Outdoor Faucet - Need Advice

[gm75]

Hello all....I am new to this forum and have an issue I hope someone can help with. We have two outdoor faucets, both exactly the same, that have the backflow preventer/adapter thing on them(sorry, my plumbing knowledge and terminology is not great). They are now leaking, making the hose unusable since the water sprays out all around the black movable ring.

Can I just unscrew the adapter and put on a new one? I know they are sold at Lowes for like $5. I did a little research, and I don't know if these have the set screw that was broken off. If so, can I still just unscrew it? I have attached a couple of pictures to show what I am referring to. Any advice on how to get these things off would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Mr_David]

Never seen one of those with a anti freeze thing on it. By code most hose bibs are required to have the back flow preventer but to be honest we rarely ever use them unless on a job that's getting inspected. They always leak. replace the hose bib with one that does not have a back flow on it.

 

[gm75]

Never seen one of those with a anti freeze thing on it. By code most hose bibs are required to have the back flow preventer but to be honest we rarely ever use them unless on a job that's getting inspected. They always leak. replace the hose bib with one that does not have a back flow on it.

Thanks for the reply. I have not seen many like this either in my research. I am hoping to avoid having to replace the entire bib, as both faucets(front and back) back up to fully finished rooms and I understand you need to have access from the inside to change them. The wife does not want any cutouts or access doors on the inside walls.

 

[SHR]

Just remove the screwed on anti-siphon adapter that is leaking. Your's does have a set screw. It is shown in both pictures. It is snapped off to prevent tampering. Drill out the screw stub and unscrew the adapter. Replace if you want or prior to any inspection.

 

[gm75]

Just remove the screwed on anti-siphon adapter that is leaking. Your's does have a set screw. It is shown in both pictures. It is snapped off to prevent tampering. Drill out the screw stub and unscrew the adapter. Replace if you want or prior to any inspection.

Thank you for the reply. I think I see the round screw area now(near the top of the adapter right?). Do you by chance know of a good online step by step or instruction set for drilling it out and then getting the screw out? I have never done anything like this and want to make sure I don't damage the bib. Thanks!

 

[SHR]

I have never seen a tutorial for the procedure. Straightforward though. Use a drill bit the same size as the slightly recessed screw remnant, drill through the adapter. Careful because the adapter is soft brass but the screw is hard steel. When you think you must have drilled most of the way through the adapter, try unscrewing it with a big pliers or any size pipe wrench. It should come off with little damage to the sillcock threads. Even if the threads are a little damaged, don't worry about it. The seal on a sillcock is made by the hose washer, not the threads. They just allow the hose and washer to be tightly connected to the sillcock.