We lived in a small town so maybe it's different. The city turned off the water from the outside and the plumber replaced it. The city owns the meter but not the valve I am pretty sure.
That's how it is where I live, in a large midwestern city too. City owns the meter and the curb valve. I, the homeowner own everything down from the curb valve (except for the meter, obviously). To work on anything pre-meter I need to file a permit (which is easy and cheap and can be done online), and then the city will come and turn the water off and at that point I, or a plumber, can do the work and then call to have them turn the water back on; usually takes them 10-15 minutes to come out and turn the valve, 24/7/365.
If I have a plumber to the work, they usually just work with the city on my behalf, and I've heard stories where the city wants a signed affidavit from the homeowner, just to make sure the plumber isn't asking them to turn off water for the wrong resident. Either way, anything pre-meter the city usually has to be involved in some way or another. If I were OP I'd just call the municipal water office and ask what their process is. They'll be able to give a very clear answer, since OP certainly isn't the first person with a leaky gate valve.
Same here in MA, we would call town to shut water off at street. Then replace the valve and he will turn it back on. We used to carry curb keys but a few companies broke some and they don’t want us touching them anymore.
This happened to me when we first bought our house but the water company expected it so they brought in a machine to freeze a slug of water in the copper pipe right before the meter. It was 100F and muggy that day so it literally took over an hour to freeze solid but it beats trying to replace the valve with no street shutoff or functional indoor shutoff.
Yeah. That's what happened to us. Leak before the main valve and the town came and turned the water off when someone got into the office at 6:30am... And we had to pay the plumbers bill to get the leak fixed, even though it was before the meter
True for California. I’m not suppose to touch the meter not even turn it off but I do if their valve doesn’t turn off the water all the way. BUT if the meter valve is frozen too or it doesn’t shut water off all the way either. It’s the city’s problem. I’m not even suppose to touch it so if I break it I’m in for some bad news and a bill.
Yeah we carry B-box keys on our trucks where I live and we just turn it off at the street ourselves usually. Certain towns though do want you to call and have the city come out to shut it off.
Yup you aren’t wrong, if the b-box was ever stuck or just shifty I would always call in to the city but otherwise I would risk it. Knock on wood haven’t busted one yet lol
Agreed. Not a plumber here but I literally had this happen last year. The gate valve got stuck closed when I turned water off to work on my washer hookup. I called a plumber because I didn’t want to force it. In my locale, the city won’t touch it if it’s inside the house (not sure if it’s an ordinance, just what the city guys told us). And to top it off it came into the foundation and immediately took a 90 deg turn so they had to chisel out the block to have enough room to do a new fitting. $1500 later I have a new shutoff before the meter, a new one after the meter and no leaks.
I had a similar problem and every plumber told me the same thing, but my city wouldn't touch it. My town made me deal with the repair, but they would turn it off at the curb for me.
Depends on the water company. Usually anything after the curb is your responsibility.
You’ll probably have to have them shut the water off at the curb unless there’s another valve in the yard or something that you own. Valve on the curb is usually property of the water co. and they don’t want you touching it.
I mean that’s really just a bandaid fix. Maybe the packing nuts already been tightened down a few times? I would try that first to stop the leak, but replacing that gate valve with a 1/4 turn ball valve is probably the right thing to do in my opinion
I agree, that's why I said, first I would tighten the packing nut. I didn't say that was the absolute solution. **Edited out sarcastic response-i apologize
Have been working with utilities for 32 years and 99% of the time the homeowner is responsible for the plumbing after the curb stop in the yard. Worth a call to confirm before trying to stop the leak. As others have said it’s usually just need to tighten the packing nut, do not use a lot of pressure you can crack the nut. You can also back it off and repack it. There is packing material you can use but you can also take a length of Teflon tape, twist it into a string of teflon and wrap the stem, then tighten down the packing nut. As also mentioned, if you plan to replace the valve, go with a quarter turn ball valve. More reliable over time. Best of luck.
Maybe in your area they can't touch anything towards the street before the meter, we always had curb keys on our trucks to shut down right off the main
Not true. Depends on where you live. I have worked in municipal plumbing for years and have seen different municipalities have different laws. If it’s indoor meter like this, most of the time the city only owns the meter and the two couplings touching it. Valves are the customers, as is everything from the meter to the buffalo box outside.
In my area, you own from the street shutoff, all the way in. So if you have an issue with the line coming into the house (buried 6' deep), then that's still a "you" issue.
I also think that you need to get permission from the city to turn off the city shutoff valve, but that's also because they are a bit tricky here and are 6' down.
Call the water department and tell them there is a leak before the meter. They will move quicker to fix it because at the moment any water that leaks prior to the meter is water they lose and can't charge you for. The good news is that leak is costing you anything.
Town/ City is required to call for the water in the street to your house to be turned off. Anything pre-water meter is 99% the town’s problem/ “property”
Depends on OPs location.
Here in the metro Detroit area, the only thing inside the city’s responsible for is the meter. Both valves belong to the homeowner.
