I had a leak at the main shutoff valve coming into the house. It just seemed
to be leaking around the stem, but it was hard to tell. So I called the city
and $60 (this blows my mind) later they shut off my water. I went to Home
Depot to try and find a replacement stem, which was a futile effort. So I
ended up buying some new stem packing. This seems to have solved the
problem, as another $60 later I'm leak free. In hind sight, tightening the
packing nut might have solved my problem. But the Flax/graphite combo in the
packing nut seemed pretty dried out.

I'd like to have one of these on hand for future disasters, not to mention
my own T-Wrench (probably illegal). Given the speed with which the city
reacted to my original call, I'd hate to have water gushing into my
basement. (Finally the question) The valve is actually in an elbow that is
threaded on one end and slip on the other. The stem threads into the top of
the elbow. It is probably an 1.25" where it screws into the valve and only
has about 1/8" of thread. The valve is about 30 years old. What is this type
of valve called and who might the manufacturer be?

In article , Bill Stock wrote:
I had a leak at the main shutoff valve coming into the house. It just seemed
to be leaking around the stem, but it was hard to tell. So I called the city
and $60 (this blows my mind) later they shut off my water. I went to Home
Depot to try and find a replacement stem, which was a futile effort. So I
ended up buying some new stem packing. This seems to have solved the
problem, as another $60 later I'm leak free. In hind sight, tightening the
packing nut might have solved my problem. But the Flax/graphite combo in the
packing nut seemed pretty dried out.

I'd like to have one of these on hand for future disasters, not to mention
my own T-Wrench (probably illegal). Given the speed with which the city

See if HD has the t-wrench. If so, its probably legal. You can also
ask the city if you can do it yourself to avoid the $60 charge. In GA
(were I used to live), everybody had one, no problem.

My guess would be that its no problem for you to have the wrench and use
it.

--
Rich Greenberg N Ft Myers, FL, USA richgr atsign panix.com + 1 239 543 1353
Eastern time. N6LRT I speak for myself & my dogs only. VM'er since CP-67
Canines:Val, Red, Shasta & Casey (RIP), Red & Zero, Siberians Owner:Chinook-L
Retired at the beach Asst Owner:Sibernet-L

Bill Stock wrote:

I had a leak at the main shutoff valve coming into the house. It just seemed
to be leaking around the stem, but it was hard to tell. So I called the city
and $60 (this blows my mind) later they shut off my water. I went to Home
Depot to try and find a replacement stem, which was a futile effort. So I
ended up buying some new stem packing. This seems to have solved the
problem, as another $60 later I'm leak free. In hind sight, tightening the
packing nut might have solved my problem. But the Flax/graphite combo in the
packing nut seemed pretty dried out.

I'd like to have one of these on hand for future disasters, not to mention
my own T-Wrench (probably illegal). Given the speed with which the city
reacted to my original call, I'd hate to have water gushing into my
basement. (Finally the question) The valve is actually in an elbow that is
threaded on one end and slip on the other. The stem threads into the top of
the elbow. It is probably an 1.25" where it screws into the valve and only
has about 1/8" of thread. The valve is about 30 years old. What is this type
of valve called and who might the manufacturer be?

It's hard to tell the type of valve from your description. It sounds like it is
not a ball valuve, which I would recommend replacing your main shut-off valve
(and any other shut-off valve that you care about) with a ball valve at your
next opportunity; they last a *long* time without going bad.

Regarding the outside shut off that the water department used, was it marked
above ground or have a visible cover to get to it? If my shut off inside the
house ever fails, or the run of pipe before the shut off ever fails, I'm at the
mercy of my water department to come out and *find* the shut off. For some
reason the shut offs (assuming it exists) in my 1960s era neighborhood are well
covered over. I'm very curious to know where it is, and I'd be willing to
install a cover so it can be accessed quickly if needed.

By the way, did the water department charge you another $60 turn the water back
on? Having your own wrench seems like a good idea, you should be able to find
them at a decent plumbing house.

