It's REALLY stupid you didn't look in the video description to see the links to the Danco packing rope, and it's REALLY stupid you don't know how to get to the Home Depot plumbing aisle to ask for the packing rope, there is usually only one or 2 different sizes there. ✅ Danco, Inc. 80794 Faucet Stem Packing, 3/32"x36", White amzn.to/36x5Mk4 ✅ Danco, Inc. 80074 Faucet Stem Packing, 5/32" White amzn.to/36rLZml
That’s a hilarious response. Thanks for the videos. Im doing my own plumbing after laying $175 just to connect water line of the refrigerator ice maker to the water line under sink.
@@jeffostroff bro you started the video with how we all need to "LiKe aNd SuBScRibE" because we "dont want to miss any of your videos" while you show us how to do things, but then you leave out details, provide no information where to find those details, then are aggressive with viewers. L content creator.
I don’t usually comment on things like this…but thank you! My husband passed away suddenly 2 months ago. He would have normally dealt with this. I had a leak exactly like what you showed initially..getting bad. Your 1st option did the trick. I did it 30 minutes ago, and still perfectly dry. Thank you…my initial instinct was to call a plumber.
I am in a similar situation with my husband passing about a year and a half ago. Living in a home built in 1906 without his assistance has been very stressful but this video helped so much!
Thank you so much! You don't realize how powerful your video is to a widow who's trying to keep everything running smoothly and responsibly manage reduced finances in an effort to secure a better a more comfortable future for herself. This had me do the repair in 10 minutes and the savings are appreciated. Thank you so much!
Same here. My husband did everything but I always helped so I’m a tiny bit familiar with terms. He did leave behind a garage full of tools for me to use. He was a commercial contractor.
Thank you. I had a leaky packing nut from having to turn the water off for that particular line to switch out an exterior hose bib. I had totally forgotten that maybe I need to tighten the packing nut. I turned it less than a quarter and the leak stopped. This is really what TH-cam should be used for instead of all of the silly and vulgar things.
Thanks, Jeff! You just saved me $600! A plumber came out to look at my leaking valve. He said that I needed to have the pipe replaced and a new valve put in for $600. After watching your video, I simply tightened the bonnet --and presto -- the leak stopped! It pays to watch these do-it-yourself videos. Needless to say, I'll never call this plumber again.
Well that is awesome. I can agree with a plumber that with these older valves sometimes I like to just cut the pipe and replace the valve with a new quarter turn ball valve. But keep in mind those new valves are no more than $20 a piece and it takes them about a 1/2 hour to do it. So in my opinion the price should not cost more than $200 to $300.
I did it!! I fixed the main shutoff valve leak in the basement. It was an emergency. I had to set the alarm clock to get up every 3 hours check on the bucket I had under the valve. In the morning I went to Home Depot to buy packing rope. Luckily I got the last package at the store. It was white and 3/32 inches in diameter. I did not even have to turn off the water supply. I backed out the handle and the packing nut, wrapped the packing rope around the stem, and tightened the nut. Voilà!! The leak disappeared. Thanks very much for this video. It definitely helped me attend to this emergency.
Jeff, this is such a great video! Refurbishing these valves is not hard and add years to their use. I will normally remove the stem from the body, clean the threads, remove the packing, steel wool the stem, grease the stem, repack, put in a new washer, grease the threads and reseal the body, tighten the packing nut and leave the torch in the tool box! Thanks for the video!
I'm guessing this the best way to do it to avoid the connection from becoming calcified and rusted, and hard to unwrench in the future. Our city shutoff valve is seized up like that and likely needs replacement. From looking at other videos, this is not the way to wrap the rope around the stem.
I was about to spend hundreds on a plumber for this thinking the whole valve needed to be replaced. Now I feel both relieved and silly. You sir are the best.
You should replace the valve, don't listen to this jackass, now that shouldn't mean you go and get ripped off, that repair will cost around 100-150, typically if I'm already in the house doing something it'll be 100, the 150 is just to cover coming out.
Thank you so very much , I had four leaking valves, two for the washing machine and one outside the backyard and one in the front of my home... I did what you said and now there's no more leaks. You helped me to save lots of money and I'm unemployed... thank you so much again. The USA needs more humans like you. Love you and God bless. Awesome 😂
Thanks from the UK Jeff. I had a shut off valve leaking in the kitchen (under the sink!). Each time I did any plumbing work and turned the valve off and on, it obviously affected the the seal. I was fortunate to have had a new meter installed and the excellent installer did exactly what you did. He also installed another valve after the meter for convenience!!! Your advice and the meter installer deserve credits of fortune for sharing.
Thanks Jeff, you are the man. I was beginning the process of putting dwn laminant flooring...had to mv the washer and dryer in order to put dwn the underlayment. When hooking the washer hoses bk up , you guessed it. A big ol' leak! That completely stopped the floor installation. I happened upon your amazing video on leaking washer cutoffs. I tightened the bonnet nut and you just saved me 2 or 3 hundred dollars. Thank you so much. Perry.
Thank you. Tightening the bonnet worked like a charm. You saved me money and reduced unnecessary stress. Your instructions are perfectly presented and to the point. Thanks for taking the time to make this video 👍🏾
Also... how to generally avoid this: protect your valve stems any time your house gets painted. Since your shutoff valve stays open 99.99% of the time, that valve stem is normally extended. If there's 3 or 4 coats of paint on that, the next time you go to shutoff water to do something those layers of paint wedge open valve stem packing, and can even chip off/embed in the seal which can sometimes cause a slow incurable drip depending on how paint chips wedge in place. A little strip of electrical tape or saran wrap around the stem and packing gland nut is all it takes - at least half the painters out there just flat out miss this detail, or just never go there. And sometimes, depending on valve location, it's not a bad idea to take a small wire brush and knock corrosion off of valve stems before closing. Unplated brass gets that green oxidation coating on it that does the same thing as paint: makes the exposed outside diameter of the valve stem both a little larger than it should be, and rough. You don't have to make it shine or polish it - just knock loose what you can before using the valve, especially if it's been sitting ten years.
@@jeffostroff I would not use such umbrella terms.as "All painters are lazy" as that is not factual nor civil.. It would be the same as me saying "all TH-cam plumbers are ignorant opinionated dunces" which we know is not true 89.9%of the time
@@powerpooch2000arent we just a little sensitive today? I'll assume you're a painter and if you're not; you're a helluva lot more sensitive than I originally thought! Take a nap, it's all gonna be ok. In any case wrap hardware for your customers and 8fnyoure unsure of what you're looking at; wrap it up anyway. Voila¡ No more generalizations...
@@Andy-im3kj that was my point. Only added that if there was any doubt as to wrap or not wrap that it's easier to paint it later than it is remove the paint.
I'm a single mom with a house that's pre-1900 (sounds fancy ... it's not) & I have to repair stuff myself. Most times, it's just a question of not knowing what I don't know. Several weeks ago my shower valve tailpiece nut snapped. Couldn't afford a new valve just to replace a stupid brass nut. My dad was able to braze that together thankfully. Just finished soldering my tailpiece union back on today. Turned the gate valve on and my heart sank as it started spraying water all over. Shut it off and it stopped spraying.......uuugh. I decided to Google "how to repair a gate valve" & chose your video first. I AM SO HAPPY I SAW YOUR VIDEO FIRST! I immediately tried gently tightening those unions you mention and it worked. I still think I will need to replace the packing, BUT, for right now that fixed it 🥰 Thank You!
I had a leak at midnight after shutting off the water valve and it was leaking both when open and closed. Thought I would be calling a 24/7 emergency plumber call until I watched this video. A simple tightening of the bonnet stopped the leak right away. THANK YOU JEFF for this video - saved me $$$ and a bunch of stress.
Guy you are amazing. The water supply to my water heater wouldn't stop dripping and was causing corrosion to my water heater. The first method work by slightly tightening the nut.
Who’s disliking this?? This 11 minutes just saved me hundreds in repairs, a delay in listing our house and immeasurable stress. Well done on a straight forward, informative video! 👍🏼
What about the people that want to turn a crescent wrench in the right direction if you didn't notice the first time of use the crescent wrench in this video it was completely backwards means he needed turn the crescent wrench around just like a female would use a crescent wrench so how about you learn how to use tools
Wow. Thank you. Reopened 2 valves in my basement which controlled the 2 outside hose bibs after winter ended. Had small leaks on both at stem. Valves were 23 years old, so I thought both valves finally went bad. Actually went to hardware store and bought new ball valves, flux, solder, etc. Was going to replace tomorrow. However, tonight was on TH-cam and found your video. Then the lightbulb turned on. I immediately tightened both bonnet nuts on each valve tonight. It worked!!!!! Both valves fixed. Tomorrow, since I will now have free time on my hands, I will just go to the hardware store and return my purchase. Thank you for your video!!!!!
Why the thumbs down? Some people can never be satisfied. This video shows exactly how i repair this type of leaks, unless the client prefers that i replace the valve.
Yes that is the way I am to I usually replace them on my own properties or if I'm helping out a friend I convinced them to replace it and sometimes they don't really need to if it just needs to Tighten the packing nut.
The video does not prove that method #2 works. Not all packing material is created equal. No matter how much you tighten the nut, drops of water may still be able to dribble out. Second, the valve stem has be perfectly clean and rounded. The idiot painter who got paint on the stem compromised the ability of the entire assembly to work in both the open and closed positions. As soon as you tighten the valve it messes up the packing material, and when you reopen it, any leak from the gate valve will migrate its way past the packing material. There is nothing wrong with bringing in a pro plumber to replace the valve, as long as he brings a quality valve to the job. That means not using some cheap Home Depot part made in a Communist country.