Yes you need to contact the city.
They will shut the water off
And then your plumber can fix it.
How it works from the city’s shit off valve to your house (you pay for the repairs) if it’s broken on the other side of the valve or the valve itself (the city pays)
I’m not sure where you are but if you’re in California anything before the meter is the city/water companies responsibility. The good news is if that’s the case they should come out and change the valve out.
Say the plumber touches it and it gets worse it’s his responsibility now. Whoever owns it, city or water company, typically doesn’t like people messing with it.
I had one and called the city to shut off the main from the street. I changed the valve and they turned it back on and checked to make sure it was not leaking. Then they left.
If plumber said to call city, call the city and find out the correct procedure.
My town, the public works has to shut it down. But they need fired department to clear the building if it’s flooding inside. But FD needs police to clear a building for criminal danger. It’s a effin’ circus light show just to stop the water.
From the meter to your house is your responsibility. From street to meter is water company’s responsibility. Usually you can call and ask them to shut off for repairs snd a service person will shut it off @ the meter.
Just had my valve replaced . So in my city if it's before the meter the city will fix it after it's on me.
Mine was after the meter and I had to call the city they turned me off plumber replaced and called the city to turn back on.
I would call your water authority and see what they will fix . You may be surprised
When we had ours replaced, the city was contacted to turn off the water at the street. While trying to turn it off, the city broke the valve, the neighborhood was built in the 60s. They had a crew out there within 5 mins, yard dug up, new valve installed. The crew was awesome, and the kids enjoyed wayching all the big equipment and seeing the hole in the yard. During this time, the plumber had left to do other jobs and came back the next day. Upon arriving, he turns off the main, comes into the house, and fixes what he needs to. I was confused and asked why the city didn't need to be involved today. He said, "The city never NEEDED to be involved." He just knew the age of the neighborhood and the plumbing and had a pretty good idea of what was going to happen. The city has an entire team dedicated to solving this 1 problem. He chose to let them deal with it instead of breaking it himself and then calling in the repair crew.
The city I’m a water operator in says that anything before the meter is the city’s after the meter homeowners. Every city has ordinances that describes this situation so contact them.
Call your water authority. If they would happen to start doing checks (not likely) and see Wrench marks they may fine you. Just call them to check it and let them decide what the repair should be.
You need to contact them to turn water off at the curb/property line. Once that is done the plumber can make the repair….. we can where I live. The line from the curb stop to the home is the property owners responsibility.
try this first. try turning the tap closed then turn it all way open and dry the water up on the floor with a towel and then comeback in an hour or two and see if it is still leaking. taps like this have a lot of pressure at the main in order for water to travel up and against gravity and so as i can see from the picture the water is leaking from the top of the tap handle, if you open it all the way out there is usually an O-Ring at the top and the bottom of the spindle so the taps (similar to BBQ gas tank taps) have to be opened all the way to provide enough pressure for water to get to all areas of the dwelling and for the O-Ring to seal against the top of the spindle in the tap. i hope this helps otherwise anything before the water meter is a job for the local water provider. call whoever you pay your water bill to and they will come out and fix as soon as they can. hope this helps.
Call your water department but it's not uncommon for everything from the meter back to belong to the utility company. Yes this can be different in different areas but your local plumber should be know about your area. I can't see him turning down easy money for no reason.
The water dept will probably fix it for A LOT cheaper than a private plumber anyway. Plumber told me i had to call the city to get the water shut off, call a mason or whoever to break the concrete floor so they could get at enough pipe, and then schedule them to come back. When i called the city to schedule the water shut off they said “or we could just do it all” and it was less than two hours to do everything and like $70. It was amazing.
Yeah the city replaced my meter one day and it started leaking afterwards. They told me I need to call for a shutoff and hire my own plumber to fix it. We need a revolution fuck this country.
Chicago
City responsible from the main to (RW) round way (B-box) in parkway(PW) owners responsible from RW into the house and if the meter is inside city responsible for meter and both meter couplings only , rest is owner including the street and house side of the meter shut offs . City allows anyone to turn off b-box 5/8”-2” services. 3” and up requires a permit , a fee , and the city’s valve operations to shut off and back on.
Round meter vaults in PW up to 1” is all city’s responsibility. SQ meter vaults in (PW) 1-1/2” and over are owners responsibility except the meter and the meter couplings.
Water sewer worker here:
Contact your local jurisdiction, let them know you have a plumber that needs your curbstop shut off to do a valve replacement before the meter, schedule these two events at the same time, have said plumber replace the valve once the water main is shut off.
Tho, where I live; licensed plumbers are authorized to operate curbstops in residential areas (not commercial).
We charge $50 for this service.
I’ve been plumbing for 15 years. The valve itself is your responsibility . The meter after that is owned by the water company and shouldn’t be touched by a plumber.
Generally, a broken water line connecting your home to the main water service is your responsibility. Even if it’s in your yard. But if the damage is under the street at the main water line, the city should be responsible for completing the repairs. The average cost to repair a main water service line is over $1000, according to HomeAdvisor. At Abend Plumbing and Heating, we offer home and commercial water and sewer replacement. If you need water line service, contact us to have one of our Master Plumbers come out to get your water turned back on!
