I noticed that the shut off coming from the street to the meter was leaking so I tighten the nut but I then noticed it cracked.. now if I shut the valve off coming from the street into the house and then take the wheel off and then the nut.. can I replace the nut and put back on the wheel with out any issues? Not sure about this.. also you can notice that there is a lot of rust on the bottom of the pipes coming into the house.. do I have to call the water department to fix this? And do they charge for this ? Attachment 47472Attachment 47473Attachment 47474Attachment 47475Attachment 47476Attachment 47477

To make a proper repair the main water has to be turned off and in most towns/cities it take a special wrench. There may also be a fine for unauthorized tampering with the main for any reason without notification. So a phone call to the water company is best I think, to find out what's the proper legal thing to do in this case.

They can also inform you if there is a service charge involved.

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Originally Posted by talaniman

To make a proper repair the main water has to be turned off and in most towns/cities it take a special wrench. There may also be a fine for unauthorized tampering with the main for any reason without notification. So a phone call to the water company is best I think, to find out what's the proper legal thing to do in this case.

They can also inform you if there is a service charge involved.

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Can anyone tell me what nut I need to replace the broke nut on the shutoff ? Thank you

It seems to me that every thing is corroded and would suggest to call the water department to fix this, but lets wait what will the experts has to say, good luck.

John

Call the water company regardless. That should be their valve. You can probably remove the handle and then remove the bonnet nut (the one that is cracked) but the packing inside is warn away. You will probably never find a bonnet nut that fits and if you break something you will have a mess and an emergency call to the water company.

Call water company.

He does get the award for the best posting of pictures I have seen in a while.

Make the call and get FACTS to do the job right, and do it right the first time. You would hate to run into problems, and find more work than you thought. That's often the case with old plumbing.

The biggest plus though it may well be the water companies valve. A call will find that out, and you can still make a decision after you have the facts. If indeed all you want to do is replace the bonnet nut then you can.

You still have to call the water company any way to shut the water off.

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Originally Posted by talaniman

Make the call and get FACTS to do the job right, and do it right the first time. You would hate to run into problems, and find more work than you thought. That's often the case with old plumbing.

The biggest plus though it may well be the water companies valve. A call will find that out, and you can still make a decision after you have the facts. If indeed all you want to do is replace the bonnet nut then you can.

You still have to call the water company any way to shut the water off.

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This is what the water department emailed me when I aske dthem about the valve.

Unfortunately other than the meter itself, plumbing is the responsibility of the owner.

Dan

If shutting the valve off completely doesn't stop the leak then you have a packing gland problem and not just a leaking cracked stem nut "o".

That will require the main to be shut off. Home Depot or any plumbing supply store can give you a new nut to replace the split one and an "o" ring if needed.

The question becomes does closing the valve stop the leak?

I hope it is as simple as changing the nut.

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Unfortunately other than the meter itself, plumbing is the responsibility of the owner.

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Which side of the meter is this valve on? It is a guess but it looks to me that it is on the incoming side, not the house side. If it is on the incoming side it belongs to the water company and is their responsibility. You are probably going to have to get hold to a person and explain the situation. What you got was a standard, canned ,"it is not our problem" response.

You can replace, actually just add to, the packing material with graphite packing string.

Finding the bonnet nut will be the biggest problem.

My assumptions here are that there is a leak around the stem when the valve is in the open position. The packing material around the stem provides the water tight seal when the valve is open. As the valve is opened and closed over time, the packing material wears away. When leak occurs the bonnet nut is tightened to further compress the packing material. Of course at some point the packing material can no longer be compressed. Apparently you have reached that point. Attempts to excessively tighten the bonnet nut damaged it.

Close the valve completely. Loosen the bonnet nut. If you have no leaking around the stem, remove the handle and then remove the bonnet nut completely. Purchase some graphic packing material and wrap around the stem. Reinstall the bonnet nut, compressing the new graphite into the valve around the stem. Even a cracked bonnet should hold, it should not require a great deal of torque.

Due to its age and condition, I wouldn't want to touch any of that plumbing.
This is special valve, would only be used by the water company, notice what appears to be an additional shut off mechanism on the side. This is a water company valve.

"If it is on the incoming side it belongs to the water company and is their responsibility."

This just isn't the case in most towns/cities, etc. nowadays, Harold. In most places I've worked the last 20 years or so, responsibility stops at the CURB STOP and this issue would definitely fall to the homeowner. It's not a bad idea to double check, of course, but I'm betting they gave the correct answer and this falls under the homeowner's responsibility as presented.

I also don't think that Dan will find a nut to fit that old shutoff at any of your standard home improvement stores... that shut off is MUCH larger than the shut off valves they make nowadays. Instead, Dan can try to go to a plumbing supply store and see if they have any old shut off valves hanging around in some old stock on the shelves. If he does find a match, I would also recommend purchasing a little graphite rop to use under the packing nut for a permanent repair.

If none of that works, he can either leave it alone (if not leaking), do what you suggested, or arrange for a plumber to have the city/town shut the water off and install a new threaded shut off ball valve. I would DEFINITELY not recommend that a homeowner try to do this...all could crumble and this could end up leading to the entire water main needing to be replaced...I have seen quite a few tears from people over these exact issues over the years.

Just my thoughts here!

Good day!

Mark

PS: That "additional shut off mechanism" is actually just an older style pet cock or bleeder valve...still see them all the time in Boston!!

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Originally Posted by massplumber2008

"If it is on the incoming side it belongs to the water company and is their responsibility."

This just isn't the case in most towns/cities, etc. nowadays, Harold. In most places I've worked the last 20 years or so, responsibility stops at the CURB STOP and this issue would definitely fall to the homeowner. It's not a bad idea to double check, of course, but I'm betting they gave the correct answer and this falls under the homeowner's responsibility as presented.

I also don't think that Dan will find a nut to fit that old shutoff at any of your standard home improvement stores... that shut off is MUCH larger than the shut off valves they make nowadays. Instead, Dan can try to go to a plumbing supply store and see if they have any old shut off valves hanging around in some old stock on the shelves. If he does find a match, I would also recommend purchasing a little graphite rop to use under the packing nut for a permanent repair.

If none of that works, he can either leave it alone (if not leaking), do what you suggested, or arrange for a plumber to have the city/town shut the water off and install a new threaded shut off ball valve. I would DEFINITELY not recommend that a homeowner try to do this...all could crumble and this could end up leading to the entire water main needing to be replaced...I have seen quite a few tears from people over these exact issues over the years.

Just my thoughts here!

Good day!

Mark

PS: That "additional shut off mechanism" is actually just an older style pet cock or bleeder valve...still see them all the time in Boston!!

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Hi mark.. do you work on the south shore? Would you be interested in this job? How much would this cost? Thank you.. adam

Get three FREE estimates from local plumbers that are bonded, licensed, and insured, and that will give you a great idea about the job you face.

Be aware that once you start replacing "old stuff" it may be wise to replace "all of it". This is a hope for the best, plan for the worse type thing.

I thought I recognized that valve!

Unfortunately, I don't get to the south shore in my travels, but I do agree with Talaniman in suggesting that you talk to a few different plumbers here. That rusted fitting below the shutoff valve is a kind of REPAIR COUPLING and it is in fragile condition, so the plumber needs to work with your water supplier to determine best option for LONG TERM solution, OK?

Keep us posted...

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Unfortunately, I don't get to the south shore in my travels

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I don't know Mark. That's at least one maybe two yacht payments.