The gate valve you see at the top has failed in the open position. It doesn't leak, and the curb shutoff is very easy to operate and I'm quite familiar with it now, so this isn't an emergency. But I don't like it. So I dug up underneath it today to see what I'm working with. Once I got to this stage, I shut off the curb main, opened up the valves in the house, and I heated up the joint on the valve to see if I could get it off. No matter how long I hit it with a propane torch (I stopped after a few minutes) nothing happened, and the valve would be cool to the touch within a minute or two. I assume there's lots of water in there, and that's what I'm facing? This corner of the house appears to be the low point. The solder doesn't even begin to melt. Just nothing happens. So I turned everything back on to make sure I didn't cause a leak, and I didn't. I'm still at the starting point, plus a big hole. How should I proceed? I'm thinking of cutting into PVC portion below ground to drain the water, which means I'll need to install a PVC coupling at the same time as soldering in the new ball valve I have standing by. But I could use advice, and tips on how to proceed. I'm also thinking of just leaving well enough alone and live with only one master shutoff at the curb for the time being.
Help me change out this 1 1/4" main shutoff
- Thread starter frankc
- Start date
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Tim Whistler
Well-Known Member
You could just cut the copper below the gate valve and put the new valve on an inch or two below its current location.
wpns
Well-Known Member
Why not cut out the valve, drain the water, and solder in a new valve and a short pipe and a coupling? I think this is what Tim was suggesting above.
I suppose you could put in a couple of unions in case you need to replace the valve in the future, though the unions might just give you more potential points of failure. #TheresNoKillLikeOverkill
I suppose you could put in a couple of unions in case you need to replace the valve in the future, though the unions might just give you more potential points of failure. #TheresNoKillLikeOverkill
Plumbing solder melts around 365 degrees F, and water boils around 212 degrees F. So, you are correct that the water inside the pipe is keeping the solder joint from ever melting. I don't see how much flexibility you have in the copper pipe above the valve, but if it can be pulled up a couple of inches, one approach could be to drill a hole in the body of the existing valve to drain the water from the house. You should then be able to use your torch to separate the top valve connection point. You can then suck out some water from the pipe so that you can drop the water level to below the lower valve connection point and separate the lower connection point. Or if you are careful and lucky, you could unscrew the copper pipe from the PVC. Then just solder in the new valve.
If you have no flexibility in the piping above the valve, then you will need to cut the copper pipe just below the existing valve and let the water drain from the house through that cut. You can then use your torch to remove the valve from the line going to the house, and solder in the new valve, a short piece of 1 1/4" pipe, and a 1 1/4" coupling. And as indicated above, you could put in a couple of unions, but I agree with wpns that that would just be more leak points for something that probably won't happen for some years if ever.
If you have no flexibility in the piping above the valve, then you will need to cut the copper pipe just below the existing valve and let the water drain from the house through that cut. You can then use your torch to remove the valve from the line going to the house, and solder in the new valve, a short piece of 1 1/4" pipe, and a 1 1/4" coupling. And as indicated above, you could put in a couple of unions, but I agree with wpns that that would just be more leak points for something that probably won't happen for some years if ever.
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That looks 1" to me.
It did to me also but it’s 1 1/4 cast into the side of the valve.
Oh yeah, didn't see that before
I think I’d cut it here on the red line, leaving enough pipe on each side to install a coupling.
Once cut,Heat the valve and remove it.
Clean the pipes up and install the new valve and couple the pvc back together.
The last thing I’d do is solder the new valve in after it was all fitted up.
Or, just make a cut in the copper and use a copper slip coupling to put it back together.
It would be cheaper to use the pvc coupling but less down time to solder in a copper slip coupling.
Once cut,Heat the valve and remove it.
Clean the pipes up and install the new valve and couple the pvc back together.
The last thing I’d do is solder the new valve in after it was all fitted up.
Or, just make a cut in the copper and use a copper slip coupling to put it back together.
It would be cheaper to use the pvc coupling but less down time to solder in a copper slip coupling.
