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Exercising angle stops?

1K views 3 replies 4 participants last post by  wkearney99 
#1 ·
Every time I touch an old crusty multiturn angle stop, it leaks. It's fine if left alone.

If you turn the angle stop every month to exercise it, will it wear out faster, or could it actually prevent leaking?

I only have one brasscraft 1/4 turn stop for a toilet, and I'm wondering if that is maintenance free, or if it will leak when I use the valve 5 years from now.
 
#3 · (Edited)
Every time I touch an old crusty multiturn angle stop, it leaks. It's fine if left alone. That's common with multi-turn valves. As Joe said, most the time packing nut just needs to be tightened.
If you turn the angle stop every month to exercise it, will it wear out faster, or could it actually prevent leaking? A good rule of thunb with old multi-turn/gate valves is open them all the way up then close it back up a little so it won't freeze/seize up. Additionally, you can exercise them once a year would be fine.
I only have one brasscraft 1/4 turn stop for a toilet, and I'm wondering if that is maintenance free, or if it will leak when I use the valve 5 years from now. IMO, they are generally maintenace free. I replaced all my multi-turns with 1/4 turns over 4 years ago no problems yet.
 
#4 ·
Or the packing nut thread under it has lost it's rebound. You can get packing nut material and re-do it. Just make sure not to put too much in there. Because when you put the packing nut back on again you don't want to cause the nut to split. "How much" varies based on the kind of setup.

I'd venture if you exercised a spigot with seasonal changes you'll stand a better chance of it lasting longer AND finding any problems sooner. Better to have some time arranged to do the check and effect any necessary repairs. Instead of a need to shut it off for some other reason and finding it not working properly.
 
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