Is a vacuum breaker on a hose bib supposed to soak you with water?
 

Another newbie question - I attached a hose to the outdoor hose bib and when I turned off the water, I got soaked with water squirting out of the vacuum breaker. I have never had one of these before. Is it supposed to squirt water like that when turning off the hose? Or is the vacuum breaker bad (i.e. should the excess water drip out instead of squirt out)? The end of my hose has a sprayer attached which I assume caused the pressure.

Thanks,

Cindy

That is exactly what it does. I removed both of mine.

Is it hard to remove?

If the screw that locks the collar on is cut off, yes, it has to be drill out.

BTW, You need them on to sell a house per inspectors.

These should not be removed, these are a legal requirement. The easiest way to avoid getting soaked is to keep the hose ON while turning off the water. Another option is to install a simple on/off valve AFTER the vacuum breaker, you can turn off this valve, and then the main valve with little or no splashing.

You are right! They are required by law!

I had never heard of the device until I moved here.

Never had it in my parents’ house and I didn’t have them in my house up north! And I wasn’t killed from drinking contaminated water!

https://youtu.be/dnjweI8ipnI?si=ZYEMQwEjGPA9EONJ

If pressure high enough it will relieve pressure, some times mine do it and some times they don’t. I’ve replaced mine several times some do it and some don’t depending on spring tension inside. I never tighten the jam nut so tight that it twists off, make it easy to replace them. When I shut water off I sometimes step on hose that makes them squirt so I know still working.

Yeah I will leave it on. May try the on / off valve if I keep forgetting to hold the sprayer in the on position when turning off the water.

Don’t take it off if a legal requirement as the Village water Police might come by and shut your water off, LOL. Just remove it and replace if you sell the home. As an added protection, I never leave the hose connected to the water valve because you cannot tell if you left the water on (then the hose explodes) or if the valve starts to leak from the faucet you would never see it, etc. Same principle as the anti siphon without getting wet. Never had these up north and we actually survived.

If you slowly close the valve (vs. closing it quickly) you won’t get any splashing.

Very simple, just install this on the anti-siphon device and shut this off before you shut off the hose bib.

Shut off
 

Then bleed the hose line as normal.

Note that the vacuum breaker is a plumbing code requirement everywhere. It is not a Florida thing.

It’s a backflow valve and I would keep it on for safety reasons

The hose won’t explode IF you keep the device on, as that’s one of the things it’s there for. Release an overpressure if the water in the hose expands from warming up and expanding. The over pressure needs someplace to go. Without it, the hose will swell and may cause damage to your hose. But the device is designed to keep now contaminated water from flowing back into your house clean water supply.
If your water supply pressure drops, it will prevent this water from backflowing into the clean house water supply. It’s there for your health and safety.
Depending on type of backflow design, water spraying out may indicate a failed rubber gasket, or it may be normal.
All of our new builds around me do spray a lil when the water is turned off and a hose is attached.
Like others have mentioned, keeping your hose sprayer on while turning the water off should minimize this spraying.