Any advice on opening and closing this old bronze Milwaukee shut off valve?

[RickFlorida]

Hi everyone, I'm finally ready to do the last steps of my new irrigation system and wanted some advice (if there is anything I should consider) before I go to shut off this old bronze Milwaukee gate valve that I need to temporarily turn off in order to hook up the new irrigation system.

I will be adding a new shut off valve so that when I go to turn this old gate valve back on, I won't have to touch it every again. It's 1 1/4 inch and to an artesian well with constant pressure. I'm not concerned about the rusted handle as this valve was recently turned off and on about 10 months ago when a sprinkler guy helped me turn it off when I accidentally broke the PVC in front of it.

My only concern now is how do I know when it's fully open after I try to close it? Do gate valves let you open it as far as you want and will stop at some point automatically? The reason I ask is because this well is constant pressure and I don't want to create a disaster. Hopefully the last guy already had it in the fully open position as my idea is to mark the top of the handle with paint so and then count how many rotations it took to close it and then I can count how many to open again when I finish the new set up.

Anything else I should think of? I hate to touch it but I have to because I moved the location of the pump so I have to turn this off for part of a day to hook up the last PVC to the pump.
Thanks for any advice.

While we are on the subject, how do Well people repair or replace these valves if there is constant pressure from artesian well? Or is that impossible and they can't replace the last shut off valves? Would they literally abandon the whole well and dig a new one rather than replace the valve? I'm afraid to ask.

 

[Twowaxhack]

If you turn that valve the “ gate “ might strip off the stem and stay closed. This is VERY common.

I recommend replacing the valve.

 

[RickFlorida]

If you turn that valve the “ gate “ might strip off the stem and stay closed. This is VERY common.

I recommend replacing the valve.

Thank you for that heads up. But how can the valve be replaced if it's a constant pressure artesian well? I've always wondered if that is even possible. Do the well repair or well installation guys have a special tool/method that allows them to replace the last primary valve on a constant pressure artesian well? It seems impossible to me. Not only is this artesian, but it's a shared well so I think it has double the pressure/flow of even typical artesian wells. (I found another 1 1/4 PVC going towards neighbors house and people in my area has said this is very common that we have shared wells.). I'm sure this particular pipe only affects my side of property. The other 1 1/4 inch PVC pipe that goes to neighbors house for irrigation only has it's own shut off valve.

My guess on how to repair this would be this.... if one can find a new stem and handle, you would open up any of the last shut off valves to release pressure and then you just simply try to remove and replace everything with water coming out. But hopefully with the other ends of pipe being open, not all the water and pressure will be trying to come through where you are screwing on the new stem and nut? I don't think I'm capable of trying this on my own. The well repair companies charge 180 dollars an hour but maybe I'll have to bite the bullet and let them do it.

I thought of another way they do it. They probably have tools that allow them to connect to the other end of the 1 1/4 pipe and they put a constant vacuum on it. Then they can replace the stem that way. I think that means it's actually easier for them to just replace the stem and leave valve in place so they can vacuum the other end of pipe. What I don't understand is how they can replace the whole valve because how can you vacuum or relieve pressure while trying to put in on? This boggles my mind.

 

[Geofd]

Look up legend valves I used this exact valve on a brass water main, you would have to ask the manufacturer if it's rated for c pvc

 

[RickFlorida]

If you turn that valve the “ gate “ might strip off the stem and stay closed. This is VERY common.

I recommend replacing the valve.

Update: After talking to an irrigation guy I know, he gave me the confidence to go for it since the local well repair company said it would like around 4 or 500 dollars to replace the valve. (They don't even want to replace the stem and handle, they said they would just put a brass valve on there which has zinc in it so I don't think it would last here by the ocean and in humidity. This bronze one lasted decades). It does open and close enough for me so I was able to hook up a new shut off valve ahead of this one. But you were right about something. I think it would have stripped the stem/gate if I tried to force it closed all the way. What happens is that the hard sand particles gets stuck in the stem and you can't really close the water flow off all the way. It still had a pretty solid trickle of water but I was able to make the connections. I think people probably try to force them closed when they don't see the water stopping and then they get stripped. I mind of well just use this one and leave it in the open position until the well fails rather than spend 400 or 500 bucks on replacing the valve. I'm extremely curious how they would have replaced the valve. I measured the amount of flow with a bucket and this artesian well puts out about 20 gallons a minute! It filled my 5 gallon bucket in 18 seconds with the pump off! That's 20 gallons a minute I assume. They did say it's a two man job and they charge 200 dollars and hour labor. How the heck do they replace valves on a 20 gallon a minute artesian well? I tried to look up how they do it and I can't find it. I counted how many rotations it took to close it from the open position and marked the top of the handle with paint. So now when my connections are cured I will open back up with the same amount of turns and just never touch it ever again until the well fails and I get a whole new well head and primary shut off of solid bronze again.