In article , Jay Steiner wrote:
Bill Stock wrote:

[...]

It's hard to tell the type of valve from your description. It sounds like it is
not a ball valuve, which I would recommend replacing your main shut-off valve
(and any other shut-off valve that you care about) with a ball valve at your
next opportunity; they last a *long* time without going bad.

I concurr.

Regarding the outside shut off that the water department used, was it marked
above ground or have a visible cover to get to it? If my shut off inside the
house ever fails, or the run of pipe before the shut off ever fails, I'm at the
mercy of my water department to come out and *find* the shut off. For some
reason the shut offs (assuming it exists) in my 1960s era neighborhood are well
covered over. I'm very curious to know where it is, and I'd be willing to
install a cover so it can be accessed quickly if needed.

Is your water metered? Do you know where the meter is? The shut-off
valve is USUALLY right next to the meter. If its the type which needs
the T-Handle wrench, it will appear (from above) to be a metal bar about
2-3 inches long and 1/4 wide. If you are in an area of hard freezes,
the valve itself may be several feet down, below the frost line. You
may have to do some searching.

By the way, did the water department charge you another $60 turn the water back
on? Having your own wrench seems like a good idea, you should be able to find
them at a decent plumbing house.

Or at the borg.

--
Rich Greenberg N Ft Myers, FL, USA richgr atsign panix.com + 1 239 543 1353
Eastern time. N6LRT I speak for myself & my dogs only. VM'er since CP-67
Canines:Val, Red, Shasta & Casey (RIP), Red & Zero, Siberians Owner:Chinook-L
Retired at the beach Asst Owner:Sibernet-L

"Rich Greenberg" wrote in message
...
In article , Jay Steiner wrote:
Bill Stock wrote:

[...]

It's hard to tell the type of valve from your description. It sounds like
it is
not a ball valuve, which I would recommend replacing your main shut-off
valve
(and any other shut-off valve that you care about) with a ball valve at
your
next opportunity; they last a *long* time without going bad.

I was thinking about this after I sent the message, it's just an angle stop
like on a toilet shutoff. Only much bigger.


Regarding the outside shut off that the water department used, was it
marked
above ground or have a visible cover to get to it? If my shut off inside
the
house ever fails, or the run of pipe before the shut off ever fails, I'm
at the
mercy of my water department to come out and *find* the shut off. For
some
reason the shut offs (assuming it exists) in my 1960s era neighborhood are
well
covered over. I'm very curious to know where it is, and I'd be willing to
install a cover so it can be accessed quickly if needed.

Is your water metered? Do you know where the meter is? The shut-off
valve is USUALLY right next to the meter. If its the type which needs
the T-Handle wrench, it will appear (from above) to be a metal bar about
2-3 inches long and 1/4 wide. If you are in an area of hard freezes,
the valve itself may be several feet down, below the frost line. You
may have to do some searching.

By the way, did the water department charge you another $60 turn the water
back
on? Having your own wrench seems like a good idea, you should be able to
find
them at a decent plumbing house.

Yes, they dinged me another $60 to turn it back on. I don't know if it's
$60 per trip or $60 per turn. LOL. So if my repair had leaked, would I be
out another $60 + $60. Fortunately I did not need to find out and the guy
did not wait around in any event.

Yes water is metered, but the shutoff valve is buried well below ground
(frost line) at the street and the meter is inside the house. I gather the
$60 is a deterrent to prevent DIY from annoying them, but you'd think they'd
waive it for emergencies.

Since I'm in Canada, it probably is illegal to DIY. Otherwise the guvermint
couldn't make a buck.

Rich Greenberg wrote:

In article , Jay Steiner wrote:
Bill Stock wrote:

[...]

It's hard to tell the type of valve from your description. It sounds like it is
not a ball valuve, which I would recommend replacing your main shut-off valve
(and any other shut-off valve that you care about) with a ball valve at your
next opportunity; they last a *long* time without going bad.

