Replacing Corroded Washing Machine Valve

pjrcard

Hi all --

I'm a do it yourselfer and would like to handle this project on my own if I can, and I'm trying to avoid ripping apart my wall (!) -- but have limited experience in plumbing.

The hose attached to my old washing machine's cold water shutoff valve had corroded so badly it was effectively fused to the valve's threading. When I tried to loosen it, half of the metal hose attachment simply sheered off -- which was even less helpful than an old leaking hose.

Now it seems I need to replace the entire cold water valve. I've attached a pic to help explain -- apologies for blurriness, but think it shows the situation clearly enough.

It appears from the threading at the back that I should be able to turn the entire valve and simply slide it out and replace it -- but that could just be my lack of experience misinterpreting what I'm seeing. When I tried to turn the valve, it turned, but I got the impression it wasn't turning where I expected it to and rather was simply mangling something, perhaps the pipe, behind the wall. The valve and water supply pipes could easily be 20 or 30 years old, and like everything else in this house, are likely outdated and substandard.

Looking at the pictures, does anyone have any advice on how to get the entire valve off without tearing into the wall? Is it even possible?

Thanks.

Patrick

Attached Images

 

pjrcard

Nevermind. On attempting one last time to remove the rust from the valve's threading, I was finally successful in breaking most of it apart... but when I tried to screw on and tighten the new hose, I discovered to my chagrin that I had damaged the pipe elbow behind the wall sufficiently enough to pull the whole valve off the supply pipe.

Even better, the way the pipes are set up in this house, I can't even isolate that one pipe or that one area of the house. All the other rooms in the house have shut off valves in the basement so as to be isolated and turned off. Makes sense. But because of the way the house is built, the supply pipe for the downstairs bathroom and washing machine is built as sort of a "stop off point" on the way to the kitchen and upstairs bathroom and doesn't appear to have a secondary basement control valve -- aside from on what is effectively the pipe coming into the basement from the well. Thus if I turn on the water back on to the whole house, water will flow uncontrolled out of the supply pipe and flood my downstairs.

Frustration. Have already called a plumber and am preparing for a couple days without water in most of the house. Anyway, thanks at least for reading.

NoHax

While you have the plumber at your house, how about replacing both the cold and hot water hose bibs at the same time? Use new ball valve hose bibs instead of the the old style that you have now.


Sheetrock wallboard is not hard to repair around a pipe. Use a sharp utility knife (or drywall hand saw) to cut the wallboard.


'You Tube' is your friend for information on a wall repair such as this. Click on the link below for just one of many videos on sheetrock repair:

DIY Drywall Repair



Good luck!

braindead

I would add one of these, a one lever shut off for both lines; wash machines should be shut off when not in use.