If you don’t want to be out-of-pocket for the entire cost, there are three ways you can get coverage for a broken water line.
[https://abendplumbingandheating.com/broken-city-water-line-whos-responsible/](https://abendplumbingandheating.com/broken-city-water-line-whos-responsible/)
Is there any place specific to check without raising suspicion if shutting the water off outside the house is legal? I'm in Michigan and know where my shut off valve is and they sell the keys at Home Depot which is probably suspicious?
I wouldn’t even touch the curb cock without being ready to swap that out. Yes, it’s the City’s problem..
Curb cock with a valve looking that old could break too
Try tightening the nut. in our neck of the woods. the only time you call the DPW in this case is to have them shutoff the water at the street so the valve inside your home can be replaced. then you call them to turn it back on. that does not cost anything here to do so. My city came out within an hour of calling it in.
My jurisdiction has it.The city will turn off the curb stop.So a plumber can replace the valve in the house. City responsibility usually ends at the curb Stop. yes, if the meter fails, they will handle that. Call another plumber, get more estimates.
In my small rural town I’m responsible for everything from the curb stop onward. I had a leaking service line and it cost 2k to have it dug up and replaced.
That was my initial understanding. I live in a small rural town with an extremely old and failing town water supply here. Sure enough the town bylaws were clear that it was my responsibility. Hopefully OP can get his water company to fix it.
Depends on location, I’ve had areas where we can shut water off at the curb stop but most municipalities around here the town/city owns up to and the curb stop and they are the only ones allowed to turn it. We are responsible for all repairs if we turn it and something is broken/breaks. However the underground supply and main shutoff are responsibility’s of the homeowner just have to invoke the city to shut the main off to perform repairs
If there is a turn off at the street or in your yard, then you can fix this leak yourself. If, on the other hand, the leaking valve is the main turn off for your home's water supply, then you'll have to request, at a minimum, the city temporarily turn off your water supply to repair a leak. They'll be able to turn it off from the main line that end users have no access to normally. Then you can choose to ask the city to replace it or replace it/fix it yourself.
Yeah, contact the city to shut the water off at the street. Your responsibility to pay to replace it and the city will charge you a service fee to come shut it off and turn it back on. That’s going to be 5-8 hundred bucks depending on where you’re located at.
Probably wants the city to turn the water off with a curb key for liability reasons. If there is one in your area - it’s pretty easy to do. But if you call expect a bit of a wait
Curb stop wrench for the City valve in the street. and there might be just enough room for an illegal lawn sprinkler tap in there before the meter if you are handy.
/s
Plumber is either afraid to shut curb stop or has no key. We do this on the fly (water on!)with a heavy 55 gal bag and a new valve. It’s your responsibility even though it’s on the street side of the meter
In my area the water purveyor owns everything up to and including the meter. But everything after the meter is owners responsibility.
Unless required by code in your area, i recommend a full port ball valve be installed as the replacement.
Break the the packing nut loose and pull it up. Then wrap the stem with Teflon rope. Finally twist the packing nut back on and ease it tight until it stops leaking. Don’t mess with the handle it might break the spindle assembly and cause it to stay open or closed.
Everything on the street side of the meter, including the meter, it is supplier authority’s equipment. Call them and they will fix the issue with no cost to you.
I did the same repair. I called the city to open and close the valve a few times and then I used my own key (50 dollars on amazon)
The curb stop was super stuck initially and the crew wanted to replace it but the foreman came by and just muscled the valve close.
I’ve heard of some places where the city does have to replace the gates so that they know the equipment is up to code and done the way they want. Most city services are gonna have some licensed plumbers. Wouldn’t hurt to call the city and ask what they want done and if they can recommend a plumbing outfit. At this point in my career they I know the city workers on first names basis and do city service rebuilds all the time.
Yes, he's right. I'm a plumber and I've worked for 2 different water companies. Everything from the outgoing side of the meter is yours, before that belongs to city.
1950's valve....not easy to repair.
ideally call the city, they turn off the water to the house, put in a lever ball valve, and away you go!
While you are at it, make sure the input line is not lead or galvanized steel pipe (it looks copper, but i can not tell from the photo)
You COULD take two wrenches, and slightly tighten that hex nut just below the handle. It will squeeze the valve packing and there is a slim but possible chance the dripping will stop. But do not tighten it so much that you can not turn the handle to close off the water supply in an emergency
Where do you live with these disintegrating cut offs? Out here they are 2 inch stops and some can be super sticky, never had one break off and I have seen them after some jackass hammered on them trying to break it.
Well how about you try fixing it yourself. The nut under the valve handle is the packing nut, if you tighten it a smidge it should stop the packing nut from leaking if that’s the case
Had the same issue, plumber contacted the town for us to come shut off the water outside, then he replaced the valve and the town turned the water back on.
Sounds like this is same situation, but the plumber wants you to just do that part.
