On Monday, May 27, 2019 at 10:07:00 PM UTC-4, micky wrote:
In alt.home.repair, on Sun, 26 May 2019 07:25:46 -0700 (PDT), trader_4
wrote:

On Sunday, May 26, 2019 at 6:47:11 AM UTC-4, micky wrote:
In alt.home.repair, on Wed, 22 May 2019 13:08:55 -0700 (PDT), trader_4
wrote:

On Wednesday, May 22, 2019 at 3:06:45 PM UTC-4, micky wrote:
In alt.home.repair, on Wed, 22 May 2019 09:08:48 -0700 (PDT), trader_4
wrote:

On Wednesday, May 22, 2019 at 11:15:39 AM UTC-4, micky wrote:
I just got back from a trip. Had turned off the water and drained the
pipes so no chance of pipes freezing. I've done this at least twice
before,

The last time was just a year ago.

but this time, when I turned the main house valve on, water
dripped from the valve. Quite a bit.

Is there any way out of this other than having the city turn off the
water to the house so a plumber can replace the valve?

Like putting bread or cheerios in the water pipes, or leeches, or at
least maybe temporarily there's something I can wrap around the stem and
where it comes out of the valve. House built in 1979,

I just got back and other things have piled up. Not a good time to hire
a plumber.

Valve is in the basement, behind a warddrobe full of stuff with stuff
piled on top of it with a heavy box of medium length pieces of wood,
metal, etc. in front of that.

If it's just stem packing, can I replace it myself, with something that
will work better than this did? Will the city turn the water off for
me, or will they insist that a plumber call?

Why are you asking us instead of calling the water company and asking
them?

Because I know that turning off the water is the least of it. I'm
trying to see if I can avoid hiring a plumber too.

And because calling any agency can take 10 to 20 to 40 minutes. Here
it takes me 2 minutes to ask a question and then read answers a few
hours later.

So, it's better to get a lame guess

What is wrong with you? Are you combative all the time, or is it that
you couldn't get me to swallow your strange views on political
commentary.

Just factual and observant. It's pretty dumb to ask what the policy is
for YOUR water company to turn off your water here, instead of just
calling them.

You just don't get it.

I get it. You'd rather have an answer about what a water company procedure
and charge is to turn the water off in Oshkosh or the UK, rather than the
answer for what YOUR water company does, which is the answer you need.







here as to what YOUR water company does
instead of a call to the water company and to get the correct answer
to your question?

Did you not notice that the question about the city turning off the
water was the last (2nd) question in the last (6th) pargraph of the
original post.

So what? You only asked two questions, one right after the other at
the end.

I asked 3.





It's the least of my concerns and it was the least important question I
asked. Added on at the end when I was ALREADY asking another question.

And IDK how screwed up
MD is but around here a call like that usually takes just a few minutes.

You're guessing.


Oh no I'm not. Read what I wrote. I'm telling you from my experience.
I can typically get an answer like that,

Well then, if you're only telling me about your water company, and not
trying to extrapolate to mine, then your information is worth no more
than what you said people's answers were about what they charged,
information you .

Bingo! Maybe there is hope for you.




What do I care how long it takes you when I know how long it might take
me?

I doubt you know anything about it, because you probably haven't
actually called your water company in twenty years. And again, it doesn't
matter how long it takes to get an answer from the water company,
because they are the only ones that can give you the right answer.
Call them and if they put you on hold, put in on the speaker
while you do something else.






IF otoh, your remark was not pointless and I was supposed to learn
something from how long it took you, then you're guessing about how long
it would take me. You made a big point about how what one city charges
or doesn't charge can be very different from another location, but now
it seems you want to claim that your city and my city take the same
amount to time to answer the phone and answer a question, including all
the time spent on the multiple choice switchboard (listening to choices
and pressing 2 or 3) and all the time then spent on hold.

So departments are different when you want to argue with me, and they
are the same when you want to argue with me. How convenient.


what does it take to get the
water turned off, from a utility, the town, etc
in a few minutes. Hell, how to get water turned on or off is probably
on the web.

I already told you that it's not. They have an FAQ and another page
and neither had the answer, but I had to spend my time reading them to
know that.

I doubt you could find it even if it was there. You have so many
problems. Can't figure out how the rental car works. Can't figure
out how the radio works. Incapable of reading a manual. You have
problems with credit card companies. Seems everything always a
crisis.







And eve
n you say "usually". It took less than a few
minutes to ask here, and I got a range of answers, which I find worth
hearing regardless of what the situation is here.

Which are mostly worthless with regard to what YOUR water company does or does
not do.

You didn't understand my last sentence. I'm interested in what other
water departments do, not just my own. So every answer I got was was
worth hearing/reading.


BRW, you also, in your first answer to me, gave an answer to half of my
last question: "I'm 99.99% sure if you're the home owner they will shut
it off for you, no plumber call needed"


You really needed me to answer that? You really think that a water company
won't turn off the water to a property for the owner and they would insist
a plumber call? You really are a good example of a Democrat.