At the request of a you-tube viewer I decided to shoot this short video on how to re-build a globe style shut-off valve. These valves which are found in almost every home use a typical bib washer which seal up against a smooth surface called the seat. If the seat is in sound condition you can usually replace the rubber washer and the valve would be operational again. If however the seat is pitted, cut or nicked etc. it would have to be replaced. Unlike full port valves (ball valves) these are restrictive to the water flow because the water would enter through bottom of one side up past the seat and then out. In general most shut-off valves sit their until their needed and then first person to come along and use them, causes them to leak from somewhere.

If you choose to repair rather than replace a globe valve make sure the seat of the valve is in sound shape or your efforts will be futile. Trust me, been their done that! If it’s been in service for a numbers of years I can almost guarantee that the screw that holds the washer in place will break. If that happens you have no choice but to drill it out and re-tap it to accept a new brass bib screw. If you get lucky you may be able to knock the broken screw piece through into a hollow cavity in the valve. If not, go get your drill! It’s also good practice to replace all the packing inside the packing nut and the gasket around the stem that screws into the body of the valve. Back in the day I used graphite packing which works very well, but today I see more and more Teflon rope being used Either will work just fine.

When installing stem back into the valve body, make sure it’s in the fully open position or you’ll risk damaging the washer and stem or both. You also should pay attention to where the washer sits to make sure it’s sitting inside the little recessed cup. If that recess is corroded or missing, I strongly suggest trying to find the little brass cups to place the washer before screwing it back into the stem. Without that cup the washer will just spread out beyond the valve stem and eventually fail. If your motivated and have the room, my choice would be to replace the globe valve with the 1/4 turn ball valve. On the other hand if you find it’s to difficult to replace then by all means go ahead and rebuild.

It’s not difficult and if you should run into a problem you can always reach me at info@bobsplumbingvideos.com.

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Until next time…
HAPPY PLUMBING!