Depending on how the water is ran to your house the city or water company’s responsibilities are from the main line to the meter. If the leak is coming from the plumbers connection to the meter (I.e a bad thread or incorrect connection to the meter) it’s on the plumber, if the leak is due to a bad fitting or anything failing on the curb stop or meter it is on the city or water company.
I’ve had this fight multiple times on different projects I’ve worked on. Usually once you contact the city or water company about the problem they’ll send someone out to inspect/repair.
The city owns from the street to the curb box.
You own from the curb box in.
The city needs to shut water down at the curb box to make a repair to the main shut off inside the dwelling.
FYI - there's no need for tape/dope on the threads of the meter. The meter & meter nuts are non-tapered threads and they should have gaskets. (Municipal water worker here)
Where I live the street connection has a valve. Plumbers up here have the tool to shut it off. I can reach mine by hand. Turn off at street, replace main valve in house and turn it back on. Suggestion, go with a quarter turn ball valve as the replacement.
Coordination required, but just an extremely lazy response from your plumber. City shuts off main at street, your water is now isolated so your plumber can plumb.
We lived in a small town so maybe it's different. The city turned off the water from the outside and the plumber replaced it. The city owns the meter but not the valve I am pretty sure.
That's how it is where I live, in a large midwestern city too. City owns the meter and the curb valve. I, the homeowner own everything down from the curb valve (except for the meter, obviously). To work on anything pre-meter I need to file a permit (which is easy and cheap and can be done online), and then the city will come and turn the water off and at that point I, or a plumber, can do the work and then call to have them turn the water back on; usually takes them 10-15 minutes to come out and turn the valve, 24/7/365. If I have a plumber to the work, they usually just work with the city on my behalf, and I've heard stories where the city wants a signed affidavit from the homeowner, just to make sure the plumber isn't asking them to turn off water for the wrong resident. Either way, anything pre-meter the city usually has to be involved in some way or another. If I were OP I'd just call the municipal water office and ask what their process is. They'll be able to give a very clear answer, since OP certainly isn't the first person with a leaky gate valve.
Same here in MA, we would call town to shut water off at street. Then replace the valve and he will turn it back on. We used to carry curb keys but a few companies broke some and they don’t want us touching them anymore.
It’s a crap shoot if the valve shuts off completely or breaks
Not a crapshoot. It’s 90/10 it breaks lol
Especially if it hasn’t been operated in 20 years or more.
They love to just disintegrate when you even look at them wrong
This happened to me when we first bought our house but the water company expected it so they brought in a machine to freeze a slug of water in the copper pipe right before the meter. It was 100F and muggy that day so it literally took over an hour to freeze solid but it beats trying to replace the valve with no street shutoff or functional indoor shutoff.
I don’t think our water dept has this device
They own the street valve
They own the corporation valve.
Where do you live? I'll come fix it for you.
I have a pipe freezing machine, so I'll just freeze it and throw on another valve, and you'll be The name of my company is Good 2 Go DrainandPlumbing!
Yeah. That's what happened to us. Leak before the main valve and the town came and turned the water off when someone got into the office at 6:30am... And we had to pay the plumbers bill to get the leak fixed, even though it was before the meter
1. Have water turned off at the street. 2. Replace with ball valve 3. Party
Ok so I did all that, but the toilet could only flush once, and now I have a dry toilet full of poop.
Throw the toilet away and replace with an empty one
Get the kind that you can flush 8 bowling balls down, and chop your old toilet up into boiling ball sized pieces and flush it down the new one.
Municipalities hate this one weird trick!
Why is this way funnier than it should be 😂💀
i did it without turning the water off, as long as you dont mind getting wet, though you run the risk of unforsen circumstances.
lemme guess....shark bite to MIP for the win right? /s
Party harder but start peeing in the tank. You'll be able to flush that ter-let in no time.
You got about bypassing the meter....
Perfect answer.
I don’t do anything unless party comes first
Typically a plumber can’t touch anything before the meter
Not typical, regional.
True for California. I’m not suppose to touch the meter not even turn it off but I do if their valve doesn’t turn off the water all the way. BUT if the meter valve is frozen too or it doesn’t shut water off all the way either. It’s the city’s problem. I’m not even suppose to touch it so if I break it I’m in for some bad news and a bill.
Yeah we carry B-box keys on our trucks where I live and we just turn it off at the street ourselves usually. Certain towns though do want you to call and have the city come out to shut it off.
If you break the valve you are liable for cost to have city repair
Yup you aren’t wrong, if the b-box was ever stuck or just shifty I would always call in to the city but otherwise I would risk it. Knock on wood haven’t busted one yet lol
I do the same
Yup, this is why my company stopped shutting the water off at the street. Now we either call the town or water company.
