Fix Shut Off Valve Leaking at Stem 

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I'd been waiting for the handyman for over 2 weeks who was not turning up. Ultimately this video solved the problem in 12 seconds.

Wow, fantastic video! I am a DIYer and watch lots of vids on various topics. Rarely do you see one so well organized, thorough, and clearly explained. Hats off to you on this 5-star vid!

Clarity in instructions, speaking voice and accompanying visuals. Attention to detail while being succinct. Very well done and helpful.

Your instructions were the most clear presentation that I have ever seen about plumbing. Not only did you show what to do with its contingencies, but you explained EXACTLY how to do it. AND you did not have your hands in the way when it came to performing any of the steps. I have watched a lot of plumbing videos about replacing and fixing parts including whole house hook-ups to wells, faucets, toilets, RO systems. They are usually frustrating because they do not include all of the information that you need - usually at the critical point where you need to see how they are inserting new parts. I realize the shut off valve is an easy fix (if you are lucky) and I am going to go straight to your website the next times I have a plumbing repair to do.

Fixed my issue in under 2 minutes. Everyone should make fixit videos like this.

After a handful of videos, I finally came across this one. Very informative, great lighting, good up close camera angles, clear audio, steady camera, etc. Thank you for making this video. Much appreciated.

I had almost gone through an entire pack of Teflon rope trying to fix these leaks in my valve stems. You were really helpful showing the whole process of closing up the leak by continuing to tighten the packing nut little by little. Being afraid of overtorquing the nut, I wasn't tightening it enough for the leak to stop and had almost resorted to replacing the whole valve. Thanks a bunch.

Excellent video! So well explained, I love how you get right to the point and slowly explain the repair without unnecessary banter. I had a leak and didnt want to call anyone. Because of this video, I was able to fix it myself and my shut off valve is no longer leaking! Tightening the nut was enough, and I like the explanation of making sure I didnt tighten it too much....Thank you!

Not the Valve video I was looking for, but the one I didn't know I needed

I appreciate that you made sure to explain things thoroughly. I don't know the exact terms and what things are called and you explained it all so it's easy to understand. Thank you!

I truly liked the ways you carefully described things. You were very precise, thank you.

I'm a licensed electrician but I've been doing property maintenance for the past 6 years. I do everything from carpentry electrical plumbing flooring etc etc pretty much everything. We have over 200 units and there's only me on a service truck. I run into my first packing nut leak today and was just going to replace the valve like I always do, but it would have cost me two or three hours to do so. Thank you for taking the time and your videos on RU-vid it was a huge help and very successful to me. 💯👍

A very nice and helpful video. It gave me the confidence I needed to do the job. It saved me time, potential water damage AND a lot of money. Blessings to you!

I can't thank you ENOUGH for this well-done, informative video! I had no idea what process was needed to stop the leaking at the shut-off valves behind the washer. But as I watched and listened to your video, it made perfect sense why the leaking was occurring at the faucets. As the comment below mentions, I couldn't find the valve rope ANYWHERE, and I was SO ready to get the leaking fixed. I decided that until I was able to locate and purchase the rope, I would improvise with "MEGATAPE" pipe thread tape. I figured I didn't have anything to lose, and it was worth a try. It was a little difficult because of the cramped space I was working in -- but I eventually got several rounds of tape wrapped around the stem beneath the nut (which I had raised up because of your instructions). I slowly screwed the nut downward, compressing and incorporating the tape into the threads. By the time the nut was seated where it needed to be, the leak had stopped! Obviously this is a temporary fix until I can get my hands on some valve rope, but for now the seal is holding. Thanks again for this wonderful insight into a perplexing problem.

I watched a few videos before this one, and yours was by far the best. I just repaired my washing machine valve stem leak, and I have a few tips to add. 1 The big box crews may not know what packing rope is. Check online to make sure they have some. I went to one that didn't. I went to another that did. 2. Make sure that you get the nut threaded back on securely before you turn the water back on. I thought I had it, but no I didn't. Took another trip to the water shutoff. I should have gotten the smaller packing rope. You need a few nut threads exposed to catch hold of the valve threads. 3. The old packing in my nut was compressed to the point of being like a gooey concrete. It was difficult and time consuming to remove. Think about how the packing works. It has to be a bit squishy to close the gap around the stem. If there's no squish left, the gap won't close. If it's leaked before and been tightened to the max, you will have to clean it out.

Hands down this is the best video on this subject, on RU-vid!

Wow! You saved me one plumber trip today! You gave such explanation in detail, and could follow it to the teeth. My leak stopped! God bless you and you may continue to use your expertise for many out there. Thank you again!!!

