tight ball valve

[FredWanaker]

have a couple 3/4" ball gate valves used to control the sprinkler systems. They are about 25 years old, and replacing them would be a PITA because they would have to be cut out and sweated back in rather than just unscrewed and replaced due to being close to the main line so they can't be rotated a full turn to be unscrewed. Both are hard to operate although they can still be operated. Other than spending quite a bit of time working them over and over, anyone have safe tricks for loosening them up?

 

[AffableCurmudgeon]

$10 per valve to a neighborhood kid to turn each valve open and close, for half hour each valve.

 

[FredWanaker]

There are no neighborhood kids that want to work these days here. McDonalds here is offering all most $20 an hour with benefits to assemble big macs, and lift fry baskets. The kid that will work it is me.

 

[FMB4]

Try spraying clear water on them a number of times. I too have one plumbed into our almost 20 yo irrigation (dirty water) sprink system that was difficult to operate until I turned it 'on and off' a bunch of times. However, the handle is about 6" long. We bought the house in 2013.

 

[thammel]

I had the same problem with one inside my house. After I forced it a few times it started dripping from the handle. Replaced it. They need to be operated fairly regularly. Wish there was a magic answer.

 

[firebirdparts]

If it is a gate valve, it can be lubricated. If its a ball valve, no.

 

[FredWanaker]

ball valve with a lever handle. It gets shut off once a year when winter comes.

Is there some kind of a safe oil that can be used to lubricate the packing that does not become hazardous if it leaks into the water, and does not swell or damage any packing? I use silcone plumbing grease on things but the grease is too dense to get into the packing. Maybe I can pull the levers and pack it like packing a wheel bearing then work the valve.

 

[rburke65]

Spray lube is all I can recommend

 

[csp]

ball valve with a lever handle. It gets shut off once a year when winter comes.

Is there some kind of a safe oil that can be used to lubricate the packing that does not become hazardous if it leaks into the water, and does not swell or damage any packing? I use silcone plumbing grease on things but the grease is too dense to get into the packing. Maybe I can pull the levers and pack it like packing a wheel bearing then work the valve.

What ball valve do you have with packing in it? It's a literal ball made out of a type of plastic with seals at each end, not packing.

 

[FredWanaker]

What ball valve do you have with packing in it? It's a literal ball made out of a type of plastic with seals at each end, not packing.

I have never had one apart, just buy and install. Some threads in plumbing forums said that some have packing, I don't know what these have until I inspect them. I would just replace them but the manifold is pretty tight to get it where it is, and I don't think I can spin them without the handle shaft hitting the adjacent pipe but just replacing them would be the best solution. I can get the mapp out and start removing parts but that means draining the whole house, and assuming there is no collateral damage that occurs. The manifold was built on a workbench then installed 25 years ago. They function other than being stiff.

 

[PFSard]

You'll have to choose your own poison.

I have a ball valve for the main to my house. It was stiff enough that I was going to have to a pipe on it to close it. Or replace it. I dripped a very tiny bit of WD-40 onto it. That freed it up enough to work it.

On my house checklist : Once a quarter, I open and close a few times all the ball valves in my house. I also have them for my water softener and my water heater. I don't touch the valves for the toilets and sinks unless I have too, even though I changed them all when I bought the house just shy of 11 years ago.

Good luck.

 

[FMB4]

To clarify my above statement; I have both a gate main irrigation supply valve (long handle) and plastic filter drain ball valve (smaller butterfly handle). Both do better as long as I open/close them every month of so.

 

[firebirdparts]

In the chemical plant, we would sometimes lubricate gate valve packing by, obviously, putting penetrating oil on the stem and then running the stem down. I don't think it matters too much what brand. If the threads that make it move are visible, you can easily lubricate them too. This does nothing for built up mud or clams or whatnot in the wet part of it.

on a ball valve, something like WD40 or 3 in 1 could potentially affect the seal just by capillary action, but I don't think I've ever seen anybody try to lubricate one. Ball valves tend to have something like teflon chevrons in there if they don't have old fashioned rope packing, but for our purposes, it's irrelevant. Whatever's in there, if it gets slippery it'll be better than not.

The seats can never be lubricated.

 

[claymont]

have a couple 3/4" ball gate valves used to control the sprinkler systems. They are about 25 years old, and replacing them would be a PITA because they would have to be cut out and sweated back in rather than just unscrewed and replaced due to being close to the main line so they can't be rotated a full turn to be unscrewed. Both are hard to operate although they can still be operated. Other than spending quite a bit of time working them over and over, anyone have safe tricks for loosening them up?

Is there a place downstream, without a lot of trouble, where you could cut into the line and put another valve in?

 

[FredWanaker]

Is there a place downstream, without a lot of trouble, where you could cut into the line and put another valve in?

great idea, but no, there is not.

 

[Walkers]

Warm it up with a torch, go slo, then turn it open and closed. Let it cool while opened. Other option is to put a longer handle on it.

 

[FredWanaker]

thank you. I was thinking last night before falling asleep maybe some food grade silicone spray might help. If not buy some food grade silicone oil.

 

[nadogail]

My Father's method was to hold a heavy hammer against one side of the valve and rap it on the other side with a medium hammer. He claimed ii would "Cure it or Kill it".

 

[Snapped-off]

You say ball gate valves, do you have one or both? The stem on the ball valve probably has o-rings rather than packing as a gate valve would have.


Copied from a site about ball valves

"If you need additional torque to open or close the valve, a ball valve handle extension may be required."

 

[FredWanaker]

ball valve

 

[greenskeeper]

have a couple 3/4" ball gate valves used to control the sprinkler systems. They are about 25 years old, and replacing them would be a PITA because they would have to be cut out and sweated back in rather than just unscrewed and replaced due to being close to the main line so they can't be rotated a full turn to be unscrewed. Both are hard to operate although they can still be operated. Other than spending quite a bit of time working them over and over, anyone have safe tricks for loosening them up?

you're still allowed to use water in Comifornia?

 

[danfromsyr]

Longer lever..
or leverage assistant.

say a pipe wrench @ 90*

 

[FredWanaker]

yes - it rained last night so we get 24 hours of free use. I'll stop there.

 

[FredWanaker]

food safe silicone spray did the trick. Not quite as smooth as new but almost. Only casualty was the Christy's Red Hot was a year old and thicker than new, and it didn't set the pipe as quickly as normal - so the sprinkler pvc blew apart when I cycled that valve 10 minutes later Fortunately it was a clean **** so I was able to shop vac the hole we dug to repair the line, and use some new clear Oatey PVC gluethat I just opened last week for another project. That put the pieces back together. I'll wait a couple days before turning it on just to be safe.