Most homeowners in Washington think of the outdoor hose bib as a simple spigot. It is also the point where the home water supply meets the outside world, and that makes it one of the places where water can flow the wrong way. This guide covers what to check on the outdoor tap, how to use a garden hose safely, and what to do when a private well or a flooded yard is involved.
What backflow means
Backflow happens when water moves backward from a hose, sprayer, or tank into the drinking water pipes in the house. A drop in supply pressure can pull water back, and a hose sitting in a bucket, pond, or pool can be the source. A cross-connection is any point where the supply pipes can meet something that is not drinking water. Backflow is mainly a plumbing problem, and the fix is usually a device or a habit rather than a treatment unit.
Check the hose bib itself
Look at the outdoor tap for a vacuum breaker, the small cap or valve body near the top of the spigot that lets air in when the water shuts off. Many hose bibs built in recent years include one. If yours does not, a plumber can add a backflow preventer, and some local plumbing rules require one for hose connections. Watch for drips when the water is off, cracks in the threads, or a handle that is hard to turn. A leaking bib often means worn seals, and water leaking around the handle can be a sign of a pressure problem worth a look.
Hose habits that matter
- Do not leave the end of a hose in a bucket, pond, pool, or tub of soapy water.
- Do not attach a fertilizer or chemical sprayer to a hose without a backflow device between the sprayer and the bib.
- Drain the hose after use so it does not sit full of warm water against the spigot.
- Store the hose coiled off the ground and out of direct sun, and cap the end for winter.
- Use a hose labeled for drinking water if you plan to fill a pet bowl or water a garden you will eat from.
Hose water and drinking
Water that has sat in a hose for a long time, especially in summer heat, can taste like the hose and may carry residue from the hose material. Let the tap run until the water feels as cold as it does at the kitchen sink before you fill a pitcher or pet bowl. This is a handling habit, not a test, and it does not tell you whether the water is suitable for drinking. For a household on a well, a lab test is the only way to know what the water contains.
Well owners in Washington
If your home in Washington is on a private well, the yard hydrant or outdoor tap is part of the well system, and the same rules apply with more weight. Water in the river-bottom area can carry iron, and well owners often see orange staining on hoses and fixtures where the water sits. Deeper bedrock wells can carry other substances as well. Nobody tests a private well for you, so the owner decides when to test. A hose left in standing flood water is a direct route for contamination into a yard tap or well line.
After a flood or heavy rain
- Shut off the outdoor tap and disconnect every hose before floodwater reaches the area.
- Do not reconnect a hose or hydrant until the yard has drained and the well or supply line has been checked.
- If the water has changed in smell, color, or taste, stop using it for drinking and cooking and arrange a lab test.
- Write down the date and what you noticed, so test results can be read against the event.
Simple checks to do each season
Walk the outdoor water lines once each season. Feel for leaks at the bib, look for stains that show standing water at the outlet, and confirm the vacuum breaker is in place and turns freely. Write down what you find. If a valve is stiff, a drip continues after you shut it off, or the water has an unexpected smell or color, call a licensed plumber for the connection and, for a well, a water testing lab for the water. Ask the plumber to show you where the backflow device sits so you can check it yourself next season.