I just fixed two toilet valves using your video. I knew what to do, but it had been more than 20 years since I last had leaking toilet valves. I did a quick Google search to confirm what I remembered or fill in any blanks in my knowledge. I was right, it turned out, but until I watched your video I was afraid to do the work. Thanks very much for this.

This video is clear, concise, and saved my bacon from having to call a plumber as I don't know anything about plumbing! Thank you for your simple instructions!

I just wanted to say thank you for this video, I almost left for a hardware store to buy another valve because it didn't even occur to me to just tighten up mine. You won a like

Thank you. This explanation is much more clear and the video angles make it easier to understand than other RU-vid videos on the same topic.

Thank you so much! Fix my leak in 2 minute...1 minute was finding the wrench. Didn't need to add packing material just needed to tighten it.

An angel. My house shutoff valve was spraying water and I had visions of having to replace the valve. After watching the video, I tighten the bonnet nut and problem solved. This was a clear and precise presentation. Hugs your way. Thanks.

A+++ Video! When 2 different plumbers came by the house to inform me that this was going to be a THOUSANDS of dollars job to replace the entire gate valve AND the piping to the street supply valve, I thought I’d check UTube in desperation, to see if I could find a solution. This video gave me extremely clear and concise info on repairing this gate valve!!! Everything worked as instructed, and it worked as stated! Thanks for taking the time to put such a great video together 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼

I watched several videos and yours was the simplest and clearest. During the repair process (I used packing material) the shutoff handle broke. Went to my hardware store, got the handle replacement and put it on, and everything is working fine and no leaks. Doing laundry now. Thank you very much!

After watching a bunch of videos, yours was the only one that was easy to understand and worked! Thanks for posting! Now if I only can get my hot water heater up and running again, ugh ! Cheers

Thank you so much for your clear, easy, directions on how to repair a leaky shut off valve. You saved me a lot of time and frustration. I was thinking I had to take the entire value apart and replace washers when, in my case, all I had to do was tighten up the packing nut to stop the leak. Much appreciated !!

Great video -Right to the point with no nonsense banter. My sink water valves leaked after I closed them and reopened them after replacement of a faucet. I closed the valve, took of the handle and slid off the packing nut. Inside was plastic and junk. After cleaning that mess out. I used Nitrile O-Rings from Harbor Freight and slide two down the valve stem. Tightened the packing nut and re-installed the valve Handle. The problem was that indeed the packing washer or whatever was used had failed. The O-Rings compressed and stopped the leak. Thanks for the informative videos.

one of the best descriptions of fixing the problem. Very clearly explained in good English. Thanks

FANTASTIC! I had a leaky valve, exactly the one you showed in the video. I live in NYC where EVERYTHING is expensive. Over the phone, all the plumbers I called quoted me over 100 bucks and some said I would probably have to have them replace the whole valve. They said that once it leaks from the stem, you need a new valve sweated into the copper pipes. That wold cost a few hundred dollars. I've changed washers and seats for many years but never knew how to stop the leaking around the shaft. After all the crazy estimates, I just said no. There MUST be a way to fix this myself. SO, I found your video and VOILA! I did the job and changed the washer while I was at it and it is PERFECT. Good thing you mentioned the sweet spot. YOU SAVED ME MONEY ! ! ! GOD BLESS YOU ! ! !.

This worked! Thank you so much. Saved me over a hundred dollars not to call a plumber. You show how easy it is to repack the valve, which I didn't realize I could do at all. I inadvertently closed my browser window and lost your video. When I searched for "repair straight stop valve" again, it took me about ten minutes of looking through other, less helpful videos until I found it again. Once I had your video back up it took less than ten minutes to fix!

Why do all these videos show a new looking valve compared to mine which looks like a piece of coral?

I've been through over a dozen videos looking for a solution for my washing machine shut off valves and this is the only one that even mentioned "tighten the packing nut." Thank you!

Thanks for explaining the details that other videos don't include like how many turns of the rope to use before tightening the packing nut. Etc.

At 2:00, I'd recommend using a second wrench to stabilize the valve housing itself so that when you turn the packing nut, you are not torquing the pipe. That could result in a much bigger, more complicated issue than a leaky valve stem.

Excellent video and easy to follow!! My faucet stopped leaking, using the Teflon tape as you demonstrated with Teflon rope. Thanks a bunch!!

I have a leaky valve under my sink. Watched a number of videos, but this by far was the best. Thank you.

Wow, what I need to know to feel comfortable with this repair. Thank you for your time sharing your expertise in an empowering manner. Two thumbs WAY UP!

Everything is perfect about this video! Very informative and every step was shown at a close up!

