I needed to replace an outside faucet that went to the garden hose.

So turned off the water supply using valve out by the sidewalk that
goes to my house.

Water stopped OK. Replaced faucet OK.

Now when I turn the water main back to the ON position the entire house
still has NO WATER.

I have left the main ON for about an hour now with faucets all closed
off in case the pipes needed to fill up or something, but still no
water - none- not even a dribble.

I have repeatedly turned the main on and off - still no water. Could
the valve be stuck in some way - it feels OK when I turn it back and
forth. Could something have been dislodged like mineral buildup that
blocks the line?

This is a two story house.

Anyone have any ideas whats going wrong here?

wrote:

I needed to replace an outside faucet that went to the garden hose.

So turned off the water supply using valve out by the sidewalk that
goes to my house.

Water stopped OK. Replaced faucet OK.

Now when I turn the water main back to the ON position the entire house
still has NO WATER.

I have left the main ON for about an hour now with faucets all closed
off in case the pipes needed to fill up or something, but still no
water - none- not even a dribble.

I have repeatedly turned the main on and off - still no water. Could
the valve be stuck in some way - it feels OK when I turn it back and
forth. Could something have been dislodged like mineral buildup that
blocks the line?

This is a two story house.

Anyone have any ideas whats going wrong here?


There are many types of valve, but you are probably screwed
and have to call the utility.

A "gate" valve can have the gate fall off inside.
A compression stop can have the washer fall off/disintegrate.

Fixing it means disassembly/replacement and that
means shutting off the water *somewhere* upstream...

Jim

Speedy Jim wrote:
wrote:

I needed to replace an outside faucet that went to the garden hose.

So turned off the water supply using valve out by the sidewalk that
goes to my house.

Water stopped OK. Replaced faucet OK.

Now when I turn the water main back to the ON position the entire house
still has NO WATER.

I have left the main ON for about an hour now with faucets all closed
off in case the pipes needed to fill up or something, but still no
water - none- not even a dribble.

I have repeatedly turned the main on and off - still no water. Could
the valve be stuck in some way - it feels OK when I turn it back and
forth. Could something have been dislodged like mineral buildup that
blocks the line?

This is a two story house.

Anyone have any ideas whats going wrong here?


There are many types of valve, but you are probably screwed
and have to call the utility.

A "gate" valve can have the gate fall off inside.
A compression stop can have the washer fall off/disintegrate.

Fixing it means disassembly/replacement and that
means shutting off the water *somewhere* upstream...

Jim

Try turning one tap in the house on a little. If you hear air escaping
then just wait for the water. If you dont get any air noise or water
you will have to contact your water company.

wrote in message
oups.com...
I needed to replace an outside faucet that went to the garden hose.

So turned off the water supply using valve out by the sidewalk that
goes to my house.

Water stopped OK. Replaced faucet OK.

Now when I turn the water main back to the ON position the entire house
still has NO WATER.

I have left the main ON for about an hour now with faucets all closed
off in case the pipes needed to fill up or something, but still no
water - none- not even a dribble.

I have repeatedly turned the main on and off - still no water. Could
the valve be stuck in some way - it feels OK when I turn it back and
forth. Could something have been dislodged like mineral buildup that
blocks the line?

This is a two story house.

Anyone have any ideas whats going wrong here?

The valve may have stuck closed at the meter - it happens especially when
the valve is left open for decades at a time.

As for turning on the water, you need to leave a faucet OPEN when the water
is off so that air can be pushed out - but even so I would expect some water
flow.

Open the lowest and the highest cold water faucet in the house and try
again.

i now find that I can turn the valve open forever - it does not hit any
stop point.

This fits with the idea that the gate has broken off the end of the
stem and is stuck in place.

Who owns this valve? Is it my cost to fix it - its the one between the
meter and the house - comes after the water company shutoff vale on the
meter. Bet its me huh?

If so should i just calla plumber and not bother the water company?

This will require a digout and valve replacement I guess...any idea
what this will cost?

wrote:

i now find that I can turn the valve open forever - it does not hit any
stop point.

This fits with the idea that the gate has broken off the end of the
stem and is stuck in place.

