DIY guideOutdoor faucet
Service or replace an outdoor tap and its vacuum breaker
Swap a leaking vacuum breaker, change the washer in a dripping outdoor tap, or replace a screw-on tap, with its water off inside.
- 20 to 45 min
- 7 steps
- Every step animated
7 steps
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Inside, turn the valve on the pipe to this tap clockwise until it stops. Then open the tap outside to let it drain.
Turn the breaker on the tap's spout counterclockwise, by hand or with pliers. Take it with you to buy the same kind.
Loosen the nut under the handle, unscrew the stem, and swap the rubber washer at its tip for one the same size.
If the tap unscrews from its fitting, wrap the new tap's threads with thread tape and screw it in until it's snug and its spout points down.
Hold the fitting with a second wrench so the pipe inside doesn't twist.Screw the new vacuum breaker onto the spout by hand until it's snug.
Open the valve inside slowly. Run a hose: no spray from the breaker, and no drip once the tap is off.
A tap soldered to its pipe, a long frost-free tap that runs into the wall, or a breaker held on by a small screw: ask Handyman for a plumber.
What you need
- A new vacuum breaker, or tap washers to match
- Two adjustable wrenches, or pliers
- Thread seal tape
- A flashlight
Call a pro if
- The tap is soldered to its pipe, or is the long frost-free kind
- Water leaks inside the wall when the tap runs
- There's no valve inside for the tap, or it won't close
Handyman says: Soldered on? I'll find you a plumber.
Free for every home. Handyman asks a few questions, then books a pro it trusts.
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