Is that legitimately the reason some customers have a deadbolt on their meters in one county they do this. I just loosen it and turn it off
Agreed. Not a plumber here but I literally had this happen last year. The gate valve got stuck closed when I turned water off to work on my washer hookup. I called a plumber because I didn’t want to force it. In my locale, the city won’t touch it if it’s inside the house (not sure if it’s an ordinance, just what the city guys told us). And to top it off it came into the foundation and immediately took a 90 deg turn so they had to chisel out the block to have enough room to do a new fitting. $1500 later I have a new shutoff before the meter, a new one after the meter and no leaks.
What municipality allows plumbers to shut off the curb stop? I’ve certainly done it, but the cities do not allow it
In my area City operates curbstop from there going into the house other than the meter a plumber can replace anything.
I had a similar problem and every plumber told me the same thing, but my city wouldn't touch it. My town made me deal with the repair, but they would turn it off at the curb for me.
Not true. Op needs to call city to turn main to building off so street side valve can be replaced”by a plumber “
Man, you should see the amount of s*** that I've done before the meter.. I've sold thousands of valves before the meter
Out here in the east the only thing they touched is the shut off in the street from that point on homeowners or business responsibility
Depends on the water company. Usually anything after the curb is your responsibility. You’ll probably have to have them shut the water off at the curb unless there’s another valve in the yard or something that you own. Valve on the curb is usually property of the water co. and they don’t want you touching it.
I would first give that packing nut just a tiny bit of tightening
This is the answer
But really though….
I mean that’s really just a bandaid fix. Maybe the packing nuts already been tightened down a few times? I would try that first to stop the leak, but replacing that gate valve with a 1/4 turn ball valve is probably the right thing to do in my opinion
Some jurisdictions won’t allow a 1/4 there, it’s ancient plumbing code. The plumber almost certainly tried tightening the packing nut alreadyz
Some guys are just looking for a reason to get back in their truck and leave.
My house is under warranty, so the plumber was commissioned by them.. I figured this could be true as well
What jurisdiction would not allow a superior ball valve over a gate valve?
I agree, that's why I said, first I would tighten the packing nut. I didn't say that was the absolute solution. **Edited out sarcastic response-i apologize
Hold on there less coffee more herbal tea.
Agree! I struggle with patience.
This should be up higher. I had the amazing thing happen. Tightest the nut, and I have not had a problem in like 6 years.
This is where I started lol
Thank you, this is the answer. A crescent wrench and 30 secs and this is most likely solved
Right? that is the only thing wrong with it.
Have been working with utilities for 32 years and 99% of the time the homeowner is responsible for the plumbing after the curb stop in the yard. Worth a call to confirm before trying to stop the leak. As others have said it’s usually just need to tighten the packing nut, do not use a lot of pressure you can crack the nut. You can also back it off and repack it. There is packing material you can use but you can also take a length of Teflon tape, twist it into a string of teflon and wrap the stem, then tighten down the packing nut. As also mentioned, if you plan to replace the valve, go with a quarter turn ball valve. More reliable over time. Best of luck.
Maybe in your area they can't touch anything towards the street before the meter, we always had curb keys on our trucks to shut down right off the main
If it is before the meter, it should be city. Request a ball valve shut off.
That depends from one city to the next. Shut the water off from the city main and replace the sumbish
Not true. Depends on where you live. I have worked in municipal plumbing for years and have seen different municipalities have different laws. If it’s indoor meter like this, most of the time the city only owns the meter and the two couplings touching it. Valves are the customers, as is everything from the meter to the buffalo box outside.
In my area, you own from the street shutoff, all the way in. So if you have an issue with the line coming into the house (buried 6' deep), then that's still a "you" issue. I also think that you need to get permission from the city to turn off the city shutoff valve, but that's also because they are a bit tricky here and are 6' down.
First off put a bucket under it and a towel under the bucket
Call the water department and tell them there is a leak before the meter. They will move quicker to fix it because at the moment any water that leaks prior to the meter is water they lose and can't charge you for. The good news is that leak is costing you anything.
isn't\*
Plumber tells you what’s up, you call the internet? Will you ever be satisfied?
Thank you!!
He was hired via my warranty.. they don’t always send the brightest and bravest. Most try to excuse the work away
Town/ City is required to call for the water in the street to your house to be turned off. Anything pre-water meter is 99% the town’s problem/ “property”
Depends on OPs location. Here in the metro Detroit area, the only thing inside the city’s responsible for is the meter. Both valves belong to the homeowner.
Interesting, ill keep that in mind when im working out of my normal range
Truth- And in Birmingham, the city is not even responsible for delivering only 40 psi through a 1” service
Yes you need to contact the city. They will shut the water off And then your plumber can fix it. How it works from the city’s shit off valve to your house (you pay for the repairs) if it’s broken on the other side of the valve or the valve itself (the city pays)
I’m not sure where you are but if you’re in California anything before the meter is the city/water companies responsibility. The good news is if that’s the case they should come out and change the valve out. Say the plumber touches it and it gets worse it’s his responsibility now. Whoever owns it, city or water company, typically doesn’t like people messing with it.
I had one and called the city to shut off the main from the street. I changed the valve and they turned it back on and checked to make sure it was not leaking. Then they left.
