Question:
I have a pipe in the basement that has a slow drip….at the handle of the the turn off valve. How can you fix that? My home was built in 1959.
Answer:
If the valve has a nut under the handle, called a “packing nut”, you can often stop the leak by tightening that nut 1/8″ turn with a wrench. Looking down at the handle, the nut would turn clockwise to tighten. Do not turn it more than 1/8″ to try and stop a leak, though, as you can damage the valve.
If the 1/8″ turn does not stop the leak, turn off the main water supply to the house, remove the handle from the valve, and unthread the packing nut by turning it counter-clockwise. The valve stem assembly will pull out from the valve body. Take the stem assembly to the plumbing department of your local hardware store to obtain new parts (gaskets and/or o-rings).