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I have a valve under my kitchen sink that controls the water at my outdoor spigot, and I was unable during a kitchen remodel to fully seal this area leaving an opening in the drywall around the valve. I’d like to close this off to prevent bugs and critters from making it in through this opening, but I also need to be able to move the valve on and off (90 degrees up from its current position). Any creative ideas from folks? Thank you in advance!

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  • Do you operate this valve seasonally, or only when doing repairs?
    – isherwood
    Oct 6, 2021 at 14:36
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    If there are bugs and critters inside your walls, this is not where you need to be worried about sealing - it's the outside shell of the house that has integrity problems.
    – J...
    Oct 6, 2021 at 18:06

4 Answers 4

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There are ball valve stem extensions available, or you can make your own fairly easily.

Extend the stem about 1/2". Now get a standard low voltage wall opening kit with expanding wings. Cut the drywall and put the wall opening kit in. Now get a regular blank plate and drill a hole in it to go around the stem extension.

Put the wall plate on, and then screw the handle of the ball valve onto the stem extension.

@jay613 suggests adding a foam washer under the handle to help seal things up, and I think that this is a good suggestion.

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    Nice. I like coax jack plates for this. They have nice round holes in them already. A foam washer under the handle could help seal things.
    – isherwood
    Oct 6, 2021 at 14:44
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    Add the foam washer to the answer and I'll vote it. Only because the objective here is mainly peace of mind, the perception of excluding insects. I'm familiar with the mentality and you can never do too much. I also like using the low voltage box to provide better access to maintain the valve than OP already has, and avoiding packing the valve stem with gunk.
    – jay613
    Oct 6, 2021 at 14:58
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How about a split flange, they come in different sizes. You could pack the opening with steel wool or insulation to seal the hole.

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    Looks like the valve may be too recessed for this solution without the stem extension that gbronner mentions.
    – isherwood
    Oct 6, 2021 at 14:40
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I'm in agreement with Thomas regarding the use of caulk or "foam & fill" [expanding cyanoacrylate], but…

I'd first take the handle off, grease the mechanism heavily so no foam & fill will stick to it, then use a longer piece of tube than you need to end up with, for two reasons

  1. Foam & fill always overspills more than you think it will.
  2. It would give you something to grip to keep it steady as it dries.

Cut back when dry & replace handle.

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Cut a piece of tube from toilet paper roll (the center) and put it around the handle rod.

Foam gun/caulk gun with silicone around it.

The cardboard may or may not be possible to remove - try it.

You will have a nice round hole, and the filling can be removed if valve needs to be replaced some day.

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