Back flow prevention at exterior faucets

[Chris Bernhardt]

When were backflow prevention devices first required at exterior faucets?

Does anyone write up older construction without them?

Chris, Oregon

[Jim Katen]

Originally posted by Chris Bernhardt

When were backflow prevention devices first required at exterior faucets?

I don't know. My oldest CABO is the 1983 edition. It says:

P2402 -- Connections. A connection shall not be made to a domestic water supply, or arrangement exist, in a manner which could pollute the water supply or provide a cross connection between the supply and a source of contamination unless there is provided and approved backflow prevention device.

In the following (1986) edition, they got more specific. After the above paragraph, they added two paragraphs to describe two types of backflow prevention devices: air gaps & vacuum breakers. Here's what they say about vacuum breakers:

P-2402.2.2 Vacuum Breakers. A vacuum breaker device is required at any water supply outlet with a hose connection or at outlets which could be submerged and are not protected by an air gap. Typical applications include hose bibb outlets and certain solar/storage tank installations.

Sometime (in the early 90s?) Oregon switched from CABO to IAPMO for the the plumbing section of the code. The IAPMO standards are, if anything, more strict than CABO.

So, I'd say that the requirement's been there for at least 23 years.

Does anyone write up older construction without them?

I don't, but I probably should.

- Jim Katen, Oregon

[Chad Fabry]

I write them but it makes me yawn.

[Scottpat]

I don't say anything.

[Les]

Here in the land of solid water (eight months out of the year), we expressly exclude the operation and location of all exterior hose bibs/faucets/sprinkler systems/showers/pools/fountains and dog spit!

[housewhisperer]

AHJs here in Colorado didn’t require anti-siphon protection for hose bibs until the early 1990s. Yet, at the same time that there were no AHJ requirements pertaining to hose bibs, in the interest pf public health the Colorado Department of Health “Colorado Cross Connection Control Manualâ€

[fqp25]

It seems like most outdoor hose bibs I see with out vacuum breakers are usually pretty beat up that I usually recommend a new fixture all together. Such as the handles are broken or missing; or they are leaking; or don't work at all.