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I have a Woodford model 25 exterior faucet bib "freeze less"

When I turn it on, it appears water is gushing out of some holes near where the hose connects, and not much pressure is going to the hose.

What are those holes, suggestions for fixing it?

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rogerdpack
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1 Answers1

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Those holes are probably part of the now required anti-backflow feature. There are rubber seals inside that must be replaced.

Shut off the water at the valve in the pic and unscrew the cap on the left. There will be parts inside which must be replaced. Looks like a large Allen wrench fits inside. If you don't want to get a special large Allen wrench, one could probably use a pipe wrench or channel locks.

EDIT Before you take it apart be sure that the hose you are connecting to it is threaded on correctly and has its own washer seal in place.

Jim Stewart
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    Note that care should be taken if using a wrench on the threads on the outside - you don't want to mangle them. If you do, you'll have shifted the leak from failed internal seals to damaged threads, and repairing the threads will be much more difficult. – FreeMan May 14 '21 at 13:00
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    Yep once unscrewed the vacuum breaker with two wrenches (pipe wrench and normal to stabilize) it came off and seems like i didn't have to rebuild the other side even. It leaks out of the plastic thing on the valve but only until I open it enough then it works like it used to. Good for now, thanks. This particular model didnt require an Allen wrench to unscrew fwiw... – rogerdpack May 20 '21 at 13:52
  • Doesn't *require* an Allen wrench but that probably works best. The kind that fits a 3/8" or 1/2" drive ratchet wrench would be nifty, but unless you want to buy a whole set, you would need to measure carefully to buy one to fit. Or take the part with you to try in the store.. The floppy rubber seal gets hard with age and should be replaced maybe every few years. I wonder if there is another rubber seal that is inside that requires occasional replacement. Does the threaded part make a metal-to-metal seal or is there a rubber seal? If there is a rubber seal, then only tighten enough to seal. – Jim Stewart May 21 '21 at 20:13
  • If there is a metal to metal seal also tighten just enough to seal. Don't overtighten. Since this is outside a seep or drip onto the ground is not damaging anything. – Jim Stewart May 21 '21 at 21:28
  • For followers, I replaced the vacuum breaker at the left (about the size of the hose coupling) by buying a replacement at a local parts store. New one works as expected. – rogerdpack Jul 14 '22 at 00:01