Any hints/tips/tricks to closing a "stuck" quarter turn ball valve?

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Johnny-Canuck

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I have 2 quarter turn ball valves to a sink that I can't close easily with my fingers ... the way you'd expect them to work.

They are old. I installed them originally and know I've used them, but not recently = probably not in the last couple of years. I know that's a no-no and that all shutoffs should be exercised ideally at least once a year. I also don't know if they might be "cheapies" / poor quality that I understand do exist, but I don't think they are.

So that's where I'm at now and I'm very cautious about using a wrench to put more brute force on the small little handle piece for fear of breaking something.

With all that said, are there any hints/tips/tricks (that I haven't been able to find on the web yet) that you'd try to open them?
 

Johnny-Canuck

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A 2nd and similar question re 2 old stem valves I have in the basement that I believe are leaking and need new washers, before I can use them to shutoff some lines I need to work on.

I can unscrew the stem nut no problem. I can then use the handle to unscrew the stem from the valve body, but before the stem comes out completely it appears to stop and won't come out completely so I can't replace the washer. (I'm pretty sure I replaced the washers once before but I'm not positive).

Is this simply a case that I need to apply more force at the point where they now appear to be stuck? There's nothing else I should need to do to remove the stem, other than simply unscrew it. Am I correct?
 

Cwhyu2

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You need to remove the bonnet nut to get the stem out,as far as the ball valves go try PB Blaster.
 
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Unless you have some sentimental attachment to restoring them, you're going to spend a lot of time finding proper washers to fit that thing.

Are they leaking in the open position? If yes, then they need to be removed and replaced.

If they do not leak when in open, leave them open, and install a new ball valve elsewhere on the supply that you prefer to be convenient. It is totally ok to leave an old valve in place if it can be left open without problems.
 

Johnny-Canuck

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Hey guys. Thanks for both of your replies. I understand both of them. Removing the bonnet nut was the "tip" for dummies like me that I was missing.

I understand the 2nd reply as well ... i.e. best bet is to install 2 new ball valves in the 2 lines. The current stem valves are only a problem when I need to close them to be able to work on the real job I'm doing which is redoing a shower I installed about 30 years ago. (I'm a senior (approaching 70) and being a "dummy" I'm reluctant to do any more real plumbing than I need to. But being an at least semi-proficient DIYer, I've always found my "plumbing" jobs have become more involved than I expected them to be when I start them :( .

As a result I've decided I want to simply replace the washers which brings me to my 2nd dummy question. Now that I can see the stem (& washer) + valve seat (... the pictures of the seat are awful; cheap phone camera results + shaky hands ...) but they might give you a rough idea of the state of the seat), my next dummy question is this. I currently have a flat washer and both the valve seat and washer seem to me to be in at least a "reasonable" state (they're not in a really "bad" state), but I know they aren't totally shuting off the supply lines to my shower job, there's still a small dribble of water getting past them and accumulating at my shower taps. Because I'm working slowly, I need to expect the plumbing rework I'm doing to be a lot longer than if a professional was doing the job.

This is what I'm trying to decide now:
1. is there a way to know whether I should replace with a new flat washer or a new domed washer?
2. as a "MacGyver" option I suppose I could just flip my current flat washer to put a new face against the seat. Yes?
 

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Cwhyu2

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They make a tool to resurface seats you can get them at any box store I will try to a picture of one.
 

Johnny-Canuck

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They make a tool to resurface seats you can get them at any box store I will try to a picture of one.
Actually I tried my MacGyver solution (= flipped my current flat washer over and reinstalled the stem) and it seems to have stopped the flow now the way it's supposed to. Before I was still getting a slow dribble when my shower tap was open ... now there's no dribble which is obviously what I want before I do any work on my shower taps.

In case I might need them in future, I'm still going to see if I can track down some new washers - flat and domed too (just in case the domed one might work better).

PS: I'm going to get some "Blaster" as well to see if that will solve my stuck "quarter turn ball valve" problem, but that's now a less urgent problem.

Thanks for all the suggestions.
 
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That photo shows it is clearly is NOT a ball valve.

This is a bibb seat valve. They are common in a lot of Canadian homes built in the 50-60's.

A new washer MUST be flat both sides. Your local Lowes might have them. They are rare and harder to find these days, you will need to search around, or mail order.

The bibb seat inside the valve can be resurfaced, but this tool is not available for sale in Canada. This is 80% of the problem as there is an uneven surface for the washer to squeeze onto. A dremel might work.

You might want to consider how much time you want to spend doing all these repairs, versus the costs of installing new dahl brand valves (Home Depot) that will last your lifetime.
 
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Johnny-Canuck

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That photo shows it is clearly is NOT a ball valve.

This is a bibb seat valve. They are common in a lot of Canadian homes built in the 50-60's.

A new washer MUST be flat both sides. Your local Lowes might have them. They are rare and harder to find these days, you will need to search around, or mail order.

The bibb seat inside the valve can be resurfaced, but this tool is not available for sale in Canada. This is 80% of the problem as there is an uneven surface for the washer to squeeze onto. A dremel might work.

You might want to consider how much time you want to spend doing all these repairs, versus the costs of installing new dahl brand valves (Home Depot) that will last your lifetime.

Hi there. You're right ... my bad ... the pictures are not of a ball valve. I'm afraid I confused you (and probably anybody else reading this thread) because the original title on put on the thread was about ball valves I was having a problem with, but then right away, in the same thread, I also introduced the problem I was having with my stem valves ... and the pictures that I posted.

That said, the seat on my stem valves does not appear to be a problem as I said in a previous post because my "MacGyver" repair (flipping my old flat washer) looks like it's corrected my immediate problem. So I'm away to the races now on both my problems.

Thanks for the response that I should used flat washers on these valves ... not bevelled washers (I had called them "domed" before). I'll try to get some in case I might need them again in the future.

Thanks to everyone that replied and helped me with both :oops: of my problems.
 
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