@@Asian_Connection Why would you make a statement like that. That is a complete false statement. There are some tradesmen that take advantage of home owners but not all do so quit making stupid comments like the one you made. It shows your ignorance
Thank you so much for this video!!! I had a slow leak on my water release valve for my outside faucet, and all it took was a 1/8 turn of that nut! I’m so relieved!! It’s. 108 year old home that we bought 1 1/2 years ago, and we’re lucky to have no major disasters yet🙌
108 years old?? Ours is 95 years and we are having minor issues. Plumbers refuse to come to fix water boiler leaks. They see 3 things out of code so they go right back out the front door as quickly as they came in.
Thank you so much. This was awesome. You explained it in very clear layman terms and the video quality was great as well AND... fixed my leaky water valve! Yay!
Great video. I found you only this morning. A shut-off valve for the hot water on my washing machine was leaking. I was going to call a plumber (who will charge extra because it is Saturday) but I made a search on the internet and I found you. I purchase the packing rope and made the repair myself. I found out that since the bonnet tightens clockwise, it is easier to wrap the rope clockwise. It stays in place better before everything is tight. Thank you so much. What you do is so useful.
you saved me $1000+ when my plumber suggested to change the valve. I just tightened the packing nut like you showed in the video and the dripping stopped. Thank you
Great video Jeff! My main valve providing water to my boiler started dripping at the stem after repeatedly turning it on and off to do some repairs. Saw your video, tightened the bonnet, and no more drip! Just learning this basic plumbing, so you added to my knowledge. Thank you!
I came searching for a way to repair my washing machine shutoff valve without having to call a plumber and the nut tightening work like a champ. Thank you so much for the video!!
I just installed a new dishwasher and went to turn valve on and it kept dripping. My installed dishwasher wasn't leaking thank God. Tighten the packing nut a 1/4 turn and it stopped. Thanks!
I came to say thanks. I had purchased a new valve and elbow and was prepared to desolder things but then saw your video and simply tried tightening the packing nut a quarter turn. It worked, I returned the stuff, and saved $50.
I was freaking out when I saw the shut off valve of the pipe connected to my water heater leaking. I've been trying to figure out how to deal with it because I didn't want to call in a plumber. Thanks to your video, there's no more leaks. I've even gone ahead and tightened the bonnets of the remaining valves😅. Thank you so much, Sir!
I would like to sincerely thank you. I had a leak in the laundry room washing machine cold water shutoff. I was just getting ready to shutoff the main and cut off the shutoff and replace myself. Thanks to your video i dont have to do that MAN THAT WAS AWSOME THANKS A TON. YOU SAVED ME SOME WORK.
Jeff this video was perfect and fixed all of our 40 year old leaking water valves around the house. No wonder this video has 2 million views and haters:-) Thank you!
Thanks for doing this. I am old enough to remember pre-Internet and trying to figure out how to repair things by asking others around me. Always baffles the mind how people complain in the comment section when they forget someone is offering you free education, pride of fixing something yourself, and saving money!
Thank you. I was minutes from calling a plumber. I had the same issue but indoors. I’m so glad I found your video. You saved me hundreds. It was so easy. Just followed your instructions. No more leak.
The drip is so annoying. I am guess either water hammer has wore the seals out or time has wore the seal out. Also city has been trying to have less corrosion protection in the water. The good thing is the 1/2 turn fixed it. The thesis is that the shrunken seal is now compressed enough not to leak.
I know this video was long time ago but it just helped me so much. I had a main water valve bad leaking and the municipality office was closed already. I gave a try to tightened a quarter turn on the nut of the main valve and it worked!!! Thank you so much for that tip.
Just bought an older house ,, just changed a leaky Tub Faucet and then had a big leak in the main shut off valve ,, turned the nut and it worked thank you so much
If you need to turn off the utility main have them do it. Its a $500 charge if you break it in my city. Sometimes the turn off valve is very tight and easily torque it off the compression fit. Actually no need to turn off the utility main to repack the house main if you make sure its in the close position before removing the packing nut. Different story if you have a broken stem/disk, then you need to turn off the utility main.
Surprise he don't replace the whole valve, or at least replace the rubber washer when untility main is shut off ! Using a rope in stead of PTFE thread seal tape ?
kimchee94112: After replacing bathroom faucet, I noticed a small dripping on the hot water stop valve. Although I managed to stop the leak by tightening, I wanted to replace it and realized that it involves shutting the main shut off valve. Condo management tells me the main water shut off valve is located behind the washer/dryer which is in a confined small area within the bathroom, and the only way to get access to the main shut off is to move the washer/dryer unit out of the way - doable but extremely difficult. So I have been searching for alternatives that can avoid shutting off the main. By looking at the stop valve, I was sure that all I needed was to close the valve, unscrew packing nut, replace the Bonnet washer, Done! Today, I went to Home Depot, bought the parts, but the expert in the plumbing department guy laughed and tells me NO, water will pour out. And this evening, I find your comment "Actually no need to turn off the utility main to repack the house main if you make sure its in the close position before removing the packing nut". Thank you~! I can now replace the washer with knowing it can be done. Cheers, Terry
PTFE thread seal tape would have been appropriate IF it was leaking from the threads. That was not the case here, the leak was seeping from the stem and there are no threads there. So he used the appropriate material for this specific problem.
@@stevebabiak6997 A new rubber washer should stop the seeping, few warp of Teflon tape is a added insurance ! I would replace with a new valve since the trouble of shutting the utility main !
Literally had a plumber shut off my gate valve and turn it back on and it was leaking, a little tightening of the packing nut solved the problem! Thanks Jeff!
Loved your video! I would like to address going to the water meter and turning off the city’s cut off valve. I have worked and managed Utilites for cities for over 40 years! Most city utilities do not want a customer or a plumber to use there cut off valve. I would suggest calling the water department and asking them to cut off the service for repairs. I have had situations where a person would break the city’s valve. Now you have created a real problem with the city. Just a suggestion! Thanks
That's a good point George! We had our city do that a few years ago for a friend of ours, they charged $75 to come out! I try to be real careful, heck even used Chanelocks and RoboGrips to turn them carefully.
Who are you kidding the cities about the laziest motherfuckers I ever seen work they love it when we turn the valve off the only valves they don’t want us turning off sometimes either Street valves that control whole blocks that’s only time you should call out the city because as everyone knows it takes five guys or turn off one valve
Thanks Jeff, I had a drip and was about to call the plumber - with your video I got rid of the drip. I partly unscrewed - applied some plumber's tape and re-closed the nut and it worked!
Crazy how something so little can freak out a homeowner. My house just sold and had an inspection and this failed on mine due to a small leak. I touched it and it turned into a big leak and was panicking writing friends who are plumbers and home builders who can't come out on a sat night so im about to cut main water out front, run to home depot and replace it all until I watched your video. 10 seconds to fix after 3 hours of panic. Thank you sir, life lesson taught and learned.
Awesome! Yes, these always get caught in inspections, same with illegal flexible p-traps, dishwashers with no high loop in the drain hose under the kitchen counter, and no GFCIs in the bathrooms.
What about being accused of tampering with my water meter? My water bill says only district staff and board approved contractors are allowed in meter pits. Is this just the meter part or does it include the valve also? Just wondering what you think. Thanks for the awesome video!
Rules are rules! Cities don't want inexperienced people ruining their shut off valve. Some plumbers do it anyway, because the city charges $100 or more to come out and do it.
One thing Jeff forgot to mention, the more you tighten the “packing nut” the harder it will be to turn the handle in order to turn the water off, also in some cases the gate inside the valve will stay closed if the stim breaks inside, TH-cam makes it look easy but all situations are situational
I'm a tradesman also , Excellent teacher ! Many people don't actually show the how to but would rather show the after job or already set up. These individuals have a tendency to love to hear themselves talk. What a waste of everyone's time. Thank you again !
Thanks Jeff. Option 1 slowed down my leaky handle but did not stop it. I'll do Option 2 once I get more time this upcoming weekend and make a trip to the hardware store for the packing rope. Much appreciated for your Video.
Thank you for the info. I was able to fix my problem from your demonstration it was exactly what you demo . Thanks even a women can save on a plumber...lol
really enjoyed your video quality and presentation. Watching an experienced hand doing it, and dotting all the i's and crossing all the t's at the end left me feeling good. As they say, the devil's in the details, which is why I don't watch DIY, HGTV TV shows anymore ... they just skip over the most important details and magic projects into completion, leaving me very unsatisfied.
Thank U for your teaching. but in My case, insider main shut off valve is leaking. and can I touch the shut off valve in my outside road? I want to change the all parts, that is wise, sir?
The city might have a problem with you turning off the water meter valve at the street, but people do it all the time. If you feel comfortable soldering on a new 1/4 turn ball vale, you then do it, otherwise might be safer to call a plumber.
I finally broke down and bought one of those street valve tools for the shut off. They're pricey for what it costs to make but a lifesaver for country living 30 minutes from a hardware store.
Hi, Jeff: Thinking about these tips you just taught still leaves me with a question: For those who know how to solder, would it still be a *wiser* move to switch to a ball valve on a really old house, so I could go a long time without having to worry about this at all?
Yes! In fact I normally swap out valves to the 1/4 turn ball valve. We just did not do it on this valve, because we wanted to make a video on how to repair one for folks who have zero money, or can't afford a plumber, but know how to turn a nut 90 degrees.