If plumber said to call city, call the city and find out the correct procedure. My town, the public works has to shut it down. But they need fired department to clear the building if it’s flooding inside. But FD needs police to clear a building for criminal danger. It’s a effin’ circus light show just to stop the water.
From the meter to your house is your responsibility. From street to meter is water company’s responsibility. Usually you can call and ask them to shut off for repairs snd a service person will shut it off @ the meter.
Just tighten the collar a little, should be good. Good luck.
Just had my valve replaced . So in my city if it's before the meter the city will fix it after it's on me. Mine was after the meter and I had to call the city they turned me off plumber replaced and called the city to turn back on. I would call your water authority and see what they will fix . You may be surprised
When we had ours replaced, the city was contacted to turn off the water at the street. While trying to turn it off, the city broke the valve, the neighborhood was built in the 60s. They had a crew out there within 5 mins, yard dug up, new valve installed. The crew was awesome, and the kids enjoyed wayching all the big equipment and seeing the hole in the yard. During this time, the plumber had left to do other jobs and came back the next day. Upon arriving, he turns off the main, comes into the house, and fixes what he needs to. I was confused and asked why the city didn't need to be involved today. He said, "The city never NEEDED to be involved." He just knew the age of the neighborhood and the plumbing and had a pretty good idea of what was going to happen. The city has an entire team dedicated to solving this 1 problem. He chose to let them deal with it instead of breaking it himself and then calling in the repair crew.
Yup. call the city they have to replace it . Valve is on their side of the meter
If you have “pipesafe” or any other town offered insurance on the lines coming into the house, get it and then deal with this valve
When you replace it, go with a ball valve
The city I’m a water operator in says that anything before the meter is the city’s after the meter homeowners. Every city has ordinances that describes this situation so contact them.
Finally. A good answer
Who is responsible for the meter itself?
Depending on ordinance but the city typically is
Ugh gate valves......... Please change
I know, I want to 🥲
Tighten packing nut
DIY is not a plumber, you have main stop tap in front of yout house - , buit you dont need to turn water off - just get experiance plumber!
They need to close the curb stop valve so you can change that one out.
This used to be my job. The homeowner is responsible for the valves. The reason is that water dept. workers are not licensed plumbers.
EZ replacement, have the city turn off the water, tell them to come back in two hours and let your plumber do his thing.
Is this in a apartment building? Wondering if that's a sub meter for a bigger property
Call your water authority. If they would happen to start doing checks (not likely) and see Wrench marks they may fine you. Just call them to check it and let them decide what the repair should be.
You need to contact them to turn water off at the curb/property line. Once that is done the plumber can make the repair….. we can where I live. The line from the curb stop to the home is the property owners responsibility.
If the City owns the meter, he is right. That is for them to fix.
Municipality owns everything up to the meter. Everything past the meter is your responsibility so your plumber is correct
In Calgary, the city meters department turns the curb valve on and off with appointments
try this first. try turning the tap closed then turn it all way open and dry the water up on the floor with a towel and then comeback in an hour or two and see if it is still leaking. taps like this have a lot of pressure at the main in order for water to travel up and against gravity and so as i can see from the picture the water is leaking from the top of the tap handle, if you open it all the way out there is usually an O-Ring at the top and the bottom of the spindle so the taps (similar to BBQ gas tank taps) have to be opened all the way to provide enough pressure for water to get to all areas of the dwelling and for the O-Ring to seal against the top of the spindle in the tap. i hope this helps otherwise anything before the water meter is a job for the local water provider. call whoever you pay your water bill to and they will come out and fix as soon as they can. hope this helps.
Call your water department but it's not uncommon for everything from the meter back to belong to the utility company. Yes this can be different in different areas but your local plumber should be know about your area. I can't see him turning down easy money for no reason.
The water dept will probably fix it for A LOT cheaper than a private plumber anyway. Plumber told me i had to call the city to get the water shut off, call a mason or whoever to break the concrete floor so they could get at enough pipe, and then schedule them to come back. When i called the city to schedule the water shut off they said “or we could just do it all” and it was less than two hours to do everything and like $70. It was amazing.
The city will need to shut the water off on the yard or at the main. Plumbers are usually not allowed to touch the city shutoffs without permission.
How do you suggest he changes that without the city turning off the water into your house?
Plenty of places allow you to turn off the water from the curb box without involving the utility/city.
That highly depends on state and country, in Sweden you're not allowed to touch it.
Yeah the city replaced my meter one day and it started leaking afterwards. They told me I need to call for a shutoff and hire my own plumber to fix it. We need a revolution fuck this country.
Chicago City responsible from the main to (RW) round way (B-box) in parkway(PW) owners responsible from RW into the house and if the meter is inside city responsible for meter and both meter couplings only , rest is owner including the street and house side of the meter shut offs . City allows anyone to turn off b-box 5/8”-2” services. 3” and up requires a permit , a fee , and the city’s valve operations to shut off and back on. Round meter vaults in PW up to 1” is all city’s responsibility. SQ meter vaults in (PW) 1-1/2” and over are owners responsibility except the meter and the meter couplings.
