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A couple months ago I noticed our water pressure get weaker when we used more than one appliance in the home. Today I picked up a replacement PRV but when I went to change them out I noticed that the lever to shut the water off to the home has some corrosion around the bolt and arm. I ran multiple faucets around the house for a few minutes and did not notice any leakage. It is rusted but doesn't seem to be at the point of interference. Should I have this replaced or am I okay for now?enter image description here

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  • Pretty much normal.
    – Hot Licks
    Commented Oct 3, 2021 at 1:17
  • The answer from @JACK is probably the best course of action. It's likely a very tiny leak between the valve stem and body that opens when the valve is operated and then get plugged with minerals and stops when the valve is left alone. Ball valves are very reliable and not likely to fail catastrophically. as long as it does it's job and it's not getting any worse, it's probably fine.
    – Z4-tier
    Commented Oct 3, 2021 at 3:20

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That's a ball valve and they are pretty good valves. At this point, I'd just wire brush all the rust off and clean up the valve. Then test the valve to make sure it operates smoothly and totally turns off the water. If it passes the test, I'd leave it be. It's a good practice to routinely check all your valves for leakage and operation rather than wait until you need them only to find out they don't work.

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The trace of white corrosion product indicates no problem at all with the valve. The zinc coating ( or less likely cadmium ) has apparently been wet, likely from condensation of humidity, and corroded. Wiping it with some oil will reduce the possibility of future corrosion. It indicates nothing about the interior functioning of the valve.

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    If it were just condensation, it seems strange that it would only appear right around the valve stem. It seems much more likely that there is a very small leak through the stem seal and packing. These kinds of leaks usually start dripping when the valve is operated, and stop on their own once the valve is left alone for a while and minerals in the water have a chance to fill the gap.
    – Z4-tier
    Commented Oct 3, 2021 at 3:14
  • Only the zinc on the handle is corroding . Presumably the whole valve was damp but the copper alloys did not corrode. But a stem leak is possible although it has stopped leaking for some reason.
    – blacksmith37
    Commented Oct 5, 2021 at 15:52
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That doesn't look like corrosion to me. It looks like a small amount of (hard) water has leaked from the valve then evaporated, leaving calcium deposits. This may have occurred several times. As others have said, wipe it away and leave it alone, the valve is almost certainly fine.

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I ran multiple faucets around the house for a few minutes and did not notice any leakage.

There will be pressure inside that valve whether or not you open the faucets in the house. In fact, there will be more pressure inside the valve if you do not open the faucets in the house. So, if it is not leaking now, then really there is no problem. Ball valves last a very long time.

A convenient leak detector is a bit of toilet paper. Wrap it around the place where you suspect a leak, wait, and check if there is a wet spot on the toilet paper.

Note this valve is welded to the pipe, so if you want to change it (although it doesn't seem necessary) you will need an oxyacetylene torch, which means getting a plumber.

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    Doubtful it's welded - more likely soldered. Oxyacetylene will be needed if it's welded, and will still do the job for soldering, although a blowtorch is the usual tool to use. U.K. rarely welds, EU often does. Once again, locality of OP would be a useful clue...
    – Tim
    Commented Oct 3, 2021 at 10:56
  • On second thought I think you're right, it's probably tin solder, because the valve can't be taken apart so the plastic parts inside would require a low soldering temperature...
    – bobflux
    Commented Oct 3, 2021 at 17:24
  • @bobflux and the instructions usually state not to apply heat to the valve, just to the pipe going into the valve.. just enough to flow the solder.
    – JACK
    Commented Oct 3, 2021 at 22:22

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