@@jeffostroff --I hear you. Glad you were thinking that way. So many of us either are now in that "zero money" position--or WILL be! Good to have the info, for whenever that problem hits. Thanks!
I haven't even watched the video cause I dont need to, as it's a small simple fix that I can do myself. But just a little note, this is an amazing youtube channel for these things. The only time I would watch a video is when youd get stuck on something or more complex form of plumbing. Note: I have 0 experience as a plumber. This is my first time doing this. ECERYONE! Do it yourself. You dont even need youtube just common sense I fixed and replaced bath tub part. Changed many things in copper piping leaks. Actually this weekend i fixed my friends moms place, replaced her main valve cause it was leaking and some old connectors were leaking. Then replaced the faucet took out the new one and replaced it for a new one. Plus the 3 leaks I found. All on my own. It's very easy. My friends mom would have spent atleast after tax 3500+ or more for all I fixed after the calculations. Videos are great they're AMAZING for more complex things. But what you need to do first is: Check where leak is coming from. Then fix it, tighten the screws, tighten the connectors. Replace or apply more tape to female connection threads etc etc.... It's very easy. (Atleast for me it was) Just find problem and use you common sense and repair it. Plumbers are only needed for BIG jobs. Never simple leaks. Unless you're disabled. Then that's pathetic (sorry lol) You shouldn't be spending grands for something so simple. Everyone should be doing this simple stuff at home. Watch the videos if you like when you get stuck. They're helpful. But I usually get right down to business and fix it myself. And I believe you can to! Enjoy and thank you for making these videos for those who need it. Or for women who have zero mechanical sense. Which is completely normal. Theres a small percentage of them that know haha. Good luck!
Comment about crescent wrench. Technically pressure goes against the lower jaw of the wrench , so in your video the wrench should be turned around , especially if there is heavy pressure on the wrench
Yes that is correct but also keep in mind I was doing a very light quarter of a turn so it really doesn't matter. What you are talking about is when you're tightening something that needs to get real tight And so they would be forces on a Crescent wrench that for better efficiency it should be turned around the other way but for a simple little quarter of a turn or a 1/2 of a turn and you're just trying to compress down the packing it really doesn't matter
Your operation of the open-end adjustable wrench appears incorrect, in my opinion. The twisting moment is better applied against the static jaw - not the movable one as depicted. Applying the wrench opposite from it's design tends to round the nut and spring the jaws, contributing to accelerated wear and failure of both. Not to mention, it is poor form, calling into question the content of the topic at hand, which appeared to be otherwise correct as far as I had viewed. Not a plumber, I rarely if ever used that tool anyway, as an FAA Certified Airframe and Powerplant Mechanic (A&P) of 45 years. Thanks for reading.
@@paulmac3307 Yes I use the backwards but come on we're making a quarter of a turn here were not tightening a bolt all the way down to full tightness that it needs the unbelievable strength of this ranch here. I could have done this with a pair of pliers or a pair of channel locks even but for a quarter of a turn passed he and tighten nobody cares
@@jeffostroff Come on people, He is a handyman, not a mechanic. Did you come here to learn how to use a wrench or fix a valve? Great job Jeff. You couldn't please some people if they got a million dollars. They would complain that they weren't new bills!
I have friends that are professional plumbers. They mostly do new construction and commercial. However they have said multiple times that DIY/handymen keep them in business ☺️
@@jdboy9 Without a doubt, many don't understand how to fix things, or how to do it to code, and make things worse. I'm going in tomorrow to help a lady who had a not-so-handy man "repair her kitchen sink strainer basket, and the drain flange is not sitting in the mortice correctly, now she has leaks underneath, and the p-trap was connected wrong, so it leaked.
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That's exactly why I tell new plumbers to always just shut it off at the meter. Don't mess with their main shut off. Cuz now we're creating more work and more money out of the customers pocket when that shut off valve that's 30 years old starts leaking or breaks. Good video. Subscribed
Thank you. This was the best video I found to explain to me how to fix the leak from the same spot on my indoor water shut off to my home's outdoor water spigot. Once I understood how the packing nut and that rope worked, I could visualize how to fix it even though it wasn't exactly the same scenario, it was close enough. Awesome! Such a great feeling of accomplishment when one can fix something. The only difference I encountered is the packing nut had ... I don't know, like 30 year old, really gunky rope (? but it was black) and even a cracked washer jammed in it, so, getting all that junk out so that the threads were exposed and putting in new rope was challenging, but it worked. Thank you again.
Nothing wrong with that, in fact that is my normal procedure. But the owner is selling this house and already spent thousands on the rest of the house and did not want to spend hundreds more on a hose bibb. Since this valve is not broken, the packing nut just needed tightening, this is a safe repair. And this multiturn valve is now working perfectly, and shuts the water on and off.
Actually you need to check your local code as in St Louis and Illinois, the main shut off needs to be a slow closing valve like a gate or globe , this avoids slamming shut the valve and blowing the corporation stop out on the main in the street.
No need to go and shutoff the outside all you need to do is turn the valve to the shutoff position with a screwdriver remove the actual round part of the valve ,remove the bonnet do your packing reinstall the bonnet the handle and reopen the valve🤷🏻♂️
Perfect! I must have loosed the nut when I shut the valve to work on the front sprinkler valves. The thing was dripping at first, but the next day was a pretty constant leak! I thought I was ramping up for a long weekend of trips to the hardware store at best, probably followed by a call to a plumber. I watched your video and five minutes later, no leak! I'll make sure I clean those stems too. I never knew / thought about the crud on the stem messing up the valve! Finch. Thanks a bunch!
Just saved me from making THE call…. thank you, sir. Had a leak at the cold water shutoff valve to my washing machine. A 3/4 clockwise turn of the packing nut solved the problem.
You don't need to turn off the water supply from the meter to put packing rope. Just be sure the shut off valve is closed tight. And to better access the valve stem (where the packing is needed) remove the valve handle. I'm not a plumber nor an expert, just a diy'er with common sense.
This is the main water shut off valve so you do have to shut off water at the curb. If you have the common sense that you claim you would be shutting the water off at the curb and not taking chances.
jeffostroff ...no you don't have to shut off the meter valve. Water will not come out of the main shut off valve if it is closed tight even if you remove the packing nut and handle. Just be sure not to turn the valve stem while removing the packing nut and handle. Your sarcasm indicates that somehow I bruise your expert ego with my "common sense" comment. It was not my intention. Peace out!
@@edcarls3861 ed carls No you did not bruise my ego, I get a lot of that though, LOL. You give Joe Six Pack way too much credit, and I always tell people if you have to work on your main, shut the meter water off. You are assuming that they won't move the valve stem during the operation. I see people do really dumb stuff all the way. Like Chaos theory in Jurassic Park, life finds a way. Too much at stake here, also what if something else is wrong with that main valve that we don't see?
@@jeffostroff Unfortunately, our city will not let you tamper with the main shut off valve, either in the house or in the street, and requires you hire a licensed plumber. Motivates you to consider taking chances on a simple repair.
@@jeffostroff I'm going to have to agree with the other guy. 1980's houses are NOT old. Mine was built CIRCA 1922 and it's a labor of love. Now to go tighten some nuts using a not so Antique wrench! Lol Thanks!
Thank you so much! I changed my kitchen faucet and all of sudden had a little leak at the shut-off valve. A quarter turn of the packing nut fixed my leak! I really appreciate this video.
Thank you!!!! We rent and do not like to bother our landlord for minor things, our drip was super minor, 1 drip every couple of minutes... but it was a drip. I searched TH-cam and there you were :-) I was able to easily fix the valve that was leaking using the 'simple fix' you showed on the video! THANKS. We have a second drip that drips even less, but I could not get the bonnet to budge - the whole thing seems seized up, I'm a new subscriber I'll have to search and see if you cover how to replaced a seized up valve. Again Thank you for taking the time to SAVE many people TIME and Money including me!
I had an old house in the mountains on a septic tank , the house had a basement and the cast iron sewer line was overhead as it exited the home, there was a threaded plug on the last 90 degree fitting, it had some garbage like string and dental floss? wrapped round the threads with lead? and waxy crap on it, the toilets were not Flushing normally so I knew the line was backing up, it was leaking at the threaded plug and there was a nice fat square block on the end to turn it with, I put a 3 ft aluminum pipe wrench on it and tried to tighten it, it was not moving so I hung my weight a bit on the wrench as I was pulling on it when suddenly the cast iron plug bike out as part of the cast fitting broke off , I fell on my butt and I recall looking upwards at it as I was falling backwards thinking OH GOD NO! I knew "some" sewage was likely going to drip out, I had no clue the entire sewage line trunk running under the house connecting 3 bathrooms was full of raw sewage, an unbelievable endless (seemingly) deluge of sewage blasted my face as I was on my backside looking up at it in horror, you would think my mouth would have been zipped shut but I was yelling out NO! and just like seeing a boot being pulled back and kicking your head like a football on a T before the lights go out, I have a memory ingrained in my mind of a deluge of raw sewage blasting my horrified face, filling my mouth with poop soup, my eyes were full of poop soup, I began to hurl and gag and could not breathe, I had poop soup in my sinus passages and it was Chunky and blew out like fat boogers of poo! I was trying to stand up and keep out of the deluge, the main line from the house drained off and the septic tank was still back flowing into the basement, I had 2 feet of raw sewage, I grabbed a bottle of whiskey off a shelf and too a few swigs and spit it out ten times as I was tearing off my soiled clothing heading to my truck in my driveway to grab some towels and jumpsuit when my neighbor drives by with his wife and then daughters, they saw me naked covered in poop swigging whiskey straight from the bottle staggering and spitting apparently intent on taking my truck for a drive? The neighbor drove up without his family (he dropped them off at home) and came to tell me he did not care what ever I am into that is my business , just please keep it inside, I have kids!
