The short answer
If your main water shutoff in Northern Virginia won’t turn, drips at the handle, or turns all the way and the water keeps running, replace it before you need it. The fix is a quarter-turn ball valve with a lever handle, the kind that closes in one motion and keeps working for decades. The water utility shuts the street side for the swap, and a plumber has the new valve in and tested the same visit. A plumbing visit is $49 ($250 after hours), and you get the price for the valve before any work starts.
Why old shutoffs fail
A lot of Northern Virginia houses built before the 1990s have a gate valve on the main: a round wheel handle you turn many times to close. Inside, a brass wedge drops into the pipe. After twenty or thirty years of nobody touching it, three things happen:
- It seizes. Minerals build up on the stem and the wheel won’t move, or it only moves with a wrench, which is how handles snap off.
- It won’t seal. The wheel turns all the way, but the wedge is worn or has separated from the stem, so water keeps flowing.
- It leaks once you move it. The packing around the stem dries out, and the first time you turn it in years it starts to drip.
Every one of those shows up at the worst time: a burst pipe, a toilet supply line that let go, a water heater leaking across the floor.
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Signs it’s time
Swipe to see all columns →
Swipe to see all columns →
| What you see | What it means |
|---|---|
| Round wheel handle that won’t budge by hand | Seized gate valve. Don’t force it. Replace it. |
| Turns, but faucets still run | Worn or broken gate. It won’t stop water in an emergency. |
| Drips at the stem after you turn it | Packing failed. It can be tightened once, then it’s due. |
| Green or white crust on the valve body | Slow seep and corrosion. Replace it. |
| Lever handle, closes in a quarter turn | You’re in good shape. Test it twice a year. |
Not sure where yours is? Start with how to find your shutoff valves. It’s usually where the water line comes through the foundation, in a basement, utility room, or the closet with the water heater.
How the swap works
- Street side off. Your meter and the valve at it belong to your water utility, Fairfax Water, Loudoun Water, or your town’s system. We arrange the shutoff, or you call them, and they close it at the meter.
- Drain the line. We open a low faucet so the house side drains back.
- Cut out the old valve. On copper we sweat or press in the new one; on older galvanized pipe we look at the pipe on either side first, because it’s often in worse shape than the valve.
- New full-port ball valve. Full port means it doesn’t narrow the pipe, so your water pressure stays where it was.
- Turn it back on and test. Close it, open a faucet to prove it stops the water, open it back up, check for drips.
While we’re there, it’s worth a look at the pressure reducing valve if you have one, and at the water heater’s expansion tank. Both sit near the main and both fail quietly.
Test yours twice a year
Spring and fall, close the main and open a faucet. The water should stop within a few seconds. Open it back up. A valve that moves twice a year doesn’t seize. If it won’t move by hand, stop there and call us instead of reaching for a wrench. Before a hard freeze, read what not to do with frozen pipes, because the shutoff is the first thing you’ll need.
Booking our water heater flush at $99 (normally $199)? It includes a walk through the house’s plumbing with photos. Ask the plumber to try the main shutoff while they’re there.
Call us
Book online at goswiftpro.com or call (703) 997-9757, 24 hours, 7 days. Rated 5.0 stars across 1,138 reviews on Google, Angi, Yelp, the BBB and Facebook, Virginia Class A license 2705192276.
Questions people ask
How do I know if my main water shutoff valve is bad?
It won’t turn by hand, it turns but the water keeps running, it drips at the stem after you move it, or there’s green or white crust on it. Any of those means replace it.
What kind of valve should replace a main shutoff?
A full-port quarter-turn ball valve with a lever handle. It closes in one motion and doesn’t narrow the pipe.
Who turns off the water at the meter in Northern Virginia?
The meter belongs to your water utility, such as Fairfax Water or Loudoun Water. They close it for the swap, and your plumber can arrange it.
What does a plumbing visit cost?
A SwiftPro plumbing visit is $49, $250 after hours, and you get the price for the valve replacement before any work starts.