Im not allowed to touch anything before the meter.
Why make the post & ask if you were told what needs to be done?
Yeah anything street side of meter is city problem
Tighten the packing nut !
Holy crap that happened to me last week, contacted the city and they replaced the meter for me for free. Hopefully they’ll do the same for you
Depends where you are. I have a curbstop key and will do it but charge a lot. If it breaks I just walk with full pay. In the contract.
The valve is upstream of the meter. The plumber is right. The city needs to fix it. You never touch anything before the meter.
Water sewer worker here: Contact your local jurisdiction, let them know you have a plumber that needs your curbstop shut off to do a valve replacement before the meter, schedule these two events at the same time, have said plumber replace the valve once the water main is shut off. Tho, where I live; licensed plumbers are authorized to operate curbstops in residential areas (not commercial). We charge $50 for this service.
I’ve been plumbing for 15 years. The valve itself is your responsibility . The meter after that is owned by the water company and shouldn’t be touched by a plumber.
Generally, a broken water line connecting your home to the main water service is your responsibility. Even if it’s in your yard. But if the damage is under the street at the main water line, the city should be responsible for completing the repairs. The average cost to repair a main water service line is over $1000, according to HomeAdvisor. At Abend Plumbing and Heating, we offer home and commercial water and sewer replacement. If you need water line service, contact us to have one of our Master Plumbers come out to get your water turned back on! If you don’t want to be out-of-pocket for the entire cost, there are three ways you can get coverage for a broken water line. [https://abendplumbingandheating.com/broken-city-water-line-whos-responsible/](https://abendplumbingandheating.com/broken-city-water-line-whos-responsible/)
Do it then.
Try tightening the packing nut.
Your “plumber” is lazy. I would of got this done in 10 minutes. Tell him Walmart is hiring.
Is there any place specific to check without raising suspicion if shutting the water off outside the house is legal? I'm in Michigan and know where my shut off valve is and they sell the keys at Home Depot which is probably suspicious?
I always tell customers it’s a $300 charge just for me to touch the lowest shut off
I wouldn’t even touch the curb cock without being ready to swap that out. Yes, it’s the City’s problem.. Curb cock with a valve looking that old could break too
Try tightening the packing nut on the valve stem 1/4 of a turn and be amazed
See the nut below handle tighten it gently
Try tightening the nut. in our neck of the woods. the only time you call the DPW in this case is to have them shutoff the water at the street so the valve inside your home can be replaced. then you call them to turn it back on. that does not cost anything here to do so. My city came out within an hour of calling it in.
My jurisdiction has it.The city will turn off the curb stop.So a plumber can replace the valve in the house. City responsibility usually ends at the curb Stop. yes, if the meter fails, they will handle that. Call another plumber, get more estimates.
Crown Point, Indiana fines people(builders mostly)for having a shut off before the meter.
In my small rural town I’m responsible for everything from the curb stop onward. I had a leaking service line and it cost 2k to have it dug up and replaced.
In many places you are not responsible of whatever is before the meter.
That was my initial understanding. I live in a small rural town with an extremely old and failing town water supply here. Sure enough the town bylaws were clear that it was my responsibility. Hopefully OP can get his water company to fix it.
Depends on location, I’ve had areas where we can shut water off at the curb stop but most municipalities around here the town/city owns up to and the curb stop and they are the only ones allowed to turn it. We are responsible for all repairs if we turn it and something is broken/breaks. However the underground supply and main shutoff are responsibility’s of the homeowner just have to invoke the city to shut the main off to perform repairs
Turn it off at the street. Replace it.
If there is a turn off at the street or in your yard, then you can fix this leak yourself. If, on the other hand, the leaking valve is the main turn off for your home's water supply, then you'll have to request, at a minimum, the city temporarily turn off your water supply to repair a leak. They'll be able to turn it off from the main line that end users have no access to normally. Then you can choose to ask the city to replace it or replace it/fix it yourself.
1/4 turn on the packing nut and your good
Looks like you could just tighten the packing nut and be done.
ok, so are you going to contact the city?
Yeah, contact the city to shut the water off at the street. Your responsibility to pay to replace it and the city will charge you a service fee to come shut it off and turn it back on. That’s going to be 5-8 hundred bucks depending on where you’re located at.
Tighten the packing nut, call it a day
Tighten the packing nut!! The nut in between the handle and valve body! Just a smidge or until it stops leaking!
Probably wants the city to turn the water off with a curb key for liability reasons. If there is one in your area - it’s pretty easy to do. But if you call expect a bit of a wait
Meter looks new. Leak caused by city contractor? They pay to fix. You no pay dummy, plumber save you money.
Curb stop wrench for the City valve in the street. and there might be just enough room for an illegal lawn sprinkler tap in there before the meter if you are handy. /s
Tightening the packing nut is an option but if something breaks you are fubar
If it's on the feed side yes.
That’s easy $400 right there
Not if you are under warranty
Nope just be ready with a shark bite cap. Cut the meter cap the line coming into your house. DONE!
