OK, so Mr. compulsive here drains a little bucketful out of the drain
valve on the hot water heater every month or so, because that's
supposed to keep the sludge from building up on the bottom and that's
the right thing to do and I'm certainly going to maintain my equipment
so it lasts a long gime. Now, of course, the drain valve drools,
enough to see some wetness on the floor underenath, but not enough so
that I can detect exactly where it leaks.So, I'm not sure at this
point if it's through the valve or up the stem; tightening the valve
as far as I dared without breaking it (seems to be cheap nylon) didn't
help, so I tightened the packing nut a hair, and ended up getting a
cap to screw over the end of the drain valve; haven't looked at it
since. But are these rebuildable like a normal faucet, replacable
faucet washer and such, or are they specialized in design?