Lucky for me, your tip about the packing nut being loose worked for both of the main shutoffs that leaked yesterday after having been turned back on after I had updated my toilet shutoff valve and flapper. Thanks so much!!
Bruce b , he always uses tools the wrong way. The packing nut that he says is sometimes called a bonnet is only called that by people in Florida or people who don't know anything about plumbing. The next hexagonal nut is the bonnet. The water does not have to be shut off at the meter to add packing to a GATE VALVE , a gate valve when opened fully back seats itself and should not leak, even it does leak a drop or so it's not enough to stop you from backing the PACKING NUT ( not bonnet ) off and adding packing . Sometimes you may have to remove the handle also. A real plumber also works some stem grease into the packing gland so the valve works smoothly when tightened back up.
I use the tools wrong? LOL, what I put the wrench around the nut wrong to make a 1/4 turn? Whooopdie doo! You don't know what you are talking about either "bonnet" is not a Florida thing, that term is used everywhere. A lot of people refer to it as the bonnet, Which is why I gave both names for it. Even Richard Trethewey, the world class plumber from This Old House who I would trust over you any day, for years has called it the bonnet. Also nobody needs an uninformed troll like you in coming in here trying to give people really dangerous uninformed advice! It is always recommended to shut off the water before operating on this because you don't know what other things could be wrong in there and next thing you know the home owner is sitting there with a 60 PSI gusher and panicking about what to do next. BTW, the instructions for the packing rope even state to turn off the water first. Novices like you never read instructions. So with your lack of plumbing skills you should leave the dispensing of wisdom to those who really know. Thanks though, you gave us all a good laugh, came in here like the conquistador, hopped off your high horse, and face planted in failure.
Exactly John, the bonnet is indeed the second part of the valve pictured and the water does NOT have to be turned off at the street to replace the packing gland all you have to do is shut the valve off that you're working on the bonnet holds the valve together!! Also packing rope is the old way to fix this they now make preformed glands to place over the shaft behind the packing nut this prevents leaks through the wraps of rope that were common using the rope type! Also when cutting off at the street DO NOT turn it past the line up of the locking tabs or you are turning it back on and most of those valves DO NOT have a stop, they will just spin on around turning the water back on again! Sorry, I realize he is trying to help people but if he's going to give advise give correct advise !
@@jackedwards7420 Jack you just contradicted yourself you said you don't have to shut off the water but yet you said you have to shut off that valve itself. That valve is the main valve for the house and so the only way to shut off that valve is by the street so I don't know why you both are complaining about turning off the velvet the street. Also although water meter valves in our area have stops, These are mostly quarter turn valves that they have at the meters.
Pluming is a "what if" job sometimes...for instance...sometimes you'll tighten the packing nut a little....and the threads break....now it's not dripping....it's spraying!....then you head to home depot.... and in the next few hours yer pissed as hell.
@@jeffostroff The issue is that if a plumber came out and they do the quick fix nut tightening, the customer still has to pay for a trip minimum. So if they fix it, the plumber doesn't need to come back out again when it starts leaking. So better to fix it yourself!
@@superchuck3259 I've been plumbing over 35 years... new construction and custom houses. When they stopped building new houses in 2008 I started doing anything related to plumbing....now I do mostly remodel, additions. All word of mouth, I don't advertise. When customers call I ask for pictures of what's leaking and try to get them to fix it if possible,(rarely) but if I show up and just tighten something....I do a quick once over on the whole house...clearing slow drains, cleaning air-raters....adjusting toilet tank water levels, change old flappers etc. And I will discount my next visit if applicable. My customers are always happy cuz I'm fair. Sometimes I just ask for homemade food...nothing like it!
Gland packing deteriorates over time so you really should be removing all the old stuff, cleaning the gland, checking for any corrosion and fitting the right size of gland packing. Ideally you want to remove the bonnet, which isn't the nut, so the stem can be removed.
It looks like you only got half a circle of rope packing around that thing. May I suggest a little less redundant explanation and a little more time showing, say, taking off the knob so you can wrap the stem properly. And then, #3, if it still leaks, moving to the next wrench flats and pulling the entire stem out of the pipe and replacing it.
Will do that on the next one. This one actually did not need the packing so I only added that small amount, I wanted to give both scenarios in the same video.
@@jeffostroff yet you had shown people how to flood their house... 1. close valve 2. open any tap inside to release pressure 3. remove knob 4. remove bonnet 5. pack and reassemble in reverse
Put me in the same group as everyone else. Your video saved me time, and most importantly, money. Tightening the bonnet did the trick. Thank you very much!
I don’t usually comment on things like this…but thank you! My husband passed away suddenly 2 months ago. He would have normally dealt with this. I had a leak exactly like what you showed initially..getting bad. Your 1st option did the trick. I did it 30 minutes ago, and still perfectly dry. Thank you…my initial instinct was to call a plumber.
It's REALLY STUPID for not showing WHAT KIND OF ROPE or white line that's inserted into the water handle!
It's REALLY stupid you didn't look in the video description to see the links to the Danco packing rope, and it's REALLY stupid you don't know how to get to the Home Depot plumbing aisle to ask for the packing rope, there is usually only one or 2 different sizes there.
✅ Danco, Inc. 80794 Faucet Stem Packing, 3/32"x36", White amzn.to/36x5Mk4
✅ Danco, Inc. 80074 Faucet Stem Packing, 5/32" White amzn.to/36rLZml
That’s a hilarious response. Thanks for the videos. Im doing my own plumbing after laying $175 just to connect water line of the refrigerator ice maker to the water line under sink.
At 5:56 he tells you! You do not have to be so rude!
@@kayBTR Awesome thanks in good luck with your repair
@@jeffostroff bro you started the video with how we all need to "LiKe aNd SuBScRibE" because we "dont want to miss any of your videos" while you show us how to do things, but then you leave out details, provide no information where to find those details, then are aggressive with viewers. L content creator.
I don’t usually comment on things like this…but thank you! My husband passed away suddenly 2 months ago. He would have normally dealt with this. I had a leak exactly like what you showed initially..getting bad. Your 1st option did the trick. I did it 30 minutes ago, and still perfectly dry. Thank you…my initial instinct was to call a plumber.
Glad to help Sophia, and accept my prayers for losing your husband.
Great job Sophia! Sorry for your loss :(
I am in a similar situation with my husband passing about a year and a half ago. Living in a home built in 1906 without his assistance has been very stressful but this video helped so much!
Thank you so much! You don't realize how powerful your video is to a widow who's trying to keep everything running smoothly and responsibly manage reduced finances in an effort to secure a better a more comfortable future for herself. This had me do the repair in 10 minutes and the savings are appreciated. Thank you so much!
You're so welcome! It's for folks like you that we do this Dolores!
Same here. My husband did everything but I always helped so I’m a tiny bit familiar with terms. He did leave behind a garage full of tools for me to use. He was a commercial contractor.
Thank you. I had a leaky packing nut from having to turn the water off for that particular line to switch out an exterior hose bib. I had totally forgotten that maybe I need to tighten the packing nut. I turned it less than a quarter and the leak stopped. This is really what TH-cam should be used for instead of all of the silly and vulgar things.
Thanks, Jeff! You just saved me $600! A plumber came out to look at my leaking valve. He said that I needed to have the pipe replaced and a new valve put in for $600. After watching your video, I simply tightened the bonnet --and presto -- the leak stopped! It pays to watch these do-it-yourself videos. Needless to say, I'll never call this plumber again.
Well that is awesome. I can agree with a plumber that with these older valves sometimes I like to just cut the pipe and replace the valve with a new quarter turn ball valve. But keep in mind those new valves are no more than $20 a piece and it takes them about a 1/2 hour to do it. So in my opinion the price should not cost more than $200 to $300.
That’s crazy. As a plumber I charge 250$ depending on if I’m doing a regulator as well.
You must have called Sunday morning 😭
$600! man that's a lot
@@jeffostroff my quarter turn leaked after I shut in off. Tightening the packing nut stopped the leak. So while they are better. They can leak to.
I did it!! I fixed the main shutoff valve leak in the basement. It was an emergency. I had to set the alarm clock to get up every 3 hours check on the bucket I had under the valve. In the morning I went to Home Depot to buy packing rope. Luckily I got the last package at the store. It was white and 3/32 inches in diameter. I did not even have to turn off the water supply. I backed out the handle and the packing nut, wrapped the packing rope around the stem, and tightened the nut. Voilà!! The leak disappeared.
Thanks very much for this video. It definitely helped me attend to this emergency.
Awesome news, glad to save another homeowner from a pesky leak!
Jeff, this is such a great video! Refurbishing these valves is not hard and add years to their use. I will normally remove the stem from the body, clean the threads, remove the packing, steel wool the stem, grease the stem, repack, put in a new washer, grease the threads and reseal the body, tighten the packing nut and leave the torch in the tool box! Thanks for the video!
I'm guessing this the best way to do it to avoid the connection from becoming calcified and rusted, and hard to unwrench in the future. Our city shutoff valve is seized up like that and likely needs replacement.
From looking at other videos, this is not the way to wrap the rope around the stem.