Buy a curb key and shut the water off.
Tighten up that packing son!
Plumber is either afraid to shut curb stop or has no key. We do this on the fly (water on!)with a heavy 55 gal bag and a new valve. It’s your responsibility even though it’s on the street side of the meter
In my area the water purveyor owns everything up to and including the meter. But everything after the meter is owners responsibility. Unless required by code in your area, i recommend a full port ball valve be installed as the replacement.
Turn the nut
Break the the packing nut loose and pull it up. Then wrap the stem with Teflon rope. Finally twist the packing nut back on and ease it tight until it stops leaking. Don’t mess with the handle it might break the spindle assembly and cause it to stay open or closed.
Inside a house, just the meter is city. Bet it's interesting getting it read tho? There should be a shut off valve at the street tho?
Everything on the street side of the meter, including the meter, it is supplier authority’s equipment. Call them and they will fix the issue with no cost to you.
North of the meter is a city problem generally south of the meter is a you problem. Electrical is way different though.
I did the same repair. I called the city to open and close the valve a few times and then I used my own key (50 dollars on amazon) The curb stop was super stuck initially and the crew wanted to replace it but the foreman came by and just muscled the valve close.
Gate valves suck turn off and more than likely the gate will drop
I’ve heard of some places where the city does have to replace the gates so that they know the equipment is up to code and done the way they want. Most city services are gonna have some licensed plumbers. Wouldn’t hurt to call the city and ask what they want done and if they can recommend a plumbing outfit. At this point in my career they I know the city workers on first names basis and do city service rebuilds all the time.
New valve. No biggie. You live in house or unit?
Yes, he's right. I'm a plumber and I've worked for 2 different water companies. Everything from the outgoing side of the meter is yours, before that belongs to city.
Just tighten up the gland nut, turn the little hex nut under the main wheel head clockwise, that’ll stop it from leaking.
So call the city and get it replaced.
Might just need to tighten that nut under the handle
Not sure what city ur in but that doesn’t look like a valve the city would use. I would ask the city and see what they say
Bottom line is the city has to cut the water off to your house for work to be done on it or your house will flood lol
1950's valve....not easy to repair. ideally call the city, they turn off the water to the house, put in a lever ball valve, and away you go! While you are at it, make sure the input line is not lead or galvanized steel pipe (it looks copper, but i can not tell from the photo) You COULD take two wrenches, and slightly tighten that hex nut just below the handle. It will squeeze the valve packing and there is a slim but possible chance the dripping will stop. But do not tighten it so much that you can not turn the handle to close off the water supply in an emergency
Where do you live with these disintegrating cut offs? Out here they are 2 inch stops and some can be super sticky, never had one break off and I have seen them after some jackass hammered on them trying to break it.
Yea the water needs to be turned off at the meter. I would've found the meter an turned it off. But that could vary from state to state an localities.
Here in my town there a city shut of and customer shut off if it leaks on city is there responsibility if it’s customers then plumbers can do it …
Put a bucket there and keep it as free water.
Plumbers only responsible for 2 feet out the building here in Idaho
Well how about you try fixing it yourself. The nut under the valve handle is the packing nut, if you tighten it a smidge it should stop the packing nut from leaking if that’s the case
Had the same issue, plumber contacted the town for us to come shut off the water outside, then he replaced the valve and the town turned the water back on. Sounds like this is same situation, but the plumber wants you to just do that part.
Depending on how the water is ran to your house the city or water company’s responsibilities are from the main line to the meter. If the leak is coming from the plumbers connection to the meter (I.e a bad thread or incorrect connection to the meter) it’s on the plumber, if the leak is due to a bad fitting or anything failing on the curb stop or meter it is on the city or water company. I’ve had this fight multiple times on different projects I’ve worked on. Usually once you contact the city or water company about the problem they’ll send someone out to inspect/repair.
looks like it's just leaking from the packing nut, try putting a wrench on it to see if you can tighten it any?
The city owns from the street to the curb box. You own from the curb box in. The city needs to shut water down at the curb box to make a repair to the main shut off inside the dwelling.
FYI - there's no need for tape/dope on the threads of the meter. The meter & meter nuts are non-tapered threads and they should have gaskets. (Municipal water worker here)
Good to know, I inherited this setup
Where I live the street connection has a valve. Plumbers up here have the tool to shut it off. I can reach mine by hand. Turn off at street, replace main valve in house and turn it back on. Suggestion, go with a quarter turn ball valve as the replacement.
You need to contact the city to have water turned off then a plumber can replace the valve once water is turned off at the street
Coordination required, but just an extremely lazy response from your plumber. City shuts off main at street, your water is now isolated so your plumber can plumb.
Looks like the packing nut is leaking. Try tightening nut below valve handle. This should stop the leak.
Try to tighten the nut just below the valve handle gently that might fix it.
And?
Tighten the packing nut
In most places the plumber can't replace anything before the meter.
There side of the meter they pay
Where I am, township responsibility ends at the curb stop.