Thanks for the video! I tried tightening the packing nut first, but it still dripped. I then tried the packing rope, tightened down the nut, and now no more dripping. Thanks again!!

Thank you so much!!! I had to turn off my tub's hot water and cold water feeds to replace an old faucet handle and back plane (escutcheon) and when I went back to open the shut off valves after, the hot water one started dripping! Your video's first thing to do, tightening that connection, WORKED! You know your stuff! Thank you, again!

This video just made my day! I have had a leaking valve for the last year and a half and all i needed to was tighten the packing nut. Thank you so much!

My father was a master plumber, and I still found this video very helpful. Thank yoou.

Easy to understand the instructions for a beginner DIY with a well thought detailed information. Thank you.

Great video. Clear explanation without technical stuff I can't understand. Good to know I don't have to go buy expensive tools. Just what I was looking for. Thanks so much.

Thank you so, so much! I watched a number of videos and yours was definitely the most helpful! Cleaning off some of the deposits and packing rope seems to have fixed it 🤞. I didn't see any washer/fibrous material, maybe a little bit of waxy material/graphite, but not what looks to be a substantial amount. Hopefully didn't knock any/too much off when I was fiddling with the brush in the tight space 😬 but seems to be holding. Also little edge bit of the packing rope was squeezed on the threads and pokes out a bit.

Excellent! 1/3 turn tighter fixed the leak.

You didn't seem to mention to never back off a packing nut if you overturn it. This will possibly cause a leak again, as the material has been compressed and now loosened. It's best to just adjust the nut slowly.

Thank you!! I’ve watched many of these, but the confidence finally clicked with yours!! ❤ I successfully fixed mine today and I keep peeking at it and shouting BONE DRY! 😂

Thank you very much. I discovered a leaky valve in the basement today (Christmas day of all day!) I was about to call a plumber but then decided to do a quick search on youtube first. I simply tightened the packing nut and NOT MORE DRIPPING.

Thank you so much for this video. Here I was gonna call a plumber and after I seen this video I was able to do fix it all by myself and it took a heavy weight off my shoulders.

A top-notch video. Clear and concise.

Thank you!! It never occurred to me that all I needed to do was tighten that nut. I was about to head to the store to get a replacement valve.

Thanks for sharing the two types of valves first

I have an outdoor faucet that’s leaking like this. Now I know how to fix it - a great way to start my first day of vacation tomorrow! Thank you!

One small turn of the packing nut and BAM, leak fixed. Thanks!

I have this issue on my old toilet shut off valve and have never worked on any sort of pipes or vales before, this is very informative! After I go buy some of the supplies I need I will try and fix it up, hopefully it all goes well! Thank you for making such a great video with so much detail!

Thank you for this video - made the repair, no leaks now!! Thanks so much for posting.

Thx for the vid - gave me the courage to tweak the packing nut - hey presto - no leak.....

This video really helped. All of a sudden my hot water valve for my washing machine started leaking. I bought a new push fitting valve to replace it. Then I tried just tightening the nut and it stopped leaking. Thanks for the help.

Thanks for the video and the inspiration to try fixing my valves again. I saw similar videos in the past and have had mixed results... some successful, some only partially successful, but "good enough". After watching your video, I thought I try it again, and now things are good!

The "sweet spot" is a great tip! Didn't realize... glad i didn't just keep tightening

Thank you! I’ve been dealing with fixing plumbing issues here and there in my house for entire month. This one just one of the issues. Thanks!

Thank you for your very informative video on fixing a leaky gate valve. I was worried that I needed to replace the one in my basement that is connected to the cold water main. All it needed was a 1/8th turn to snug it down a little. There is still a tiny amount of water oozing from the stem, but it evaporates before dripping and is not enough to be concerned about.

Thank you so much. I thought i was going to have to live with that painfully slow leak forever.

Great tutorial, it was so easy for a beginner like me to follow and understand so good work and please keep sharing and thank you for knowledge sharing. I am now a proud subscriber to this channel!

I watched 6 other videos and this one explained the best and showed the best. Big thumbs up from me

Very helpful. Dumbass maintenance man at my apartment didn’t know anything and I did this myself in a couple minutes.

Know How Now Your video sure helped me. Thanks. Saved me a lot of money because the packing rope was only $3.40! It stopped leaking after turning on the water supply!