I was about to spend hundreds on a plumber for this thinking the whole valve needed to be replaced. Now I feel both relieved and silly. You sir are the best.
glad to help you out of this issue!
Believe me you will be changing out that old gate valve to a ball valve at some time soon
You should replace the valve, don't listen to this jackass, now that shouldn't mean you go and get ripped off, that repair will cost around 100-150, typically if I'm already in the house doing something it'll be 100, the 150 is just to cover coming out.
@@stiffysap5841 I've never understood why they don't put ball valves in to start with.
Thank you so very much , I had four leaking valves, two for the washing machine and one outside the backyard and one in the front of my home... I did what you said and now there's no more leaks. You helped me to save lots of money and I'm unemployed... thank you so much again. The USA needs more humans like you. Love you and God bless. Awesome 😂
Thanks from the UK Jeff.
I had a shut off valve leaking in the kitchen (under the sink!). Each time I did any plumbing work and turned the valve off and on, it obviously affected the the seal. I was fortunate to have had a new meter installed and the excellent installer did exactly what you did. He also installed another valve after the meter for convenience!!!
Your advice and the meter installer deserve credits of fortune for sharing.
Glad it helped Nev!
Thanks Jeff, you are the man. I was beginning the process of putting dwn laminant flooring...had to mv the washer and dryer in order to put dwn the underlayment. When hooking the washer hoses bk up , you guessed it. A big ol' leak! That completely stopped the floor installation. I happened upon your amazing video on leaking washer cutoffs. I tightened the bonnet nut and you just saved me 2 or 3 hundred dollars. Thank you so much. Perry.
Glad I could help. Can you imagine all the people who routinely spend $200 on this repair every day?
Thank you. Tightening the bonnet worked like a charm. You saved me money and reduced unnecessary stress. Your instructions are perfectly presented and to the point. Thanks for taking the time to make this video 👍🏾
Glad it helped!
Also... how to generally avoid this: protect your valve stems any time your house gets painted. Since your shutoff valve stays open 99.99% of the time, that valve stem is normally extended. If there's 3 or 4 coats of paint on that, the next time you go to shutoff water to do something those layers of paint wedge open valve stem packing, and can even chip off/embed in the seal which can sometimes cause a slow incurable drip depending on how paint chips wedge in place. A little strip of electrical tape or saran wrap around the stem and packing gland nut is all it takes - at least half the painters out there just flat out miss this detail, or just never go there. And sometimes, depending on valve location, it's not a bad idea to take a small wire brush and knock corrosion off of valve stems before closing. Unplated brass gets that green oxidation coating on it that does the same thing as paint: makes the exposed outside diameter of the valve stem both a little larger than it should be, and rough. You don't have to make it shine or polish it - just knock loose what you can before using the valve, especially if it's been sitting ten years.
Painters are lazy they never do much to protect hardware. Some people actually think you are supposed to spray right over them.
@@jeffostroff I would not use such umbrella terms.as "All painters are lazy" as that is not factual nor civil.. It would be the same as me saying "all TH-cam plumbers are ignorant opinionated dunces" which we know is not true 89.9%of the time
@@powerpooch2000arent we just a little sensitive today?
I'll assume you're a painter and if you're not; you're a helluva lot more sensitive than I originally thought! Take a nap, it's all gonna be ok.
In any case wrap hardware for your customers and 8fnyoure unsure of what you're looking at; wrap it up anyway. Voila¡ No more generalizations...
@@ImanAhole He's not wrong, though. There's a right way to do the job and a wrong way and the way the painters did it is the wrong way...
@@Andy-im3kj that was my point. Only added that if there was any doubt as to wrap or not wrap that it's easier to paint it later than it is remove the paint.
I'm a single mom with a house that's pre-1900 (sounds fancy ... it's not) & I have to repair stuff myself. Most times, it's just a question of not knowing what I don't know. Several weeks ago my shower valve tailpiece nut snapped. Couldn't afford a new valve just to replace a stupid brass nut. My dad was able to braze that together thankfully.
Just finished soldering my tailpiece union back on today. Turned the gate valve on and my heart sank as it started spraying water all over. Shut it off and it stopped spraying.......uuugh. I decided to Google "how to repair a gate valve" & chose your video first.
I AM SO HAPPY I SAW YOUR VIDEO FIRST!
I immediately tried gently tightening those unions you mention and it worked. I still think I will need to replace the packing, BUT, for right now that fixed it 🥰
Thank You!
I had a leak at midnight after shutting off the water valve and it was leaking both when open and closed. Thought I would be calling a 24/7 emergency plumber call until I watched this video. A simple tightening of the bonnet stopped the leak right away. THANK YOU JEFF for this video - saved me $$$ and a bunch of stress.
Awesome, glad to hear it!
Guy you are amazing. The water supply to my water heater wouldn't stop dripping and was causing corrosion to my water heater. The first method work by slightly tightening the nut.
Awesome Jamal, saved another one!
Who’s disliking this?? This 11 minutes just saved me hundreds in repairs, a delay in listing our house and immeasurable stress. Well done on a straight forward, informative video! 👍🏼
Plumbers are disliking this, LOL
@C Waters I did because of the loud music and sound effects in the beginning.
What about the people that want to turn a crescent wrench in the right direction if you didn't notice the first time of use the crescent wrench in this video it was completely backwards means he needed turn the crescent wrench around just like a female would use a crescent wrench so how about you learn how to use tools
Nicely done. This is a common problem for home owners. You provided a simple remedy. THANKS JEFF!
Glad to help George and thanks for watching
Wow. Thank you. Reopened 2 valves in my basement which controlled the 2 outside hose bibs after winter ended. Had small leaks on both at stem. Valves were 23 years old, so I thought both valves finally went bad. Actually went to hardware store and bought new ball valves, flux, solder, etc. Was going to replace tomorrow. However, tonight was on TH-cam and found your video. Then the lightbulb turned on. I immediately tightened both bonnet nuts on each valve tonight. It worked!!!!! Both valves fixed. Tomorrow, since I will now have free time on my hands, I will just go to the hardware store and return my purchase. Thank you for your video!!!!!
Awesome, glad to help Robin!
Thank you Jeff! This was the problem and fixed it without having to spend $100's for a plumber to come out! You are a Savior!
Yes! Glad to help another one I love hearing feedback from people who were able to solve their issue
Why the thumbs down? Some people can never be satisfied. This video shows exactly how i repair this type of leaks, unless the client prefers that i replace the valve.
Yes that is the way I am to I usually replace them on my own properties or if I'm helping out a friend I convinced them to replace it and sometimes they don't really need to if it just needs to Tighten the packing nut.
From plumbers
@Maintenance Guys - Plumbers are all scammers.
The video does not prove that method #2 works. Not all packing material is created equal. No matter how much you tighten the nut, drops of water may still be able to dribble out. Second, the valve stem has be perfectly clean and rounded. The idiot painter who got paint on the stem compromised the ability of the entire assembly to work in both the open and closed positions. As soon as you tighten the valve it messes up the packing material, and when you reopen it, any leak from the gate valve will migrate its way past the packing material. There is nothing wrong with bringing in a pro plumber to replace the valve, as long as he brings a quality valve to the job. That means not using some cheap Home Depot part made in a Communist country.
@@Asian_Connection Why would you make a statement like that. That is a complete false statement. There are some tradesmen that take advantage of home owners but not all do so quit making stupid comments like the one you made. It shows your ignorance
Thank you so much for this video!!! I had a slow leak on my water release valve for my outside faucet, and all it took was a 1/8 turn of that nut! I’m so relieved!! It’s. 108 year old home that we bought 1 1/2 years ago, and we’re lucky to have no major disasters yet🙌
Awesome news Kelly, glad to help out another homeowner!
108 years old?? Ours is 95 years and we are having minor issues. Plumbers refuse to come to fix water boiler leaks. They see 3 things out of code so they go right back out the front door as quickly as they came in.
@@stuntz0rZ haha well what a buncha chumps, and they call themselves plumbers??🤣
Thank you so much. This was awesome. You explained it in very clear layman terms and the video quality was great as well AND... fixed my leaky water valve! Yay!
Great video. I found you only this morning. A shut-off valve for the hot water on my washing machine was leaking. I was going to call a plumber (who will charge extra because it is Saturday) but I made a search on the internet and I found you. I purchase the packing rope and made the repair myself. I found out that since the bonnet tightens clockwise, it is easier to wrap the rope clockwise. It stays in place better before everything is tight. Thank you so much. What you do is so useful.
you saved me $1000+ when my plumber suggested to change the valve. I just tightened the packing nut like you showed in the video and the dripping stopped. Thank you
How do you reattach the Gate to the Stem. Water will not shut off because gate has come unscrewed.
Great video Jeff! My main valve providing water to my boiler started dripping at the stem after repeatedly turning it on and off to do some repairs. Saw your video, tightened the bonnet, and no more drip! Just learning this basic plumbing, so you added to my knowledge. Thank you!
You bet Geoff, glad to help out!
I came searching for a way to repair my washing machine shutoff valve without having to call a plumber and the nut tightening work like a champ. Thank you so much for the video!!
Awesome Sprartan, glad to help out!
I just installed a new dishwasher and went to turn valve on and it kept dripping. My installed dishwasher wasn't leaking thank God. Tighten the packing nut a 1/4 turn and it stopped. Thanks!
Yup, that's all you have to do!
@@jeffostroff i think i have outside valve that is leaking too, I will be able to fix next spring instead of replacing as i thought i needed too.
I came to say thanks. I had purchased a new valve and elbow and was prepared to desolder things but then saw your video and simply tried tightening the packing nut a quarter turn. It worked, I returned the stuff, and saved $50.
