Hi speedball. I have a question. How easy is it to find replacement parts to rebuild old gate valves. I have several gate valves that are all leaking around the valve stem. I can stop the leaking by cranking down on the packing but then I can't turn the valve.

I was thinking of replacing with new ball valves that meet the new NSF61 requirement for drinking water but I can't find an online seller of such a valve.

I am not Tom but I have stopped the leaking at the stem of a gate valve by replacing or adding to the packing under the packing nut. I use teflon tape for doing both. Replacing it all together seems to work better that way you do not have to crank down on the nut as hard, making it easier to turn the valve handle.
I just twist a long strand of teflon into a small rope and then wrap it around the stem, it could take couple of tries to get the right amount.

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Originally Posted by tommytman

Hi speedball. I have a question. How easy is it to find replacement parts to rebuild old gate valves. I have several gate valves that are all leaking around the valve stem. I can stop the leaking by cranking down on the packing but then I can't turn the valve.

I was thinking of replacing with new ball valves that meet the new NSF61 requirement for drinking water but I can;t find an online seller of such a valve.

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Simple fix! Look around and purchase a roll of graphite valve stem packing manufactured by Sexaure. Unscrew the bonnet packing nut and remove the old packing. Take a few turns of the graphite packing and then snug up the nut. You have a new bonnet packing and no more leaks. Good luck, tom