Bad toilet shut-off valve

[dkpbxman]

Hope somebody can answer this question for me.

The shut-off valve of my toilet is leaking. At first I thought I'd just tighten the packing nut behind it a little, but I found that the nut was already tightened as much as It will go.

After the valve is a solid pipe going to the tank (no flex) and feeling behind the valve on the stub-out, I feel a small lump like you do sometimes when things are "sweated" on. It's probably the original plumbing from when the house was built in 1971.

My question is, is this something I can replace or do I need to call a plumber? I have no experience with soldering joints.

Dan

[moorem]

Hey Dkpb, I'm sure someone else will answer your question in detail, but you should learn how to solder joints. It's really easy! I had never done any until about a year ago and I bought a 20.00 torch kit at home depot and now I solder stuff all over the house and could kick myself for the times I paid others to have it done. As long as the pipes are clean, smooth and dry, its a cinch. Buy a couple pieces of copper and practice in your garage a few times. You can be doing it like a pro in no time.

[LazyPup]

soldering a new valve in place that close to the wall can often present a real challenge.

A much simpler solution would be to cut the existing valve off the copper stub out, clean the end of the copper real well with a piece of emery cloth and attach a compression type angle stop valve.

Technically the copper lines in our homes are copper pipe, therefore they are measured by their internal diameter thus your 1/2" copper pipe has a 1/2" internal diameter and a 5/8" outside diameter.

The compression valve will need to fit on the outside of the pipe so you will need a 5/8"compression x 3/8"compression angle stop valve.

To install the valve you first put the compression nut on the pipe with the open side facing out. Next you slip on the compression ferrule (a small brass ring that looks like a mans wedding ring), then slip the valve on the end of the pipe and push in till the pipe is fully inserted into the valve input.

You then hold the valve with one wrench and slide the compression nut and ferrule forward and screw onto the valve threads. Tighten it with a second wrench and your finished.

[dkpbxman]

moorem-
Thanks for the reply! I went to Lowe's(closer than HD)and got a torch kit. I'm an ex-city boy from the lower east side of Manhattan so I'm starting from scratch. From my years on the NYPD, I can tell you where to buy the best drugs, but I'm lost when it comes to plumbing.

LazyPup-
Thanks a lot! That's exactly what I needed to know. Your explanation and diagram realy helped.

I thought that while I had everything disassembled, I'd put in a piece of braided hose for the supply tube to the tank instead of the solid pipe that's there now. Do I need to do anything special?

Dan

[LazyPup]

The braided toilet supply lines are premade with a 3/8compression nut on the input end. After you install the new angle stop valve, remove the output nut and ferrule that comes with it and your braid line will screw directly on the valve port.

[dkpbxman]

Thanks a lot!