I was freaking out when I saw the shut off valve of the pipe connected to my water heater leaking. I've been trying to figure out how to deal with it because I didn't want to call in a plumber. Thanks to your video, there's no more leaks. I've even gone ahead and tightened the bonnets of the remaining valves😅. Thank you so much, Sir!
Glad I could help
Thank you.. I was looking on how to replace the whole thing. I am glad I saw this.
Awesome glad to help out on thanks for watching Jerry
Sir, that was an outstanding explanation & demonstration! Thank you for sharing your skill and knowledge!
Glad it was helpful Ricardo
this saved my ass! I had a value in the basement pissing water and all it needed was to be tightened just like you showed! thank you for the info
Yeah man, glad to help another person avoid a pricey plumber visit.
I would like to sincerely thank you. I had a leak in the laundry room washing machine cold water shutoff. I was just getting ready to shutoff the main and cut off the shutoff and replace myself. Thanks to your video i dont have to do that MAN THAT WAS AWSOME THANKS A TON. YOU SAVED ME SOME WORK.
Great to hear!
Jeff this video was perfect and fixed all of our 40 year old leaking water valves around the house. No wonder this video has 2 million views and haters:-) Thank you!
Very informative. Thank you. You might want to consider flipping the adjustable wrench over, so that the rigid part is "following".
Yes, I wasn't caring too much for a 1/4 turn of an easy nut.
thank you thank you thank you. My basement shutoff was leaking when I opened this this evening. I was panicking. Tightening it did the trick!
Glad it helped Now it will be a piece of cake next time.
I was also about to replace the entire valve but this is on an artisian well, so no main shut-off. Tightening the packing nut was the fix. Thanks!
Great tip! Glad it worked out for you Don
That is rarely required, unless it burst because it froze.
Thanks for doing this. I am old enough to remember pre-Internet and trying to figure out how to repair things by asking others around me. Always baffles the mind how people complain in the comment section when they forget someone is offering you free education, pride of fixing something yourself, and saving money!
Many of these people are whiners in life, they whine at work, and probably everywhere else
Thank you. I was minutes from calling a plumber. I had the same issue but indoors. I’m so glad I found your video. You saved me hundreds. It was so easy. Just followed your instructions. No more leak.
I think you just saved me the cost of calling out a plumber. New sub, thanks.
Yes! Saved another soul! Welcome aboard
The drip is so annoying. I am guess either water hammer has wore the seals out or time has wore the seal out. Also city has been trying to have less corrosion protection in the water. The good thing is the 1/2 turn fixed it. The thesis is that the shrunken seal is now compressed enough not to leak.
@@superchuck3259 Awesome congratulations on getting that done
HAD TO GO BACK AND FIND UR VIDEO TO SAY THANK YOU GOOD SIR !
You are most welcome and thank you for watching our video
Very helpful video. I particularly appreciate the thorough description and the clear photography. Thank you Jeff.
Carole, thanks, I'm glad you liked the video!
I know this video was long time ago but it just helped me so much.
I had a main water valve bad leaking and the municipality office was closed already. I gave a try to tightened a quarter turn on the nut of the main valve and it worked!!! Thank you so much for that tip.
Just bought an older house ,, just changed a leaky Tub Faucet and then had a big leak in the main shut off valve ,, turned the nut and it worked thank you so much
You just saved my life. THANK YOU
Awesome glad to help out Stewart!
Seems a bit exaggerated. Unless your head is under the dripping valve (waterboarding style). Then it may be true. :-)
(sorry, my attempt at humor)
This is the exact problem I was having and this was the exact fix I needed! Thank you for sharing your knowledge!
Glad it helped!
If you need to turn off the utility main have them do it. Its a $500 charge if you break it in my city. Sometimes the turn off valve is very tight and easily torque it off the compression fit. Actually no need to turn off the utility main to repack the house main if you make sure its in the close position before removing the packing nut. Different story if you have a broken stem/disk, then you need to turn off the utility main.
Surprise he don't replace the whole valve, or at least replace the rubber washer when untility main is shut off ! Using a rope in stead of PTFE thread seal tape ?
kimchee94112:
After replacing bathroom faucet, I noticed a small dripping on the hot water stop valve. Although I managed to stop the leak by tightening, I wanted to replace it and realized that it involves shutting the main shut off valve. Condo management tells me the main water shut off valve is located behind the washer/dryer which is in a confined small area within the bathroom, and the only way to get access to the main shut off is to move the washer/dryer unit out of the way - doable but extremely difficult. So I have been searching for alternatives that can avoid shutting off the main. By looking at the stop valve, I was sure that all I needed was to close the valve, unscrew packing nut, replace the Bonnet washer, Done! Today, I went to Home Depot, bought the parts, but the expert in the plumbing department guy laughed and tells me NO, water will pour out.
And this evening, I find your comment "Actually no need to turn off the utility main to repack the house main if you make sure its in the close position before removing the packing nut". Thank you~! I can now replace the washer with knowing it can be done.
Cheers,
Terry
PTFE thread seal tape would have been appropriate IF it was leaking from the threads. That was not the case here, the leak was seeping from the stem and there are no threads there. So he used the appropriate material for this specific problem.
@@stevebabiak6997 A new rubber washer should stop the seeping, few warp of Teflon tape is a added insurance !
I would replace with a new valve since the trouble of shutting the utility main !
Usually tightening the packing nut around the valve stem does it, but your advice is spot on...
Literally had a plumber shut off my gate valve and turn it back on and it was leaking, a little tightening of the packing nut solved the problem! Thanks Jeff!
Glad it helped
Loved your video! I would like to address going to the water meter and turning off the city’s cut off valve. I have worked and managed Utilites for cities for over 40 years! Most city utilities do not want a customer or a plumber to use there cut off valve. I would suggest calling the water department and asking them to cut off the service for repairs. I have had situations where a person would break the city’s valve. Now you have created a real problem with the city. Just a suggestion! Thanks
That's a good point George! We had our city do that a few years ago for a friend of ours, they charged $75 to come out! I try to be real careful, heck even used Chanelocks and RoboGrips to turn them carefully.
Who are you kidding the cities about the laziest motherfuckers I ever seen work they love it when we turn the valve off the only valves they don’t want us turning off sometimes either Street valves that control whole blocks that’s only time you should call out the city because as everyone knows it takes five guys or turn off one valve
This video just saved from a world off stress....Thanks for posting this.
Glad it helped! Thanks for watching Billy!
Thanks Jeff, I had a drip and was about to call the plumber - with your video I got rid of the drip. I partly unscrewed - applied some plumber's tape and re-closed the nut and it worked!
Crazy how something so little can freak out a homeowner. My house just sold and had an inspection and this failed on mine due to a small leak. I touched it and it turned into a big leak and was panicking writing friends who are plumbers and home builders who can't come out on a sat night so im about to cut main water out front, run to home depot and replace it all until I watched your video. 10 seconds to fix after 3 hours of panic. Thank you sir, life lesson taught and learned.
Awesome! Yes, these always get caught in inspections, same with illegal flexible p-traps, dishwashers with no high loop in the drain hose under the kitchen counter, and no GFCIs in the bathrooms.
What about being accused of tampering with my water meter? My water bill says only district staff and board approved contractors are allowed in meter pits. Is this just the meter part or does it include the valve also? Just wondering what you think. Thanks for the awesome video!
Rules are rules! Cities don't want inexperienced people ruining their shut off valve. Some plumbers do it anyway, because the city charges $100 or more to come out and do it.
One thing Jeff forgot to mention, the more you tighten the “packing nut” the harder it will be to turn the handle in order to turn the water off, also in some cases the gate inside the valve will stay closed if the stim breaks inside, TH-cam makes it look easy but all situations are situational
Yes that is why you just tighten it a little bit it doesn't take a lot usually a quarter of a turn to make it snug again and remove the leak
What do you do if you do over tighten it?
Thank you, another potential home headache fixed by TH-cam
Great to hear! Thanks for watching!
I'm a tradesman also , Excellent teacher ! Many people don't actually show the how to but would rather show the after job or already set up. These individuals have a tendency to love to hear themselves talk. What a waste of everyone's time. Thank you again !
You bet, thanks for watching Anthony!
Thanks Jeff.
Option 1 slowed down my leaky handle but did not stop it.
I'll do Option 2 once I get more time this upcoming weekend and make a trip to the hardware store for the packing rope. Much appreciated for your Video.
Glad to help
Yo, @jeffostroff: Tightening the packing nut did the trick. Thanks a lot man. Be safe out there!
Awesome, glad to here it worked for you
W
Thank you for the info. I was able to fix my problem from your demonstration it was exactly what you demo . Thanks even a women can save on a plumber...lol
Glad it helped! Wow, several people in one day told us the same thing! Looks like we're on a roll helping lots of people with this fix.
really enjoyed your video quality and presentation. Watching an experienced hand doing it, and dotting all the i's and crossing all the t's at the end left me feeling good. As they say, the devil's in the details, which is why I don't watch DIY, HGTV TV shows anymore ... they just skip over the most important details and magic projects into completion, leaving me very unsatisfied.
Thank you Dave!
First fix did it for me. Saved me hundreds easy, and I learned something new about plumbing. Thanks Jeff!
Thanks, I'm glad you liked it!
Thank you! Just turning the bonnet nut worked for the main shut off valve leak. You saved me a lot of worry and expense.
You're welcome!
