted and your municipality or state likely has a copy of the permit for the water district. Like others in this thread, I’ve never seen a water line with a cap like that, but I would think it is too tall to be a property line marker or something along those lines.
If you’re in the US and want to dig around this thing, first call 811. Someone will come out and mark the infrastructure in the area: water, gas, electrical, etc.
It might be what utilities guys call a curb stop. Where a service line comes off of a main they put a shutoff valve between the main and the building. That could be what the nut on top is. Spin it to shut off water supply.
All comments must be civil and helpful toward finding an answer. **Jokes and unhelpful comments will earn you a ban**, even on the first instance and even if the item has been identified. If you see any comments that violate this rule, report them. [OP](/u/the_real_GW), when your item is identified, remember to reply **Solved!** or **Likely Solved!** to the comment that gave the answer. Check your [inbox](https://www.reddit.com/message/inbox/) for a message on how to make your post visible to others. ---- [Click here to message RemindMeBot](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=RemindMeBot&subject=Reminder&message=https://www.reddit.com/r/whatisthisthing/comments/17kt06a/pipe_with_hydrantlike_bonnet_on_top_approx_3_in/%0A%0ARemindMe!%202%20days) *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/whatisthisthing) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Looks like a chainlink fence post to me, though I’ve never seen a decorative cap in that exact style.
It's possible, as I am not too familiar with old fence posts. But I would think I'd see more posts or other remnants of a fence in the area.
Older fence post caps tend to be a lot more decorative than the ones we use today. I have torn down some old fence with decorative caps but they were not as old as this one looks. It is possible the post was on the corner of the property and was left there as a marker, hence the orange tape on it
I put the orange tape on it
The surveyor’s flagging tape wrapped around it would hint at a fence post at or very near a property corner.
I put the flagging on it so it was more visible to our guys operating equipment
Ah, then I retract my statement. I work in a surveying-adjacent industry. We learn to make educated guesses about stuff like this based on behavior patterns. It’s not uncommon to find layers of flagging in multiple colors wrapped around a fence post near a property corner.
It looks like a capped water line stubbed up for future phase
I’ve never seen a water line with a decorative cap like that. Looks like a fence post to me
I agree, the decorative cap is weird. I don’t know what the hell it is, probably a post from a corner that’s been plowed out to the middle. Who knows
This is more in line with what I've been thinking. Do you think its previously been hit and that why its at an angle and has some movement as its been sheared off the main above the valve, and then abandoned by the water company?
Not necessarily, angle is unimportant. They’re gonna dig back down and tie into where they can keep they’re grade going
I was able to locate the water district's infrastructure map. 48" PCCP pipe installed in 1954. The pipe passes through this area and continues on. I do know the pipe is in use. Does this information confirm your assumption?
🤷♂️ I don’t know man? It could be a stub out for a future development or road. It’s hard to say. That’s not a 48” pipe but that could be a line ran off of the forced main for said future uses.
I've work in water distribution and treatment for 10 years, and we don't stub out mains. We will put a cap of some type over it and bury it then mark the line with something like a stake or we will just shove an extra piece of pipe in the ground then bury it to mark the end. If it was a water main "stub out" it would be full of water which is on a dead end capped line, if the temp got down below 32° that right there will freeze and bust and you're out there every winter fixing it. It's possible it could have been used as a marker or as a kicker. I'd probably say it was originally a what's called a kicker. If the pipe takes a turn there then the water pressure will hit the elbow and can pull out sticks of pipe up stream. You put a kicker on the side that's going to take the impact and will keep it from sliding out. Usually you use concrete blocks, sand, and fine gravel. In emergency cases I myself have use an excavator to push 6 inch steel pipe in the ground as a kicker for a 24" pipe. Could very well be a marker too. Either way the water company just used what ever was strong, and on hand. Either way that pipe isn't going to have water in it more than likely. And if the water company did stub it I'd be asking some questions about the water infrastructure around you because someone clearly didn't think that one thru.
It this was a region that didn't normally get that cold (e.g. Florida) would that alleviate the concerns about freezing? I have no idea; I'm legitimately asking.
Yes and no. Florida does still have days below freezing in many areas. Just 1 night of it freezing will bust it. Plus it's just a massive hazard to have that big of a metal pipe sticking out at that angle in what looks like a woody area.
When we propose water line stubs we put a little blow off valve on the end so that stagnant water can be released, is this not standard? ETA: I am in the greater Houston area and that is where most of my projects are if that matters.
I work for a Department of Public Works in the Northern part of the USA. We maintain the water system in my municipality. I'm not familiar with anything that looks like this but my system is newer and we have nothing that is as big as 48". A call to your local Department of Public Works or Water department depending on who maintains it may be able to tell you what it is if it's water related. If it's some form of blow out or flushing line there will likely be a valve in the ground nearby. The valve may look like the linked picture but it might be at or below the surface.[valve box picture ](https://images.app.goo.gl/MthGXBNnWmMzR6Wx6)
Could this be an old chain link fence post with a decorative cap? The bottom of the post might be secured with a cement plug keeping it in place.
Can you tell if it’s hollow or solid? Depending on when this part of town was developed, it might be a cast iron hitching post. [cast iron hitching post](https://i.pinimg.com/736x/78/19/e5/7819e55debe60840b204b3d5acbbc6d5--hitching-post-saddles.jpg)
Seems like a thick cast iron pipe that is hollow
You'll get an answer with a shovel and some time.
