Link to other Know How Now videos about water shut off valves you might find helpful: ru-vid.com/group/PLvce66kQTjJRuwqmH0S5Shjfj5HeRdbMr There are hundreds of videos at Know How Now, subscribe so you can always find the channel…. It’s free. I always respect your time and do my best to keep the videos brief, but informative. Check out the channel with this link: www.youtube.com/@Know-How-Now/videos
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!
Thanks for the compliment, Dallas. I do spend a lot to time making the videos. I'm having fun making them and I like helping people solve problems. There are now over 200 how to/repair videos on the channel.
@@unbotheredmovement No need to tie things to gender here. Can we simply call something great when it is, and lacking when it's not based on objective measures and leave gender/race/religion out of it? Greatness doesn't discriminate.
@@dallasbiggz7007 I agree, but listening to her gave me the courage to tackle my valve leak. So, if you don't mind, can I shout "Girls Rock" for a lil while longer? Please and thank you! 🤗
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.
Thank you for the compliment. I try to make every video with all of the detail needed and as short as possible. RU-vid and internet search engines do not always reward this behavior and rank the videos at the top of the search page. I have many other home repair videos on the channel which are grouped by topic in the playlists. You can also search the channel's contents by typing in keywords in the search box on the Know How Now channel page. Here's the link the plumbing videos playlist: ru-vid.com/group/PLvce66kQTjJTz0cqcI_HDnaLbNLDONCVP
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.
You are welcome. Thank you for taking the time to comment and show your appreciation. I strive to make accurate and informative videos. Please consider supporting the channel and subscribe. It's free and it will allow me to continue to make more videos.
@@Know-How-Now Very helpful video. It's extremely frustrating when someone feels the need to add music & try to be funny. You kept your video short, easy to understand with clear instructions & good lighting.
Thanks for the compliment. I am always trying to improve the videos. This one was one of the earlier vintage. There are now over 200 how to/repair videos on the channel. I am having fun making them and it's nice to hear that people are finding them helpful. Have a great day.
Agree. There are too many poorly quality videos on RU-vid. It is so nice when a creator takes the time to produce a clear, understandable, high quality video.
ditto that! Great production values, wonderful audio. Poorly made videos make simple things like this difficult to do, and yours makes a simpler (but new to me) fix even easier. Kudos.
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!
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'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.
I was wondering if the old packing material had to be removed, I have 2 of these gate valves that are 46 yrs old, they have leaked before when shut off, I would like to fix them so they don't leak the next time I shut them off when I replace the washing machine with a new one.
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!
You are welcome, Brandt! As many others have done, please consider supporting the channel and subscribe. It's free and you will always be able to find the almost 200 videos on the channel (If you don't want to subscribe, check out the videos by clicking on the channel name). They are organized by playlist.
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
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 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
You are welcome, Harold. Sorry to hear you had two bad plumber encounters. As the saying goes knowledge is power. Congratulations on the successful repair.
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
Thanks for the compliment. I try to make the videos as short as possible, but still include the information that you need. Good luck with the hot water heater!
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.
Thanks for the compliments and for taking the time to write about the details of how you repaired your valve. It will be helpful to others who have the same type of valve. Great idea to use O-Rings.
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 ! ! !.
Thanks for taking the time to comment about your experience, Tony..... way to go on using common sense and finding a solution to the problem! The channel has over 200 how to/repair videos that are organized by playlist. You can find them by clicking on the channel name. Many people have subscribed to the channel, its free, and you will easily be able to find all the Know How Now videos.
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!
You are welcome, Daniel. Way to go on saving yourself some money! There are now over 200 how to/repair videos, organized by playlist, on the channel. I am always trying to improve the quality of the videos. If you subscribe to the channel, you will easily be able to find the videos.
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!
You are welcome, Rob. As many others have done, please consider supporting the channel and subscribe. It's free and you will always be able to find over 200 videos on the channel (If you don't want to subscribe, check out the videos by clicking on the channel name). They are organized by playlist.
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.
I agree, a back up wrench is best practice. As you know, you likely just need to turn that packing nut about 1/4 turn... not very much torque at all. Perhaps I should have mentioned it in the video, but I'd bet most folks watching the video and doing this repair don't have a 2nd wrench anyway.
You are welcome, Deborah. Good job on being resourceful and finding a solution for the problem. As many others have done, please consider supporting the channel and subscribe. It's free and you will always be able to find over 200 videos on the channel (If you don't want to subscribe, check out the videos by clicking on the channel name). They are organized by playlist.
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!
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!
You are welcome. Thank you for watching the video and taking the time to comment. I am always trying to improve the quality of the videos. There are now over 200 videos on the channel that can be found by clicking on the channel name.
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.
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.
So what you're saying is, if you've overtightened the nut, it's not actually overturned, as it's not currently leaking. I sure wish you guys would keep your incorrect concepts to yourself.
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.
You are welcome, Diana. Way to go on the successful repair. There are over 200 how to/repair videos, organized by playlist on the channel. If find a few spare moments, click on the channel name and explore. Subscribe and you will easily be able to find the channel. Thanks for watching the video and taking the time to comment.
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!
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!
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.
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!
Thank you for subscribing and the compliment. This was an earlier video, so it's a little rough. I am always trying to improve the quality and content of the videos. Have a great day.
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.
Thanks for taking the time to write the descriptive comment. I'm sure viewers will find it helpful. One thing I can add is that if you can't get the outdoor faucet apart, treat the stuck threads/connection with PB Blaster penetrating oil. Don't bother with WD-40 - it doesn't work well for this situation. Ideally, treat the stuck part and wait 24 hours and then try to loosen. If that doesn't work, treat again and give it a few gentile taps.... try again the next day. Patience is your friend.
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
You are welcome. It's always nice to hear the videos are helpful. As many others have done, please consider subscribing to the channel. It's free and you will easily be able to find over DIY videos.
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!!
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 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!
Thanks for the compliment, Fred. It's always nice to hear the video has been helpful. There are now over 200 how to/repair videos, organized by playlist on the channel. If you find yourself with a few free moments, check them out.
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.