Who owns this valve? Is it my cost to fix it - its the one between the
meter and the house - comes after the water company shutoff vale on the
meter. Bet its me huh?

If so should i just calla plumber and not bother the water company?

This will require a digout and valve replacement I guess...any idea
what this will cost?


Yeah, bet it's up to you...

Is the space big enough to swing a wrench if the meter
is removed (by the utility)? IOW, can the valve
be unscrewed without a lot of digging up?

Never mind cost; you better hope *somebody*
will come out!

PLAN "B": (You might need utility permission)
What will often be done in an emergency is to
"backfeed" one property from another (neighbor)
using a hose with female hose bibb threads each end.

Jim

yep utility says i am on the hook for it

SO how tuff is it to fix this?

Its in a 6" diameter PVC tube about 18" below ground. So I will have to
dig a hole around it to work.

Is this a threaded coupling on each side of the valve or what?

I am fairly handy and have done a lot of other home repair and
carpentry stuff - not alot of plumbing though (just replaced 2 outside
faucets which led to this problem),. So is this something I could do
myself or leave it to the pros?

wrote:

yep utility says i am on the hook for it

SO how tuff is it to fix this?

Its in a 6" diameter PVC tube about 18" below ground. So I will have to
dig a hole around it to work.

Is this a threaded coupling on each side of the valve or what?

I am fairly handy and have done a lot of other home repair and
carpentry stuff - not alot of plumbing though (just replaced 2 outside
faucets which led to this problem),. So is this something I could do
myself or leave it to the pros?


Can't tell from here what it looks like.
Or what pipe materials, etc.

You need *2* hefty pipe wrenches working
against each other .

Jim

wrote in message
oups.com...

i now find that I can turn the valve open forever - it does not hit any
stop point.

This fits with the idea that the gate has broken off the end of the
stem and is stuck in place.

Who owns this valve? Is it my cost to fix it - its the one between the
meter and the house - comes after the water company shutoff vale on the
meter. Bet its me huh?

If so should i just calla plumber and not bother the water company?

This will require a digout and valve replacement I guess...any idea
what this will cost?

Before calling anyone, try pushing the valve stem in. If it moves, push in
and turn the valve to open I had a similar problem and that fixed it for me.
Well, maybe not really "fixed", but the water came back on after the valve
opened.

It that does not work, the valve will have to be repaired or replaced at
your expense. A plumber can either turn the main off or contact your water
department to do so.

On 17 Dec 2006 16:20:10 -0800, wrote:

I needed to replace an outside faucet that went to the garden hose.

So turned off the water supply using valve out by the sidewalk that
goes to my house.

Water stopped OK. Replaced faucet OK.

Now when I turn the water main back to the ON position the entire house
still has NO WATER.

I have left the main ON for about an hour now with faucets all closed
off in case the pipes needed to fill up or something, but still no
water - none- not even a dribble.

I have repeatedly turned the main on and off - still no water. Could
the valve be stuck in some way - it feels OK when I turn it back and
forth. Could something have been dislodged like mineral buildup that
blocks the line?

This is a two story house.

Anyone have any ideas whats going wrong here?

My sidewalk shutoff valve is before the meter and therefore the
city's responsibility. They will repair them on their dime.

Where the line runs into my slab, there is another valve and that one
is all mine.

A plumber charges about $250 to replace a valve when he has to dig,
but they are fast and effective.

wrote in message
ups.com...

yep utility says i am on the hook for it

SO how tuff is it to fix this?

Its in a 6" diameter PVC tube about 18" below ground. So I will have to
dig a hole around it to work.


18"???? You must live in the deep south!


Is this a threaded coupling on each side of the valve or what?

I am fairly handy and have done a lot of other home repair and
carpentry stuff - not alot of plumbing though (just replaced 2 outside
faucets which led to this problem),. So is this something I could do
myself or leave it to the pros?


When you take the valve off you will have full pressure running off it.
Suggest the pros on this one as it requires special equipment to contain the
pressure as the valve is replaced. You can save some money by doing the
digging yourself.

Mike Dobony wrote:
wrote in message
ups.com...