Thank U for your teaching. but in My case, insider main shut off valve is leaking. and can I touch the shut off valve in my outside road? I want to change the all parts, that is wise, sir?
The city might have a problem with you turning off the water meter valve at the street, but people do it all the time. If you feel comfortable soldering on a new 1/4 turn ball vale, you then do it, otherwise might be safer to call a plumber.
thank you for your wise advice, sir.
I finally broke down and bought one of those street valve tools for the shut off. They're pricey for what it costs to make but a lifesaver for country living 30 minutes from a hardware store.
Smart purchase for sure, great lifeboat tool the one time you need it.
Hi, Jeff:
Thinking about these tips you just taught still leaves me with a question: For those who know how to solder, would it still be a *wiser* move to switch to a ball valve on a really old house, so I could go a long time without having to worry about this at all?
Yes! In fact I normally swap out valves to the 1/4 turn ball valve. We just did not do it on this valve, because we wanted to make a video on how to repair one for folks who have zero money, or can't afford a plumber, but know how to turn a nut 90 degrees.
Yes
@@jeffostroff --I hear you. Glad you were thinking that way. So many of us either are now in that "zero money" position--or WILL be! Good to have the info, for whenever that problem hits. Thanks!
🔻🔻🔜⬜️🟧@@jeffostroff erg
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I use 1/4 turn ball valves whenever I have a choice. They just work.
I haven't even watched the video cause I dont need to, as it's a small simple fix that I can do myself. But just a little note, this is an amazing youtube channel for these things. The only time I would watch a video is when youd get stuck on something or more complex form of plumbing. Note: I have 0 experience as a plumber. This is my first time doing this. ECERYONE! Do it yourself. You dont even need youtube just common sense I fixed and replaced bath tub part. Changed many things in copper piping leaks. Actually this weekend i fixed my friends moms place, replaced her main valve cause it was leaking and some old connectors were leaking. Then replaced the faucet took out the new one and replaced it for a new one. Plus the 3 leaks I found. All on my own. It's very easy. My friends mom would have spent atleast after tax 3500+ or more for all I fixed after the calculations. Videos are great they're AMAZING for more complex things. But what you need to do first is: Check where leak is coming from. Then fix it, tighten the screws, tighten the connectors. Replace or apply more tape to female connection threads etc etc.... It's very easy. (Atleast for me it was) Just find problem and use you common sense and repair it. Plumbers are only needed for BIG jobs. Never simple leaks. Unless you're disabled. Then that's pathetic (sorry lol) You shouldn't be spending grands for something so simple. Everyone should be doing this simple stuff at home. Watch the videos if you like when you get stuck. They're helpful. But I usually get right down to business and fix it myself. And I believe you can to! Enjoy and thank you for making these videos for those who need it. Or for women who have zero mechanical sense. Which is completely normal. Theres a small percentage of them that know haha. Good luck!
thanks Patrick!
Thank you sir I just called the plumber and got a $230 quote to fix this leaking problem. Just needed a tighten up and it stopped kudo's ...
Comment about crescent wrench. Technically pressure goes against the lower jaw of the wrench , so in your video the wrench should be turned around , especially if there is heavy pressure on the wrench
Yes that is correct but also keep in mind I was doing a very light quarter of a turn so it really doesn't matter. What you are talking about is when you're tightening something that needs to get real tight And so they would be forces on a Crescent wrench that for better efficiency it should be turned around the other way but for a simple little quarter of a turn or a 1/2 of a turn and you're just trying to compress down the packing it really doesn't matter
@@jeffostroff Thanks Jeff. I remember years ago I used a channel lock in reverse and an old timer explained it to me. Now I am 79 and an old timer
Your operation of the open-end adjustable wrench appears incorrect, in my opinion. The twisting moment is better applied against the static jaw - not the movable one as depicted. Applying the wrench opposite from it's design tends to round the nut and spring the jaws, contributing to accelerated wear and failure of both. Not to mention, it is poor form, calling into question the content of the topic at hand, which appeared to be otherwise correct as far as I had viewed. Not a plumber, I rarely if ever used that tool anyway, as an FAA Certified Airframe and Powerplant Mechanic (A&P) of 45 years. Thanks for reading.
@@paulmac3307 Yes I use the backwards but come on we're making a quarter of a turn here were not tightening a bolt all the way down to full tightness that it needs the unbelievable strength of this ranch here. I could have done this with a pair of pliers or a pair of channel locks even but for a quarter of a turn passed he and tighten nobody cares
@@jeffostroff Come on people, He is a handyman, not a mechanic. Did you come here to learn how to use a wrench or fix a valve? Great job Jeff. You couldn't please some people if they got a million dollars. They would complain that they weren't new bills!
I am a professional plumber I do things right the first time and i fix what your husband / handyman thought that they could fix buy once çry once
love that phrase!
I have friends that are professional plumbers. They mostly do new construction and commercial. However they have said multiple times that DIY/handymen keep them in business ☺️
@@jdboy9 Without a doubt, many don't understand how to fix things, or how to do it to code, and make things worse. I'm going in tomorrow to help a lady who had a not-so-handy man "repair her kitchen sink strainer basket, and the drain flange is not sitting in the mortice correctly, now she has leaks underneath, and the p-trap was connected wrong, so it leaked.
@@jeffostroff good luck with the job ☺️ selling the proper fix to a homeowner is half the battle.
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That's exactly why I tell new plumbers to always just shut it off at the meter. Don't mess with their main shut off. Cuz now we're creating more work and more money out of the customers pocket when that shut off valve that's 30 years old starts leaking or breaks. Good video. Subscribed
@@ValexNihilist thanks for watching, and welcome aboard!
I really like your channel !
@@rocketrider1405 Thanks for the kind words!
D
Thank you.
This was the best video I found to explain to me how to fix the leak from the same spot on my indoor water shut off to my home's outdoor water spigot. Once I understood how the packing nut and that rope worked, I could visualize how to fix it even though it wasn't exactly the same scenario, it was close enough. Awesome! Such a great feeling of accomplishment when one can fix something.
The only difference I encountered is the packing nut had ... I don't know, like 30 year old, really gunky rope (? but it was black) and even a cracked washer jammed in it, so, getting all that junk out so that the threads were exposed and putting in new rope was challenging, but it worked.
Thank you again.
Thanks, I'm glad you liked it!
You saved me a call to the plumber!!! Just tightening up the screw of the valve that did the work! Thank you so much!
Awesome, glad to help out another one!
Great info! Thanks for sharing... One minor critique: Really don't like the scene-transition sound effect. Makes me jump every time!
LOL! I hardly use it any more
LOL! Jeff ur unhumble
I always recommend replacing gate valves to ball valves right away. Dont want to chance it not shutting off in a emergency.
Nothing wrong with that, in fact that is my normal procedure. But the owner is selling this house and already spent thousands on the rest of the house and did not want to spend hundreds more on a hose bibb. Since this valve is not broken, the packing nut just needed tightening, this is a safe repair. And this multiturn valve is now working perfectly, and shuts the water on and off.
Actually you need to check your local code as in St Louis and Illinois, the main shut off needs to be a slow closing valve like a gate or globe , this avoids slamming shut the valve and blowing the corporation stop out on the main in the street.
mike requadt Have you ever seen that happen? No you haven’t
No need to go and shutoff the outside all you need to do is turn the valve to the shutoff position with a screwdriver remove the actual round part of the valve ,remove the bonnet do your packing reinstall the bonnet the handle and reopen the valve🤷🏻♂️
L
You are 100% right, I did it that way-your way.
Perfect! I must have loosed the nut when I shut the valve to work on the front sprinkler valves. The thing was dripping at first, but the next day was a pretty constant leak! I thought I was ramping up for a long weekend of trips to the hardware store at best, probably followed by a call to a plumber. I watched your video and five minutes later, no leak! I'll make sure I clean those stems too. I never knew / thought about the crud on the stem messing up the valve! Finch. Thanks a bunch!
Way to go william!
Just saved me from making THE call…. thank you, sir. Had a leak at the cold water shutoff valve to my washing machine. A 3/4 clockwise turn of the packing nut solved the problem.
Thank You Jeff for the videos. Awesome illustration!👍
Glad you liked it Howard!
You don't need to turn off the water supply from the meter to put packing rope. Just be sure the shut off valve is closed tight. And to better access the valve stem (where the packing is needed) remove the valve handle. I'm not a plumber nor an expert, just a diy'er with common sense.
This is the main water shut off valve so you do have to shut off water at the curb. If you have the common sense that you claim you would be shutting the water off at the curb and not taking chances.
jeffostroff ...no you don't have to shut off the meter valve. Water will not come out of the main shut off valve if it is closed tight even if you remove the packing nut and handle. Just be sure not to turn the valve stem while removing the packing nut and handle. Your sarcasm indicates that somehow I bruise your expert ego with my "common sense" comment. It was not my intention. Peace out!
@@edcarls3861 ed carls No you did not bruise my ego, I get a lot of that though, LOL. You give Joe Six Pack way too much credit, and I always tell people if you have to work on your main, shut the meter water off. You are assuming that they won't move the valve stem during the operation. I see people do really dumb stuff all the way. Like Chaos theory in Jurassic Park, life finds a way. Too much at stake here, also what if something else is wrong with that main valve that we don't see?
@@jeffostroff Unfortunately, our city will not let you tamper with the main shut off valve, either in the house or in the street, and requires you hire a licensed plumber. Motivates you to consider taking chances on a simple repair.
@@turbosnark1Just hope that nothing goes wrong.
"These old houses built in 1981". Meanwhile mine was built in 1908.
