Toilets, Sinks, Showers, Tubs and Disposals - Under-Sink Valve Leak
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sgodun
04-15-08, 08:12 AM
I recently renovated my master bathroom (new tile floor, new hardware, new lights, paint, etc) and it came out nice, for a newbie home improvement guy. :)
One of the first problems I ran into was when I needed to shut the water off under the sink so that I could remove it. Even with the valve turned all the way off water still flowed easily. I turned off the water to the whole house and removed the valve. My local Ace Hardware guy sold me a couple of rubber washers that fit over the end of the valve. I installed them and it worked; the water turned all the way off, and neither valve leaked
It's now about four weeks later and one of the valves is now leaking. Not a lot but enough to be noticed, maybe half a cup of water a day. The water appears to be coming from the valve, not from the T-fitting that goes up to the faucet.
Before I break down and buy new valves, is there anything I can do to address this?
One of the first problems I ran into was when I needed to shut the water off under the sink so that I could remove it. Even with the valve turned all the way off water still flowed easily. I turned off the water to the whole house and removed the valve. My local Ace Hardware guy sold me a couple of rubber washers that fit over the end of the valve. I installed them and it worked; the water turned all the way off, and neither valve leaked
It's now about four weeks later and one of the valves is now leaking. Not a lot but enough to be noticed, maybe half a cup of water a day. The water appears to be coming from the valve, not from the T-fitting that goes up to the faucet.
Before I break down and buy new valves, is there anything I can do to address this?
Wayne Mitchell
04-15-08, 10:20 AM
Shutoff valves are seldom cycled and when they get operated after several years of being in the same position they often fail.
These valves are fairly cheap. For me it's always been easier to just replace them than to mess around trying to repair them. I keep a couple of spares in my toolbox.
These valves are fairly cheap. For me it's always been easier to just replace them than to mess around trying to repair them. I keep a couple of spares in my toolbox.
spdavid
04-15-08, 10:47 AM
Most supply valves were never really designed to be repaired.Replace it and eliminate your troubles including future ones with that valve.
thezster
04-15-08, 11:11 AM
Trouble with replacing those shut off valves is that they usually are attached to the copper pipes with a compression ring which can be a booger to take off/replace. I've had really good luck simply buying a new valve - and replacing just the "guts" of the assembly in the old housing....
spdavid
04-16-08, 08:00 AM
Speaking from a retail viewpoint,we almost never sell compression supply valves.In this part of the world the vast majority are threaded on with a smaller percentage soldered on.Also because these valves are imported and the design is not standardized,it is not always practical to plan on the stems interchanging especially if the old valves have some age on them.
All depends on exactly what you are dealing with.Valve age,design,brand etc.
If it threads on then replacement is easy.If the associated supply line has age or is not the newer stainless or vinyl hose type then I'd replace that too.
All depends on exactly what you are dealing with.Valve age,design,brand etc.
If it threads on then replacement is easy.If the associated supply line has age or is not the newer stainless or vinyl hose type then I'd replace that too.