Noticed toilet shutoff in one of the bathrooms was leaking. I planned to replace the straight stop, but can't figure out how this is connected. See pictures.

By my guess, the staight stop (Brasscraft) in place is probably about 30 years old, and seems to be 1/2" FIP to braided line going up to toilet shank, but not sure what type of connection is on other end? Does not seem to be compression (don't see a compression nut).

The straight stop seems to be connected to some sort of chromed or galvanized, soft metal leg covered by an escutcheon. The material is very soft, as a brief attempt to loosen the straight stop using an adjustable wrench immediately began to twist this leg into a pretzel!

The leg then connects to the copper pipe rough-in, but I am completely baffled how? Since these appear to be dissimilar metals and I see no heat marks on either pipe, I assume it was not sweated onto the copper. There appears to be some sort of grey colored sealant in the joint (slightly visible below joint in picture), maybe pipe dope or?

At this point I am at a loss as to how to take this apart to replace the straight stop. I had thought of using a tubing cutter to cut the copper just below the joint, but am afraid that it won't leave me enough room above the floor to attach a replacement straight stop to the remaining length of copper.

If I can get this straight stop off, I had planned to replace it with a compression style stop, unless someone advises against it, or can suggest something better?

Thanks, Eric.

I'm taking awild guess.. that it threads onto the a threaded sweat joint on the copper pipe.

EIther that ir its soldered on... but to put a compression type fitting on.. upi need clean unmolested pipe and I can't shee how you will have that. (I am talking about the end towards the floor.)


Honestly it looks like there is an extension from the copper to the valve... and both ends of that extension are soldered.

Hi Eric

That shut off valve is soldered on. To remove it will require you to have someone to drain the water from the pipes, clean the copper tube at the soldered joint using sandcloth, flux the soldered joint and then heat the soldered joint to loosen and remove the old shut off valve.

Then, the copper tube would be heated again and wiped down to remove the majority of the remaining solder, the tube would be cleaned with sandcloth and fluxed again to apply the new shutoff. The new shutoff would need to be cleaned inside the tube about an inch and the end cleaned of any silver coating. Flux the shutoff and slide onto the fluxed copper tube and then solder the new shutoff on.. ;)

That's how it works!

Mark