Washing machine cold water valve is harder to turn than hot water valve?

[TobyMeister]

About 6 months ago, my plumber installed new 1/4-turn, ball shutoff valves on the hot and cold water supply lines behind our washing machine. For about 5-months, both valves turned on and off equally easy with the same amount of force. A picture of the new valves is attached.

But lately, the cold water supply valve is harder to turn than the hot water valve. The cold water shutoff valve requires more force to turn, both on and off, than the hot water valve does.

Does anyone have any idea why the cold water valve no longer turns as easily as the hot water valve? Is this common? Both valves are only 6-months old. Could this be the function of hot water vs. cold? Could there be a difference in water pressure - cold vs. hot? FYI - The old shutoff valves (also 1/4-turn, ball) that these replaced, had the same issue.

Thanks for your help.

Toby

 

[Michael Young]

Valves on laundry facilities are not like a lavatory or kitchen sink. Most people turn them on and leave them in the on position for years. Why are you fiddling with valves that rarely need to be touched. Quit fiddling with things for no reason.

NO. your water pressure is like the blood pressure in your body. It is the SAME on every single line in the system. It is possible that you have a little garbage in the line that has worked its way into the valve. End of the day, if it works, keep your paws off the damn thing. If you are having flow issues on your equipment, take the hoses loose and change them out. And before you screw the new hoses onto the machine, make sure the screen is clean. Check the inlet to make sure the old screen hasn't broken off inside the fitting on your machine. If you have good flow. Just leave it alone. Seriously.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Reach4]

Could it be that having better clearance on the hot is a lot of what makes the red hot easier to turn? Turning that blue knob looks awkward.

 

[WorthFlorida]

If you want to shut off the laundry valve for fear of a massive leak while not at home, below is the type of shut off valve that should be used. Search "watts shut off for laundry". There are several manufactures. There are ones that are electronic controlled for a few hundred dollars. You plug the washing machine into the control box and it senses when the machine is on or off to open and close the valves.

Search: "Watts A2C-M1 IntelliFlow Automatic Washing Machine Water Shutoff Valves with Leak Sensor"

 

[WorthFlorida]

About 6 months ago, my plumber installed new 1/4-turn, ball shutoff valves on the hot and cold water supply lines behind our washing machine. For about 5-months, both valves turned on and off equally easy with the same amount of force. A picture of the new valves is attached.

But lately, the cold water supply valve is harder to turn than the hot water valve. The cold water shutoff valve requires more force to turn, both on and off, than the hot water valve does.

Does anyone have any idea why the cold water valve no longer turns as easily as the hot water valve? Is this common? Both valves are only 6-months old. Could this be the function of hot water vs. cold? Could there be a difference in water pressure - cold vs. hot? FYI - The old shutoff valves (also 1/4-turn, ball) that these replaced, had the same issue. Thanks for your help. Toby

You can try this to maybe alleviate the problem. You need to shut off the water to the cold water feed to the washing machine. If there isn't any (usually none), you need to shut the water off to the home. At a sink faucet open the cold and hot side to relieve pressure, then close the faucet.
Remove the cold washer hose from the valve. Open the cold water valve and allow some water to drain. while water is trickling out spray a silicone lubricant or WD 40 into the ball valve. Close and open the ball valve while spraying a lubricant to coat at least 1/2 the ball. This may clean any debris that has jammed in. Let it soak 10 minutes or so. Reconnect everything and turn on the water, run the washer to allow water to run through the valve to give it a try. If the ball valve is easier to turn, it may jam up again in a few months.