Haha, the midnight plumbing club grows again...been there too. Do you guys usually swap out fittings every time, or just inspect and reuse? I tend to replace if they're older (or if I can't remember when I last swapped them...), but sometimes it feels like I'm tossing perfectly good parts. Also, anyone else learned the hard way to shut off the main valve first—even if you're "sure" the local valve works fine?
"Also, anyone else learned the hard way to shut off the main valve first—even if you're 'sure' the local valve works fine?"
Yep, been there... learned real quick that "sure" isn't good enough when water's involved. For fittings, here's my approach:
- Replace rubber washers and seals every time—cheap insurance.
- Metal fittings? Inspect closely. If threads look clean and no corrosion, reuse is usually fine.
- Plastic fittings I swap out more often, especially if they're older or discolored.
Better safe than mopping floors at 2 AM.
Definitely learned that lesson myself... thought the local valve under the sink was good, turned it off, and next thing I know I'm scrambling for towels. Now I always test the local valve first—close it, open the faucet, and see if water stops completely. If there's even a trickle, main valve goes off. Takes an extra minute but beats dealing with soaked drywall or flooring at midnight.
Good call on checking the local valves first—seen plenty of older valves that look fine but don't fully seal anymore. Ever run into issues with stubborn main valves? Had one seize on me last month... wasn't fun wrestling with that at 10 pm.
Haha, wrestling with a seized main valve at 10 pm sounds like landlord initiation night—I feel your pain. Had one freeze up on me in the dead of winter once, and of course, it was buried behind a mountain of junk in the basement. Ended up soaked, freezing, and questioning all my life choices. Ever since then, I give those valves a twist every few months just to remind them who's boss... or at least pretend I am.
