Cannot remove garden hose from spigot

[ApparentlyIncompetent]

Guess I should quite any attempts at home improvement because apparently I'm incompetent at what should be the simplest task, removing a garden hose, LOL!

Please see attached pic. When unscrewing the silver fitting it's not actually coming off/unscrewing, and I cannot unscrew the bronze fitting, i.e. it appears to be stuck. Looks like the bronze fitting has a small pin that stops it from unscrewing but the pin does not have an allen head or other way to remove it. I've never seen a fitting like the bronze one before so not sure how it's supposed to work.

Thanks so much for any input!

 

[havasu]

Look like a vacuum breaker is attached to the faucet. What are you trying to remove? The hose? The vacuum breaker?

 

[ApparentlyIncompetent]

Hi @havasu :

If I could remove the hose that would be great but since it won't unscrew even when twisting counterclockwise I'm thinking to remove the vacuum breaker. It leaks anyway.

I guess the set screw on the vacuum breaker is broken off so I can drill through it, then should be able twist it off, ya? Or I can use a hack saw to put notches in the vacuum breaker, after which I should be able to twist off, ya?

Thank you!

 

[havasu]

That is how most do it. I would replace it once you remove the bad vacuum breaker.

 

[RS]

The set screws are broken off on purpose, to prevent folks from removing them, they are required in many areas. I don't understand the problem, are you turning the hex nut? The vacuum breaker shouldn't turn because of the set screw, but maybe you need to hold it with a channellocks. Are you using a wrench?

 

[Twowaxhack]

Use a dremel and a cutting wheel to cut a u shape around where the set screw is.

That piece will pop out and then the vacuum breaker will unscrew.

Or replace the entire hose Bibb.

 

[ApparentlyIncompetent]

@RS : Yes, I'm turning the hex nut using two wrenches, one on the hex nut and one on the vacuum breaker, but the hose/hex nut is not actually unscrewing from the vacuum breaker.

@Twowaxhack : I plan to drill the set screw, which should work too, ya?

 

[cliffyk]

That hose coupling looks like one of those damned bare/barely anodized aluminum pieces of crap being matketed all over the place. They must be installed with some sort of grease, AND not left connected for a long period.

I now either replace the AL coupling with brass or plastic, or use one of those cheap inline plastic shut-off valves to prevent corrosion of the aluminum from "welding" itself to any dissmilar metal of a bib or other fixture...

 

[FishScreener]

To remove the set screws, you use a left handed drill bit. The problem with them is they keep just enough back pressure on a frost free to keep them from draining after the hose is removed. The tenants in government housing would still have the outside water on to water vegetable gardens, and their pets when the first freeze occurs. Breaking several dozen frost frees, and when they turned the water back on they flooded the basement or crawl space.

We replaced the broken frost free hose bibs with new ones with the vacuum breaker integrated. And drilled the set screws out of all the ones that hadn’t frozen. WE progressively replaced all of the older hose bibs with newer ones, but budgets are tight and it takes a while.

 

[Twowaxhack]

@RS : Yes, I'm turning the hex nut using two wrenches, one on the hex nut and one on the vacuum breaker, but the hose/hex nut is not actually unscrewing from the vacuum breaker.

@Twowaxhack : I plan to drill the set screw, which should work too, ya?

It’s easier for me to cut a u shape with a dremel and pop it out with a twist of a flat head screwdriver.

But I can use a drill also. I like to do it the easy way.

I wear a full safety suit with harness while I do it.

 

[ApparentlyIncompetent]

Drilled the set screw and was able to get the vacuum breaker and hose off. New hose installed! Thanks for all the help!