My handheld (stand-alone) shower head constantly drips, so I bought another unit that would not fit. After the third unit, the instructions said I needed a vacuum breaker. I'm not even sure if a vacuum breaker or backflow valve will stop the leak.
One guy said I need a new faucet valve, and another said "no". Also, I have a metal ball on the pipe from the wall, so I found an adapter to hopefully use if I can figure out this vacuum breaker problem. The guys in hardware & home improvement stores give me mixed answers. The short question, I guess, is can the absence of a backflow valve or vacuum breaker cause a leak?
Best Answer
The vacuum breaker is there to prevent dirty water from contaminating the fresh water supply in the (unlikely) event you were to drop the hand-held unit into standing water at the bottom of your shower enclosure while at the same time there was a drop in city supply pressure (like due to a fire engine pulling from a hydrant on your street). Your equipment will function perfectly fine without one.
Any leak/drip from anywhere downstream from the control valve(s) would mean the the valve(s) need servicing (not necessarily replacement). If you post a new question with pictures of the handle(s)/knob(s) we might be able to help you fix it.