I concurr.

Regarding the outside shut off that the water department used, was it marked
above ground or have a visible cover to get to it? If my shut off inside the
house ever fails, or the run of pipe before the shut off ever fails, I'm at the
mercy of my water department to come out and *find* the shut off. For some
reason the shut offs (assuming it exists) in my 1960s era neighborhood are well
covered over. I'm very curious to know where it is, and I'd be willing to
install a cover so it can be accessed quickly if needed.

Is your water metered? Do you know where the meter is? The shut-off
valve is USUALLY right next to the meter. If its the type which needs
the T-Handle wrench, it will appear (from above) to be a metal bar about
2-3 inches long and 1/4 wide. If you are in an area of hard freezes,
the valve itself may be several feet down, below the frost line. You
may have to do some searching.

Yes, I have a water meter, it is inside the house just after my indoor shut-off.
(There is a remote display outside for the semi-annual meter reading). I'm just
wonder if and where an outside shut-off exists underneath my front lawn.

There's gotta be something down there, I'd assume. Since i'm in a cold winter area,
it's probably too deep for a metal detector to find.

By the way, if an underground shut off fails, how do they fix it?

Another question, if the water line fails between the street and your house, who is
usually responsible for repair with a typical municipal water system? I know the
gas company takes responsibility for the gas line all the way to the gas meter, and
sometimes further if they are in a good mood.

"Jay Steiner" wrote in message
...
Rich Greenberg wrote:


Yes, I have a water meter, it is inside the house just after my indoor
shut-off.
(There is a remote display outside for the semi-annual meter reading).
I'm just
wonder if and where an outside shut-off exists underneath my front lawn.

There's gotta be something down there, I'd assume. Since i'm in a cold
winter area,
it's probably too deep for a metal detector to find.

By the way, if an underground shut off fails, how do they fix it?

Another question, if the water line fails between the street and your
house, who is
usually responsible for repair with a typical municipal water system? I
know the
gas company takes responsibility for the gas line all the way to the gas
meter, and
sometimes further if they are in a good mood.


I asked this question when I called to have the water shut off and they said
anything after the street was my responsibility to fix. It sounded like this
included the shut off at the street. So if that pipe rusts out I'd have to
dig up the lawn, sprinklers, side walk, shrubbery, etc. I imagine a price
tag between 5K - 10K with the insane contracting fees around here now. I
suppose insurance might cover this?

"Bill Stock" wrote in message
...

"Rich Greenberg" wrote in message
...
In article , Jay Steiner wrote:
Bill Stock wrote:

[...]

It's hard to tell the type of valve from your description. It sounds like
it is
not a ball valuve, which I would recommend replacing your main shut-off
valve
(and any other shut-off valve that you care about) with a ball valve at
your
next opportunity; they last a *long* time without going bad.

I was thinking about this after I sent the message, it's just an angle
stop like on a toilet shutoff. Only much bigger.


Regarding the outside shut off that the water department used, was it
marked
above ground or have a visible cover to get to it? If my shut off inside
the
house ever fails, or the run of pipe before the shut off ever fails, I'm
at the
mercy of my water department to come out and *find* the shut off. For
some
reason the shut offs (assuming it exists) in my 1960s era neighborhood
are well
covered over. I'm very curious to know where it is, and I'd be willing
to
install a cover so it can be accessed quickly if needed.

Is your water metered? Do you know where the meter is? The shut-off
valve is USUALLY right next to the meter. If its the type which needs
the T-Handle wrench, it will appear (from above) to be a metal bar about
2-3 inches long and 1/4 wide. If you are in an area of hard freezes,
the valve itself may be several feet down, below the frost line. You
may have to do some searching.

By the way, did the water department charge you another $60 turn the
water back
on? Having your own wrench seems like a good idea, you should be able
to find
them at a decent plumbing house.

Yes, they dinged me another $60 to turn it back on. I don't know if it's
$60 per trip or $60 per turn. LOL. So if my repair had leaked, would I be
out another $60 + $60. Fortunately I did not need to find out and the guy
did not wait around in any event.