I already did this job, but this would have been helpful. Outdoor spigot was leaking at stem. Got it apart (no easy task) and wasted time trying to find a rubber cone washer. I learned about packing material graphite or TPFE (teflon) types. I used the TPFE type and used larger diameter than the one show here in this video. I only wrapped it 1.5 times. There is no rule but it does come in different diameters. You don't want to over do it. I also bought the graphite packing as back up if my TPFE attempted failed. My research says they both Graphite and TPFE work well, but TPFE is best for high temp applications. High temp as in steam not hot water. The TPFE worked well. Besides wasting time to find a custom washer, getting an outdoor faucet spigot apart was a pain. I cleaned up all corrosion. ^The other leak is due to a washer at bottom of valve stem where water drips out the spigot outlet not around stem at packing nut.* This requires you take the valve body out and replace a washer at bottom. In this case you do NOT use packing. You have to buy a rubber washer, but fortunately they are very standard and easy to find. You can buy a kit with a varity of sizes for less than $10. The other thing to know where that rubber washer seats at the bottom against brass, a grove in brass can form over time where washer sits. There is a tool to dress that out. Be ready to clean everything up from corrosion. I used nylon tooth brush, Dremel tool with rotary brass wire brush. When putting it back together a light coating of petroleum jelly on valve stem and threaded parts to resist corrosion helps. This includes where handle slips on stem. That was a pain to get off. Outdoor spigots out in weather for years or decades can become so corroded you can't take them apart. They have to be replaced. The way they are installed (at least mine) it is almost impossible to replace the whole unit without taking out drywall and/or brick. I hate they make access so difficult. These spigots are also sometimes soldered in as well. It is within DIY land but it would be a much bigger job than just repacking the valve. If you call a plumber we are talking big bucks to repack the valve. To replace it with access issues really big bucks. That does not include repairing dry wall which plumbers will not do. In my case the washer and dryer are in the way in a small laundry room and getting at that outside wall would be a big pain requiring both washer and dryer being moved.

This lady is smart. I would love to have her on my team at work!!

I love your videos. You helped me figure out a problem for a client and put money in the bank! Thank you!

This video just saved from a world off stress....Thanks for posting this.

one of the best, most complete explanations I've seen. great video, really showed what was going on. thank you, you just saved me $400 in plumbing costs.

O, that's *UNBELIEVABLE ! ! !* I thought for a long time it's Mission Impossible to fix my dripping tap without an overhaul, *BUT IT'S NOW FIXED BECAUSE OF YOUR VIDEO !!!* *THANK YOU SO MUCH, YOU'RE SUCH A DARLING >3< >3< >3

Excellent video. I had trouble lining up the handles correctly when reinserting the valve.

Thank you! My son in law just watched this and your video helped him stop the leak. I found your video tho! Thanks for sharing this! 👍❤️

Thank you! Plumbing is not my thing, but I can tighten a nut. Your video helped me! I was planning on taking tomorrow off of work and spending 8 hours cutting and soldering pipe. It turned out that the nut was loose. Thank you!!

This may have just fixed our problem. Thank you so much for taking the time and effort to make this video!

This was just what I needed to fix this problem!!! Thank you for posting this video!!!

You saved me a boatload of headache under our kitchen sink. Thank you so much 👍🏻

Thank you! I had a very slow leak around a stem and tightened a tad. Now, no leak!

Thank you posting this great video. It helped me fix the leak in my shut off valve!

Seen a few videos first as others have also stated in your comments. Yours was the best at explaining things step by step. I have a leaking cold water valve going into my water heater. I tried teflon tape but not rope. Will do this tomorrow. Thank you!

Thank God for the internet and theses people that know how to fix things just fixed my leaking valve in basement

Thank you so much for this video. It was soo well done. We were able to save $400 because we found this video, your explanation and tips! Thank you once again!

I didn’t know there are two different sizes of packing string. Thanks for the info.

This was so helpful and easy to understand. You just saved me a lot of money! Thanks so much!

Great video! Very to the point! You saved me from hiring a plumber! Thank you!

great video. You always provide clear and accurate information! Thanks!

SHE WAS GREAT, THE BEST. HAT OFF

Thank you this helped us stop our leak! Now we can return the valves we bought.

Thx for making this video. It helped me fix the leaking cold water valve behind my washer.

Great video, really helped me out with a late night leaky valve. Thank you.

Excellent video, clear and thoroughly explained. Great job.

I'm dealing with a much older outside spigot valve from a 1959 house and the darn packing nut has a much larger interior threads diameter relative to the diameter of the stem. I used one layer of the teflon rope with teflon tape over that to hold it in place and then another layer of teflon rope over that. It seems to be working but I feel that I should have used a properly dimensioned rubber packing washer instead. Probably unobtainium or very hard to find.

Thank you. You saved me a lot of time and trouble

Super helpful instructions. Saved me from calling a plumber. Thanks!

Thanks for taking the time to make this video. It is easy to follow. Well done.