The shutoff valve for my front-yard hose spigot has been inaccessible since 1955, concealed by basement paneling. I've kept the spigot from freezing each winter by affixing a styrofoam cover to it and by keeping the basement area warm--but I'd really like to be able to turn it off properly from inside. So today I cut an opening in the paneling in order to get at the shutoff. Having done so, I tried turning the knurled handwheel, but it's not budging. My question: is brute force the answer here, or would that approach be likely to cause a catastrophic failure? The valve isn't easy to get at, so I'm not sure how I'd even be able to apply sufficient torque without demoing the adjacent carpentry. Please let me know your thoughts! Thanks.

I'm no plumber, but twice I have tried to turn old valves and had them break instead. I'd prepare for that possibility.

Ah okay I was afraid of that. Thanks for sharing your experience! Sounds like I need to get my plumber in on this action.



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Follow the pipe away from the spigot...is there another more accessible location upstream where you could cut the pipe and add a new shutoff? Then you just leave this old one alone.



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Thanks for the suggestion. Seems like an excellent strategy! Unfortunately, the run of pipe from the house meter to the frozen valve lies behind the paneling (it's only about four feet of pipe, as the water line enters the house very close to where the line leads back out to the front-yard spigot). There's a cut-out that gives access to the meter and to the house shut-off valve, but that's it.



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You're saying the valve has not been turned in 70 years, since 1955? At the very least you will want to rebuild it (new washer & packing). Consider replacing the whole thing with a more appropriate design.

Thanks! I think the consensus is to replace it, as you suggest.



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