SNIP

When you take the valve off you will have full pressure running off it.
Suggest the pros on this one as it requires special equipment to contain the
pressure as the valve is replaced. You can save some money by doing the
digging yourself.



No. He says there is a utility shutoff on the other side
of the meter.

wrote:

Its in a 6" diameter PVC tube about 18" below ground. So I will have to
dig a hole around it to work.

Just had my main shutoff replaced about a year ago. Everybody I talked
to said gate valves are the worst. My gate valve stuck in the ON
position, not a good thing if something in the house sprung a leak,
would have had to shut the water off at the curb. My shutoff valve was
out in the open (live in the Phoenix AZ area, no freeze worries), so
access was easy, and no problem accommodating the longer handle on the
ball valve. This might not work for you, unless you can make more room
for the handle, maybe replace that 6" PVC tube access with something
the size of a sprinkler valve box?


Is this a threaded coupling on each side of the valve or what?


In my case, soldered copper fittings, YMMV.

I am fairly handy and have done a lot of other home repair and
carpentry stuff - not alot of plumbing though (just replaced 2 outside
faucets which led to this problem),. So is this something I could do
myself or leave it to the pros?

I'm not comfortable with plumbing myself, changing a faucet or snaking
a drain is about as far as I want to go. Never soldered copper, don't
plan to start now. If you have the tools and the skills, go for it.

Jerry

On 17 Dec 2006 16:20:10 -0800, wrote:

I needed to replace an outside faucet that went to the garden hose.

So turned off the water supply using valve out by the sidewalk that
goes to my house.

Water stopped OK. Replaced faucet OK.

Now when I turn the water main back to the ON position the entire house
still has NO WATER.

I have left the main ON for about an hour now with faucets all closed
off in case the pipes needed to fill up or something, but still no
water - none- not even a dribble.

I have repeatedly turned the main on and off - still no water. Could
the valve be stuck in some way - it feels OK when I turn it back and
forth. Could something have been dislodged like mineral buildup that
blocks the line?

This is a two story house.

Anyone have any ideas whats going wrong here?


IMHO, with the water off, install an inside isolation valve. Curb
valves can be differcult sometimes.

later,

tom @ www.Consolidated-Loans.info

writes:

I needed to replace an outside faucet that went to the garden hose.

So turned off the water supply using valve out by the sidewalk that
goes to my house.

Water stopped OK. Replaced faucet OK.

Now when I turn the water main back to the ON position the entire house
still has NO WATER.

I have left the main ON for about an hour now with faucets all closed
off in case the pipes needed to fill up or something, but still no
water - none- not even a dribble.

I have repeatedly turned the main on and off - still no water. Could
the valve be stuck in some way - it feels OK when I turn it back and
forth. Could something have been dislodged like mineral buildup that
blocks the line?

This is a two story house.

Anyone have any ideas whats going wrong here?

See my recent thread "gate valves" in which I said simply "gate valves suck."

I suspect you'll agree?

If so, sorry to hear of the failure of your main cutoff valve. :-\
--
--
Todd H.
http://www.toddh.net/

writes:

i now find that I can turn the valve open forever - it does not hit any
stop point.

This fits with the idea that the gate has broken off the end of the
stem and is stuck in place.

Who owns this valve?

Typically, you own everything from the water company's Buffalo box on
your front lawn on in.

Is it my cost to fix it - its the one between the meter and the
house - comes after the water company shutoff vale on the meter. Bet
its me huh?

If so should i just calla plumber and not bother the water company?

A plumber is the right person to call. They may need help from the
city if they can't locate your B box at the street, or if there's too
much crud crusting it over preventing them from operating the cutoff
valve in the B box.

This will require a digout and valve replacement I guess...any idea
what this will cost?

It cost me exactly $533.00 to replace the 2 failed main cutoffs (one
on either side of water meter), plus $178 in wait time to get the city
water guy out there to clean up the B box. Chicagoland, union
master plumber and an assistant, large company, responded within 2
hrs of my call, weekday, during city water folk's regular working
hours. YMMV.

--
Todd H.
http://www.toddh.net/