How to Repair a Leaking Laundry Shut Off Valve

Laundry valves can leak if the nuts are loose.

Shutoff valves for appliances have a compression nut that holds the valve to the water pipe, a compression ring under the nut that keeps the nut tight, and also a nut that connects the water supply tube to either the side or top of the valve. If either nuts become loose over time, they can cause a leak. Tightening them usually fixes the problem, but if the valve is really old and leaks, it needs to be replaced.

Things You'll Need

• 2 adjustable wrenches
• New shutoff valve

Instructions

Tighten the Two Valve Nuts on the Laundry Shutoff Valve

1. Place one adjustable wrench around the main body of the valve (the body is usually hexagonal in shape, like the nut), and another around the compression nut--on one end of the valve, and around the water pipe.

2. Hold the wrench around the valve body, and tighten the compression nut.

3. Tighten the nut holding the water supply tube to the valve with one wrench, while keeping the other wrench around the valve body. If the valve still leaks, it will have to be replaced.

Replacing the Laundry Shutoff Valve

1. Turn off the water at the main shutoff valve. Loosen the compression nut completely.

2. Loosen and remove the supply tube nut, and pull the valve off the water pipe by hand.

3. Pull off the compression ring near the end of the water pipe with a pair of pliers, and take off the compression nut.

4. Place a new nut over the end of the water pipe, and also push on the compression rein by hand.

5. Attach the water supply tube nut to the side/top of the valve, and push the valve onto the end of the pipe. Tighten the compression nut onto the valve with one wrench on the valve body, and the other wrench on the compression nut. Turn the water back on.

References

• "Home Improvement 1-2-3"; Benjamin W. Allen, Christopher Cavanaugh; 1995