I and my wife live in a very cold region. Most of the time I am out of town on project work, my wife also may have to leave for 2-3 days leaving our home unoccupied.
Here is the problem, people advised us to close the main water shut-off valve before my wife leaves the house to prevent pipe burst. We have a small rotating knob to close/open the main water shut-off valve. I can but my wife is unable to open or close that valve as it is too hard for her. Is there any solution for this? Is there a value that is easy to open and close for people who are not all the strong? Is there a solution to make this valve easy to open like any other faucet?

Thanks

Why not change the old globe valve for a lever type ball valve. Now even the kids can shut the house down. Good luck, Tom