Yes water is metered, but the shutoff valve is buried well below ground
(frost line) at the street and the meter is inside the house. I gather the
$60 is a deterrent to prevent DIY from annoying them, but you'd think
they'd waive it for emergencies.

Since I'm in Canada, it probably is illegal to DIY. Otherwise the
guvermint couldn't make a buck.


Stem packing can generally be replaced without removing the stem. Just turn
the valve off, remove the handle, then unscrew the bonnet.
If the valve is not a common modern valve you will probably have to check
with a plumber or plumbing supply house to find one. I would think it will
probably outlast the rest of the plumbing.

Don Young

around here all underground utilities are homeowners responsiblity from
curb shut off on.

leaky gas lines are expensive to replace, no repairs allowed and no
homeowners insurance doesnt cover this cost.

in my area terracotta sewer lines are failing with homes 60 years old 8
to 10 grand for replacement.

Bill Stock wrote:

"Jay Steiner" wrote in message
...
Rich Greenberg wrote:


Yes, I have a water meter, it is inside the house just after my indoor
shut-off.
(There is a remote display outside for the semi-annual meter reading).
I'm just
wonder if and where an outside shut-off exists underneath my front lawn.

There's gotta be something down there, I'd assume. Since i'm in a cold
winter area,
it's probably too deep for a metal detector to find.

By the way, if an underground shut off fails, how do they fix it?

Another question, if the water line fails between the street and your
house, who is
usually responsible for repair with a typical municipal water system? I
know the
gas company takes responsibility for the gas line all the way to the gas
meter, and
sometimes further if they are in a good mood.


I asked this question when I called to have the water shut off and they said
anything after the street was my responsibility to fix. It sounded like this
included the shut off at the street. So if that pipe rusts out I'd have to
dig up the lawn, sprinklers, side walk, shrubbery, etc. I imagine a price
tag between 5K - 10K with the insane contracting fees around here now. I
suppose insurance might cover this?

Yikes. The gas company replaced our line a few years ago when we could smell
gas. There was no charge to us, nor was there a charge when the outside
regulator failed . I'm guessing we wouldn't be so lucky if the water pipe
leaked underground, but as long as water was getting through and it wasn't
causing a flood, what incentive would the homeowner have to fix a leak? The
meter is inside the house

"Jay Steiner" wrote in message
...
Bill Stock wrote:

"Jay Steiner" wrote in message
...
Rich Greenberg wrote:


Yes, I have a water meter, it is inside the house just after my indoor
shut-off.
(There is a remote display outside for the semi-annual meter reading).
I'm just
wonder if and where an outside shut-off exists underneath my front
lawn.

There's gotta be something down there, I'd assume. Since i'm in a cold
winter area,
it's probably too deep for a metal detector to find.

By the way, if an underground shut off fails, how do they fix it?

Another question, if the water line fails between the street and your
house, who is
usually responsible for repair with a typical municipal water system?
I
know the
gas company takes responsibility for the gas line all the way to the
gas
meter, and
sometimes further if they are in a good mood.


I asked this question when I called to have the water shut off and they
said
anything after the street was my responsibility to fix. It sounded like
this
included the shut off at the street. So if that pipe rusts out I'd have
to
dig up the lawn, sprinklers, side walk, shrubbery, etc. I imagine a price
tag between 5K - 10K with the insane contracting fees around here now. I
suppose insurance might cover this?

Yikes. The gas company replaced our line a few years ago when we could
smell
gas. There was no charge to us, nor was there a charge when the outside
regulator failed . I'm guessing we wouldn't be so lucky if the water pipe
leaked underground, but as long as water was getting through and it wasn't
causing a flood, what incentive would the homeowner have to fix a leak?
The
meter is inside the house

Exactly what I was thinking. As long as I'm not paying for the leak
(metered) and it's not undermining the foundation, it's their loss.