Replacing corroded gate valve/meter stop


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Old 08-13-10, 10:32 AM
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Replacing corroded gate valve/meter stop

Hello,
I just bought a house with a leaking gate valve on a water softener. in order to fix it I was going to just shut off the water at the meter. The problem is both gate valves on either side of the meter are stuck. I'm concerned that due to their age, wrestling with them is not the wisest idea - I may end up with a larger problem.

Pic of situation here: Yfrog Image : yfrog.com/1qmstopj

I went to the water utility and rented a curb stop key. The plan is to shut the water off at the curb stop and then replace both valves on either side of the meter with ball valves.

Questions:
what is that thing sticking out on the left side of the (left of the meter) gate valve?

Is the left side of the meter the Water Utility's responsibility?
Reason I ask: there is a small wire connected to the meter which (tamper proof?) runs through a hole in the nut on the left side of the meter. That feels like a "don't mess with this" to me.

Do I need any certain rating of ball valve for the meter shutoffs or will any 3/4" copper pipe ball valve do?

Thanks
 
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Old 08-13-10, 11:32 AM
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Yes, the wire thru the meter nut is a tamper seal. If you break it, they could claim that you tampered with the meter readings.

Ask the utility where their demarcation line is. Could be at the street or could be at the meter. I would heavily spray something like PB Blaster on the valves - threaded area and stems several times before attempting to turn the valve.

The thing on the side of the valve in your picture looks like an air bleed valve, but that is just a guess.

Before you rework your gate valve, try putting a wrench on the nut just under the handle. They sometimes work a little loose and cause a leak which can be stopped by tightening the nut.
 
 

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