Laundry room with a tank-type water heater beside the washer
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Old shutoff (angle stop) valve before an appliance job: test it gently, packing-nut weep, and when to recommend a quarter-turn replacement

Older multi-turn stops close by driving a rubber washer onto a seat; after years unused, scale, hard washers and dry packing make them seize, fail to shut off, or leak at the stem when finally turned. Before you touch one, know where the main shutoff is. Turn it gently; if the stem weeps, snug the packing nut about an eighth of a turn. If that does not stop it, or the valve will not close, the fix is a new valve (quarter-turn ball valves have fewer wear parts). Home inspectors usually do not operate these valves for exactly this reason.

Single source ~15 min easyBrands: All

Before you start

  • Locate and test the house main shutoff (or the water heater cold inlet valve) before you turn an old stop.
  • Do not force a seized handle; many stops have plastic parts that crack.

Diagnostic steps

Unlock all 4 steps with expected values

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Old shutoff (angle stop) valve before an appliance job: test it gently, packing-nut weep, and when to recommend a quarter-turn replacement · OnCall Tech