The in-line hot water stop valve for the faucet on my kitchen sink is
leaking. The house was built in the early 1970s;
the pipe is coper. Virtually everything in the house
is the cheapest that the code would allow.
The valve has an oval handle.
As far as I can tell, the lower end of the valve
is sweated (soldered) to the pipe. The upper
end has (I think) a compression or threaded fitting.
Can I repair the leak myself? If so, how?
I have looked around on the Web, but found nothing directly related.
If there's A Web site or a book with pictures of how to do this, I'd
like to know about it
To reply directly to me, replace all 'z' with 'a' in email address.

"George" wrote in message
...
The in-line hot water stop valve for the faucet on my kitchen sink is
leaking.

George,

Is it leaking from the bottom, the top or the valve stem? The bottom would
be the worst possibility, as you'd have to re-sweat the join.

If it's the top, try tightening the compression nut but be sure to hold the
valve itself as you do so that you don't put too much torque on the line and
rupture the pipe or soldered joint.

If it's the valve stem, try tightening the nut that holds the valve stem
in. If that doesn't work, you may need new packing for the stem.

Was this something you just noticed one day or did it start leaking after
you turned off the valve for repairs on the faucet?

Paul

On Sun, 14 Mar 2004 18:59:45 -0500, "Pavel314"
wrote:

"George" wrote in message
.. .
The in-line hot water stop valve for the faucet on my kitchen sink is
leaking.

George,

Is it leaking from the bottom, the top or the valve stem? The bottom would
be the worst possibility, as you'd have to re-sweat the join.

If it's the top, try tightening the compression nut but be sure to hold the
valve itself as you do so that you don't put too much torque on the line and
rupture the pipe or soldered joint.

If it's the valve stem, try tightening the nut that holds the valve stem
in. If that doesn't work, you may need new packing for the stem.
It leaks only when the valve is turned "on". It seems to be from the
valve stem. And I should be able to remove the valve stem with a
wrench? It seems a bit corroded. Any suggestions as how to loosen it
w/o breaking it?

Was this something you just noticed one day or did it start leaking after
you turned off the valve for repairs on the faucet?
Good question. I think it just started one day. I knew for quite some
tiem that there was a leak; but, in the beginning, I couldn't tell
where it was coming from. Now, it;s gotten worse -- and I can easily
see where it's coming from.


Paul