Besides material, you can pay between $175 and $250 for a plumber to complete the job. Depending on what type of plumbing and valve you have/need, the cost will vary. If soldering is required or it takes longer than expected to remove the old valve, prepare to pay more for labor.

A malfunctioning gate valve is not difficult to repair, but it is even easier to prevent. These problems are typically caused by mineral buildup, so you should fully close and open your gate valves every few months to clear potential problems.

The first step if a gate valve will not close completely If the handle of the valve does not turn freely then loosen the packing nut just above the valve body and around the stem of the valve. Loosening it just one turn should be fine – just remember to tighten it back up when you are done.

If you want to repair the gate valves rather than replace it, as long as the valve spindle is not damage then all you need to do is take the valve away from the gate valve body and clean it up fully making sure there is no deposits left.

Open the gate valve as far as possible. Close the gate valve. Again, don’t apply too much pressure when closing the valve to avoid damaging its inner workings. Repeat the cycle of opening and closing the valve until the gate seats fully or the gate stops making any progress toward closing.

Wrap one wind of stem packing rope around the stem. Tighten the packing nut and open the valve. If it still leaks, back off the packing nut and add a few more winds of packing rope. If the street-side valve at your water meter has been leaking, you don’t have to pay the utility to come out and shut off the water so you can fix it.

You can fix a broken water line by installing a flexible water line in a matter of minutes. Turn off the shutoff valve where the lower end of the broken line attaches. Place a 1-gallon bucket under the shutoff valve.