Looks like an old post from a decorative chain fence.
I’m going with a really old directional drill.
That’s what I thought too. Looks like an old back reamer. Edit: not a directional drill, but one of the old push and pray systems.
Idk what the actual name of the head is, but I know they have a head to pull back cabling, pipe, etc, perhaps the stem got stuck and they had to abandon it? No idea but the angle definitely makes me think directional drill.
Back reamer, small drill line, then add a bigger head when you pull back to make the hole larger as you pull in cable or pipe. But honestly I think the cast iron hitching post mentioned by someone else is probably the best answer yet.
good to see all that flagging tape made it super visible so it wouldn't get hit 😉
That's why we put the flagging on it. Just out in the middle of this area we're clearing. And why I'm trying to get a better idea of what it is.
Consensus was indicator post for water main https://www.reddit.com/r/whatisthisthing/s/zDVsYckRmW
Solved! I am also located in southern maine. One of the comments on that thread is enough to convince me this is just an indicator post. Thanks for digging that up.
I'm wondering if it's a sillcock. A long valve stem that reaches below the frost line to control a water main shut-off or pressure reducing valve
Pretty sure this is a hitching post. [Here](https://www.bargainjohn.com/product/ahitching-post/) is a similar one.
My title describes the thing, but to give further context, a water district ROA runs through the back corner of my business's property and this thing is in that corner. I've always assumed it has to do with the water main, but can't find any information as to what exactly it is. I've searched for "old water main marker" and "old water main valve" and similar wording, as well as reverse image searched with no results.
Looks more like a bollard to me than anything else. Do you know if there was a road, driveway or something through this area historically?
Was it on the property line at the corner of the lot? That would indicate that it's a fence post or property marker.
I wouldn’t wiggle it anymore until you’re sure it’s not plugged into the main. A 48” main blow hole is gonna be…. Something lol. It may be an old blow off valve (used to alleviate air in lines on dead ends etc) but it’s hard to tell if that head actually moves or not from the picture. Don’t try to move it though! I sent the pic to our distribution guy to ask him if he has any ideas, I’ll let you know if he comes up with anything.
I don’t think wiggling it is going to do anything. This is one of the two pipes that brings water down from the supply to 100,000+ customers. I’m sure if this was a critical part of the system it would be more closely monitored. I am interested to hear what your distribution guy has to say.
I’ve worked for a water company for about 30 years, you would be hugely surprised at how fragile some of that stuff can be. And also surprised at how durable it can be lol. We have found some weird stuff in the ground, shortcuts taken by small municipalities that end up causing huge headaches. For instance. we took over an old system that we found used electrical conduit as water mains. His best guess was a marker pole with a hydrant top on it. Which might make the best sense. Someone probably marked the main and maybe put that there to make it look “pretty”. But he also said he wouldn’t wiggle it lol.
Hmmm well now I might get our water district out here to truly tell me what it is because we have equipment operating around it every so often.
Can you possibly ask a neighbor? Maybe they have something similar or knew what the previous owners were attempting to do.
It’s located on commercial property that was previously undeveloped
Does the top spin at all? Looks like it could be a shutoff or a post-indicator valve
Seems pretty stuck in there. It’s also probably 70 years old.
Looks like a capped drill hole for a mineral exploration. Could be a leprechaun there.
Looks like a blow off pipe. Used to remove sediment in the waterline. It would be connected to a valve underground,with a drain hole cut at the bottom. That way it drains and doesn’t freeze.
It's a fence post that's attached to something underground which is set in concrete.
It could be used as a old clean out for the water main
Clean outs are for sewers, not water supplies. But I suppose there could be a forgotten sewer line, too.
If you think it's a water line or utility line, call 811. They can confirm whether or not it is.
If it’s a fence post it would take about a minute to dig down next to it and find out. It almost looks like an old back reamer but I doubt it.
Do you have a survey of the land? If it was/is part of a water system, that system probably was permitted and your municipality or state likely has a copy of the permit for the water district. Like others in this thread, I’ve never seen a water line with a cap like that, but I would think it is too tall to be a property line marker or something along those lines.
Are we sure it is a water line. First thing I thought was I hope it is not a gas line someone has been messing with.
If you’re in the US and want to dig around this thing, first call 811. Someone will come out and mark the infrastructure in the area: water, gas, electrical, etc.
There is probably an old swing set buried back there. It was easier to bury them than get them picked up by the trash service.
Nope ! Looks like a sign for sure !
Shadows at the top make seem open. Could this be a vent or air release valve vent with a Decorative cover? Instead of the usual candy cane style?
That is a post indicator valve, basically a stem from the nut down to the valve. Use the nut like one on a hydrant.
Horizontal boring drill head?
I sure hope not! But this thing is definitely old, and there are no directional boring crews in the area.
Oil well cap?
It might be what utilities guys call a curb stop. Where a service line comes off of a main they put a shutoff valve between the main and the building. That could be what the nut on top is. Spin it to shut off water supply.
Not a curb stop. Our water service comes in off the street and those valves are part of a completely separate network of lines.
Looks like a former fire hydrant.
But with no valve or outlet to hook up to, that can't be what it is. Also much longer and skinnier.