Hi..
I just recently noticed that the water shutoff mechanism to my house is leaky. Its leaking from the nut which is right in back of the knob that turns the water for the house on and off. The nut appears to be very worn and coroded. Being a first time home owner, is this something i could fix myself? What are the steps and parts neccesary to fix this leak? Thanks in advance.

Glenn

 

I'm assuming, since you say that the packing nut is corroded, that your main cutoff valve is either galvanized or brass (for copper lines).
The reason that it's leaking around the stem is that the packing nut needs to be tightened just enough to stop the leak, or that the packing (graphite string or packing washer) around the stem under the nut needs to be replaced.
Try tightening the nut clockwise just a bit. (Don't overtighten it. You might crack it, if it's corroded.)
If that doesn't do it, you will have to turn off the water at the meter (or pump, if you're on a well), remove the nut, repack around the stem, replace nut, and you're in business.
Easy fix either way.
Good Luck!

 

OldGuy is right as usual. One tip: before you so much as lay a finger on your main valve, make sure you know how to shut off your water at the meter, take the lid off the meter, and have a pair of pliers in your pocket.

 

Hey "Old Guy" You're right about almost everything...
But it's not really necessary to have the water shut off anywhere but the valve you're working on! Just close the valve, remove the handle and packing nut! If the old packing can be easily removed replace it all with new teflon packing (sold as a "string" of teflon) that you just wrap around the valve stem and then tightendown the packing nut! You may have to add a little extra packing after you tighten the nut down the first time since it compresses pretty tightly!

 

Johnboy,
Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks? Teflon packing string? (Haven't used packing since that came out.)
What'll they think of next? Tape?
The way I "plumb", I'd like them to shut off everything back to the tower.
If there's a way to get soaked, almost fry myself, or smash an appendage, I've found it.
I've learned the hard way to just always err on the side of caution when it comes to MY handyman work. I let you pros do it right. I'm into the basic survival stage now. LOL
Mike

 

Thanks for all your responses. I understand pretty much everything except one thing. When you talk about shutting the water off at the meter. What does that mean? I thought when i turn of the knob on my main water shutoff, that shuts off all the water to the house. Is there another part of that shutoff mechanism besides the knob that shuts off the water? I do see some kind of meter in there, maybe there is another knob, but i didnt see it the first time i looked. Again, thanks for everyones help.. This is an AWESOME forum for first time homeowners like me oh.. i forgot, could you explain what i need to "repack" the stem again. THANKS!

Glenn

PS.. LONG LIVE OLDGUY! lol

 

In your covered water meter base, you should see a rectangular brass cutoff knob on the public (street) side of the meter, then the meter, and hopefully, a ball or gate valve on your (house) side of the meter (may be buried lower than the meter).
What we were discussing was a gate valve on your side. The description was a bit vague, and I may have misunderstood what you were talking about.
IF what YOU were talking about is the rectangular brass knob on the street side, then that leak is a Public Water Service problem. Call THEM to fix it.
The homeowner is responsible for all plumbing on the house side of the meter. To repair valves or lines on the house side of the meter, the meter has to be cutoff sometimes.
The brass knob cutoff just shuts off with a 1/4-turn with pliers, crescent wrench, of a T-shaped meter key with a slot that fits over the knob (what I use).
To determine if you have a leak anywhere in your water supply system, shut off all faucets, and look at the little triangle on the meter. If it is moving at all, you have a leak. It spins when a faucet is on.
You may have a ball or gate valve cutoff at the meter, and/or at your home where the main supply line first enters your house.
IF this is what you're talking about, look in a big box plumbing section, or at a hardware store for the new white teflon packing string (Johnboy) or the old black graphite packing string. Wrap a bit around the stem, and tighten the cap back down on it to stop the leaking around the stem.
Good Luck!

 

Oldguy..
I have no problems with things outside.. Its the INSIDE house water shutoff located in my basement. Thats's what is giving me problems. Its the nut just after the shutoff knob. Sorry about the confusion. So, if i understand you correctly, shutting the water off at the meter, involves going outside the house and looking for the brass knob you mentioned, right?? After that I can go back downstairs and shut the water off completely, take the knob and nut off... then repack and replace the nut with a new one. Is all this correct? Sorry if i seem like a dope. I apologize in advance

Glenn

 

Your water meter should be at the street nearest your house (front or side). That's where the brass meter cutoff is. As Johnboy said, you really don't HAVE to shut the meter off to replace packing string...just shutoff the valve that you're re-packing.
However, I always cutoff the nearest valve ahead of where I'm working just for grins (in your case, the meter).
As John Nelson said, BE PREPARED to quickly go shut it off, if you don't. The valve stem that you're re-packing could come out, and you'd have a geyser in your basement, until you shutoff the meter.
If the cap nut is corroded to the point that it needs replacing, you're proably going to have to replace the whole valve.
You should be able to just (a)tighten the nut to stop the leak without shutting off anything, OR (b) remove the handle and the cap nut, re-pack around the stem, and replace the old cap nut and handle.
The answer to your questions is "yes", EXCEPT the part about replacing the nut.
Good Luck!

 

I believe that different municipalities have different locations for water meters. Where I live, I have a shutoff at the street that requires a special tool to shutoff the water. Most plumbers have this tool, or the water company will come out and turn off the water for you. In my case, the shutoff was buried under several inches of turf and dirt. My water meter is in my basement. Immediately after the meter is my main stuffoff for the house. If your nut is corroded to the point that is is unusable, or if the nut is a size that is now unavailable, you may have to replace this shutoff valve. If this is the case, I would recommend that you get a single lever ball valve as a replacement. They are much better than the old-sytle gate valves.

 

Well..
Ill take a look tonight and see if i can find the meter outside my house. Its gonna be tough because we just got 11in of snow last night.. lol If i cant find it, ill take a look inside. Hopefully fixing it will just be a matter of tightening the nut. Ill keep my fingers crossed.. Thanks for everyones help!

Glenn

 

I will add my 2 cents. Glenn, there will not be a meter outside the house, if you have one in your house. What most people, including Old Guy and John Nelson, are trying to tell you is to find the shutoff valve which is UPSTREAM of the one you are trying to repair. That is the Water Company's shutoff valve. It may be inches upstream of the water meter in your basement, or it may be in the ground, outside, near where your water line comes off of the water main.

The whole point is to expect and be prepared for the unexpected. If something you do to the valve, breaks, you are going to have a flooded basement, UNLESS, you know where the next valve upstream is, and how to close it. If all goes well, you will not need to shut this valve to replace the valve stem packing on the valve on your side of the meter.

Expect the unexpected, and you not only won't be surprised, you will know what to do when the unexpected does happen.

Murphy is alive and well........LOL.

Good Luck,

Rick

 

Well..
I was prepared. Found the meter shutoff and had all the tools i needed. It turned out though that the only thing wrong was a loose nut. I turned the nut about a 1/4 turn to tighten it, and BAM.... no leak THANKS EVERYONE!!

Glenn