Is this fix legal?

[mherman]

Real estate inspection turned up an elbow leaking just downstream of the hot water heater. I did a ton of work in an old house years ago with help from this forum, but I need a receipt for the buyer on this one. Plumber i called fixed the leak, but broke the handle off the shutoff valve to all the cold fixtures (which he didn't need to touch). Now it's leaking from the handle stem.

Is the pictured fix legal, shown in blue? It's a small, one-person, one-bedroom unit with kt sink, ba sink, shower, dw, washing machine, if that helps. The alternative is cutting into PVC venting for water heater. Small closet space. Which way would you go? Thanks!

And a fairness question, if that's allowed here... when the guy turned the valve off, the water didn't shut off. He said "something's screwed up here" and blamed the 20-yr old condo building plumbing. He said "we should just leave it." Until i noticed it dripping. The he refused to touch it until we shut down the whole building water, "I don't know what's in that pipe." Picked up his tools and left without a word, in the middle of diagnosing the new problem. What he failed to understand or didn't want me to know is that the handle turned closed, but the valve didn't. THAT's why the cold water never turned off. Only later did I realize the plumbing install was not "screwed up." The valve was stuck on. It took two attempted turns to snap the handle clean off. So what do I owe this guy for his work, what does he owe me, and would you let him come back and fix this? He refused to discuss and sent a full price invoice.

 

[Reach4]

Legal, I think. I am not a pro.

That is probably a "softener loop", there to facilitate putting in a water softener.

I don't know what that leaking fitting is. Could it be a union, and tightening 1/8 turn, using two wrenches, cure the leak?

 

[Sponsor]

 

[mherman]

Legal, I think. I am not a pro.

That is probably a "softener loop", there to facilitate putting in a water softener.

I don't know what that leaking fitting is. Could it be a union, and tightening 1/8 turn, using two wrenches, cure the leak?

Thanks, That is actually the main supply line entering the unit in back and tee-ing out to the front line, through the valve, and back into the wall to the cold side of all fixtures. The back line, tee obscured, continues to the hot water heater. The leak is from the broken valve handle stem. The valve needs to be replaced. Hence the suggested fix in blue.

 

[Reach4]

Typically a softener loop would not be carrying water to an outside hose spigot. So if it carries water to the hose spigot, it would not be a softener loop.

How about a close photo of that fitting that is leaking... maybe one where you have the camera at the wall.

 

[mherman]

Typically a softener loop would not be carrying water to an outside hose spigot. So if it carries water to the hose spigot, it would not be a softener loop.

How about a close photo of that fitting that is leaking... maybe one where you have the camera at the wall.

it's not a softener loop. it's the main cold water line coming into the unit. it tee's and goes straight to the hot water heater and turns back into the wall to the cold fixtures after passing through the shutoff ball valve that is broken.