Got a valve stuck open on a job in Oak Park yesterday and had to think fast

I was replacing a toilet flange for a rental house in Oak Park and the main shutoff valve wouldn't budge. Ended up having to shut the water off at the street meter, which meant calling the village and waiting 45 minutes. The tenant was pissed because she had to cancel her Zoom meeting, but I got the job done without bursting anything. Has anyone else dealt with those old gate valves that just seize up after 30 years?

2 comments

2 Comments

grant.richard1mo ago

Oak Park's got a whole separate problem with those old gate valves, actually. That 45 minute wait for the village is standard though, you gotta call the water department before 2 PM or they'll make you wait til the next day. But here's the thing - those gate valves aren't really "seizing up" in most cases. They're just old and the stem gets packed with sediment or the packing nut is too tight. If you'd hit that valve with some penetrating oil on the stem and let it sit for 10 minutes, then tapped the handle with a hammer lightly, it probably would've cracked free. That tenant situation sounds rough though, nothing worse than a customer watching the clock while you're fighting 80 year old plumbing.

james5331mo ago

Four hours of sitting around waiting for a village truck is actually time you could be billing, so that 45 minute wait ends up costing way more than just swapping the valve. Tell me, how many times have you wrestled with penetrating oil and a hammer on a 60 year old gate valve only to have it snap off in your hand and turn a 30 minute job into a full day mess? Tenant watching the clock is rough but that's why you give them a firm estimate upfront and pad it for the inevitable hour of hitting that valve with PB Blaster.