That's not old, that's biblical!
@@jeffostroff I'm going to have to agree with the other guy. 1980's houses are NOT old. Mine was built CIRCA 1922 and it's a labor of love. Now to go tighten some nuts using a not so Antique wrench! Lol Thanks!
So I have modern 1968 house then.
Same here 1903 Victorian..
@@bigtip8371 nice brother! I bet it's amazing.
Thank you so much! I changed my kitchen faucet and all of sudden had a little leak at the shut-off valve. A quarter turn of the packing nut fixed my leak! I really appreciate this video.
Thank you!!!! We rent and do not like to bother our landlord for minor things, our drip was super minor, 1 drip every couple of minutes... but it was a drip. I searched TH-cam and there you were :-) I was able to easily fix the valve that was leaking using the 'simple fix' you showed on the video! THANKS. We have a second drip that drips even less, but I could not get the bonnet to budge - the whole thing seems seized up, I'm a new subscriber I'll have to search and see if you cover how to replaced a seized up valve. Again Thank you for taking the time to SAVE many people TIME and Money including me!
Yes on seized up bonnets, that's when plumbers like to cut them out and replace with a 1/4 turn ball valve.
Wel done
Thanks glad you liked it.
I had an old house in the mountains on a septic tank , the house had a basement and the cast iron sewer line was overhead as it exited the home, there was a threaded plug on the last 90 degree fitting, it had some garbage like string and dental floss? wrapped round the threads with lead? and waxy crap on it, the toilets were not Flushing normally so I knew the line was backing up, it was leaking at the threaded plug and there was a nice fat square block on the end to turn it with, I put a 3 ft aluminum pipe wrench on it and tried to tighten it, it was not moving so I hung my weight a bit on the wrench as I was pulling on it when suddenly the cast iron plug bike out as part of the cast fitting broke off , I fell on my butt and I recall looking upwards at it as I was falling backwards thinking OH GOD NO! I knew "some" sewage was likely going to drip out, I had no clue the entire sewage line trunk running under the house connecting 3 bathrooms was full of raw sewage, an unbelievable endless (seemingly) deluge of sewage blasted my face as I was on my backside looking up at it in horror, you would think my mouth would have been zipped shut but I was yelling out NO! and just like seeing a boot being pulled back and kicking your head like a football on a T before the lights go out, I have a memory ingrained in my mind of a deluge of raw sewage blasting my horrified face, filling my mouth with poop soup, my eyes were full of poop soup, I began to hurl and gag and could not breathe, I had poop soup in my sinus passages and it was Chunky and blew out like fat boogers of poo!
I was trying to stand up and keep out of the deluge, the main line from the house drained off and the septic tank was still back flowing into the basement, I had 2 feet of raw sewage, I grabbed a bottle of whiskey off a shelf and too a few swigs and spit it out ten times as I was tearing off my soiled clothing heading to my truck in my driveway to grab some towels and jumpsuit when my neighbor drives by with his wife and then daughters, they saw me naked covered in poop swigging whiskey straight from the bottle staggering and spitting apparently intent on taking my truck for a drive? The neighbor drove up without his family (he dropped them off at home) and came to tell me he did not care what ever I am into that is my business , just please keep it inside, I have kids!
that would be a good one to get on video, it would go viral!
What a nightmare don't get any wose
Hahahaha normally don’t read really looooong comments, usually rants, but... that was worth every moment!
House built in 1928 - I will try this on the old original valve 👌
I hope it works out for you
Don’t lol
@@magnatron7734 - Just temporary. Eventually the house will get new pipes . 😁
Lucky for me, your tip about the packing nut being loose worked for both of the main shutoffs that leaked yesterday after having been turned back on after I had updated my toilet shutoff valve and flapper. Thanks so much!!
thank you for the save i almost replace the valve that cost 60.00 .easy fix thank you jeff you are very smart man.
Bruce b , he always uses tools the wrong way. The packing nut that he says is sometimes called a bonnet is only called that by people in Florida or people who don't know anything about plumbing. The next hexagonal nut is the bonnet. The water does not have to be shut off at the meter to add packing to a GATE VALVE , a gate valve when opened fully back seats itself and should not leak, even it does leak a drop or so it's not enough to stop you from backing the PACKING NUT ( not bonnet ) off and adding packing . Sometimes you may have to remove the handle also. A real plumber also works some stem grease into the packing gland so the valve works smoothly when tightened back up.
I use the tools wrong? LOL, what I put the wrench around the nut wrong to make a 1/4 turn? Whooopdie doo! You don't know what you are talking about either "bonnet" is not a Florida thing, that term is used everywhere. A lot of people refer to it as the bonnet, Which is why I gave both names for it. Even Richard Trethewey, the world class plumber from This Old House who I would trust over you any day, for years has called it the bonnet. Also nobody needs an uninformed troll like you in coming in here trying to give people really dangerous uninformed advice! It is always recommended to shut off the water before operating on this because you don't know what other things could be wrong in there and next thing you know the home owner is sitting there with a 60 PSI gusher and panicking about what to do next. BTW, the instructions for the packing rope even state to turn off the water first. Novices like you never read instructions. So with your lack of plumbing skills you should leave the dispensing of wisdom to those who really know. Thanks though, you gave us all a good laugh, came in here like the conquistador, hopped off your high horse, and face planted in failure.
John Krim Dude, chill. It's a very helpful DIY video. Take 5 deep breaths...Ahhhh.
Exactly John, the bonnet is indeed the second part of the valve pictured and the water does NOT have to be turned off at the street to replace the packing gland all you have to do is shut the valve off that you're working on the bonnet holds the valve together!! Also packing rope is the old way to fix this they now make preformed glands to place over the shaft behind the packing nut this prevents leaks through the wraps of rope that were common using the rope type! Also when cutting off at the street DO NOT turn it past the line up of the locking tabs or you are turning it back on and most of those valves DO NOT have a stop, they will just spin on around turning the water back on again!
Sorry, I realize he is trying to help people but if he's going to give advise give correct advise !
@@jackedwards7420 Jack you just contradicted yourself you said you don't have to shut off the water but yet you said you have to shut off that valve itself. That valve is the main valve for the house and so the only way to shut off that valve is by the street so I don't know why you both are complaining about turning off the velvet the street. Also although water meter valves in our area have stops, These are mostly quarter turn valves that they have at the meters.
Jeff, WRONG, I stated "water does not have to be turned off AT THE STREET "
Thank you, Thank You, Thank You!! This helped me out so much!
Awesome news Lion, glad to hear we helped out another homeowner!
Pluming is a "what if" job sometimes...for instance...sometimes you'll tighten the packing nut a little....and the threads break....now it's not dripping....it's spraying!....then you head to home depot.... and in the next few hours yer pissed as hell.
Yes, that's why some plumbers just prefer to cut it out and install a 1/4 turn ball valve.
@@jeffostroff The issue is that if a plumber came out and they do the quick fix nut tightening, the customer still has to pay for a trip minimum. So if they fix it, the plumber doesn't need to come back out again when it starts leaking. So better to fix it yourself!
that's why as a home owner I HATE plumbing problems. you can easily spend a day just chasing the g.d. leak from one element to the next.
@@superchuck3259 I've been plumbing over 35 years... new construction and custom houses. When they stopped building new houses in 2008 I started doing anything related to plumbing....now I do mostly remodel, additions. All word of mouth, I don't advertise.
When customers call I ask for pictures of what's leaking and try to get them to fix it if possible,(rarely) but if I show up and just tighten something....I do a quick once over on the whole house...clearing slow drains, cleaning air-raters....adjusting toilet tank water levels, change old flappers etc. And I will discount my next visit if applicable. My customers are always happy cuz I'm fair. Sometimes I just ask for homemade food...nothing like it!
Thanks!
No problem! thanks for the donation Scott!
an Austin powers here hahahahaha did It get it at first hahahahaha good one thanks for the video great help
Glad it helped! Robert!
Same here. I was like Austin Powers? A second later I was LMAO!!!
Gland packing deteriorates over time so you really should be removing all the old stuff, cleaning the gland, checking for any corrosion and fitting the right size of gland packing. Ideally you want to remove the bonnet, which isn't the nut, so the stem can be removed.
I prefer to just cut out the whole valve and replace with a 1/4 turn ball valve
It looks like you only got half a circle of rope packing around that thing. May I suggest a little less redundant explanation and a little more time showing, say, taking off the knob so you can wrap the stem properly. And then, #3, if it still leaks, moving to the next wrench flats and pulling the entire stem out of the pipe and replacing it.
Will do that on the next one. This one actually did not need the packing so I only added that small amount, I wanted to give both scenarios in the same video.
@@jeffostroff yet you had shown people how to flood their house...
1. close valve 2. open any tap inside to release pressure 3. remove knob 4. remove bonnet 5. pack and reassemble in reverse
Put me in the same group as everyone else. Your video saved me time, and most importantly, money. Tightening the bonnet did the trick. Thank you very much!
Dude, you are the man. 3/4 wrench fixed it. Was leaking after i turned it on after being off for the winter. 1/4 turn and no leak
Awesome, glad to hear it!
Congratulations to all the winners this evening.
20+ happy people winning over $2000 in free tools.
I don’t usually comment on things like this…but thank you! My husband passed away suddenly 2 months ago. He would have normally dealt with this. I had a leak exactly like what you showed initially..getting bad. Your 1st option did the trick. I did it 30 minutes ago, and still perfectly dry. Thank you…my initial instinct was to call a plumber.
Glad to help!