Appreciation post: My bathroom faucet swap turned into a 6 hour plumbing nightmare

What should have been a 30 minute job got derailed by a corroded shutoff valve that snapped clean off, flooding the vanity. Anyone know a good trick for dealing with stuck valves before you even start?

3 comments

3 Comments

lunab971mo ago

Oh man, "corroded shutoff valve that snapped clean off" is like the universal sign your day is about to get real bad real fast. I mean, at that point you're not a DIYer anymore, you're an emergency responder. Maybe the trick is to just assume every valve is a trap waiting to spring.

cameronb521mo ago

Ever think you could just muscle through an old valve? @lunab97 is right, that snap changes everything. Now I treat them all like they're made of glass.

charles6784d ago

Yeah so I had a similar thing happen with a water heater shutoff maybe two years back. That valve was so old the handle literally turned in my hand before the stem moved. After that I started spraying every old valve with penetrating oil like 24 hours before I even touch it now. Works way better than just yanking on it. If it looks even a little crusty I just go straight to the oil and give it time to soak in. Has saved me from a few more snapped stems for sure.

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