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I noticed a slow drip and wondering if solution is to turn the nut clockwise to solve. I normally would give it a go but since this is the main water shutoff I figured it'd be smart to get some confirmation before I flood my house. Another question is what's a good way to enclose/hide this. It's a eyesore just hanging out of the wall in a bonus room. |
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Your problem is very common with old multi=turn valves. The packings in the valve have probably dried out and split or shrunk a bit. Have you tried turning the valve open and closed a few times? If the packings are shot, you will see the leak change a bit in both open and closed positions. You can try tightening the nut around the on/off shaft just a bit. You probably won't make the leak any worse, but snugging that nut may help a bit. Assuming the valve's interior parts are shot, you will need to shut off the water from the street. This is usually done by the utility. Once the water is off, you have two options. You can either open the valve body and replace all the internal parts, or replace the valve with a newer style 1/4 turn stainless steel ball valve. Any time I have to have the water supply turned off, I always opt to replace multi-turn valves with ball valves. |
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Have you tried gently tightening the gland nut? It's the hex cap under the handle and squeezes some sort of packing against the valve stem. Tighten only in 1/16 turn increments and only if it moves with minimal force. If it acts in any way like it's tight, somebody else may have already compressed the packing to its maximum and no further seal is possible. This is a globe valve and its design dates from the days of steam for a good reason. Globe valves usually have arrows on them to show proper installation, the inlet should always be the pressure side with the valve closed. If properly installed so the pressure comes in on the bottom of the valve, with the valve fully closed, the stem is on the pressureless side and allows you to remove the handle and the gland nut to replace the packing without taking the system fully out of service. Packing is available at any plumbing store, take the gland nut and what you find under it with you so they can identify what was used.
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You are right to be prudent but I wouldn't worry too much. It may be wise to find your home's water cut-off valve in the street before doing anything in the very unlikely case that the valve shears submarine movie style. Use the right tools and try not to round off the nut. I expect it will be difficult to turn though, so a spray of penetrating fluid before attempting to tighten it would be a good idea. As for the cosmetics of it that's very hard to say without knowing more about the size, shape, and the function of the room. Also, the placement of the valve and pipe in it. |
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