main water shut off valve won't turn

[tntgreen2]

Hello,

My main water shut off valve will not turn. It is a ball valve on a 2002 home that is clearly marked. It just will not turn and I am not going to force it. I have not had to shut it off in the 6 years I have lived in the home. Not sure if the inactivity has caused an issue. Is there anything I can do to get the valve going or is this best left to the professionals.

Thank you advance for your help.

 

[phishfood]

Is this a brass ball valve or a plastic ball valve?

 

[tntgreen2]

This is a brass ball valve

 

[phishfood]

What usually causes this is mineral deposits on the waterway of the valve, that build up over time when the valve is not operated every once in awhile.

Try tapping on the outside of the valve with water flowing to a hose faucet on the house. This is to hopefully break some of the deposits loose and flush them out of the system. Then try tapping the valve handle in the closed direction. If you start to get movement out of it, work it back and forth until you get it to close completely. If you can't get it to budge, hold back on the connection piping to prevent damaging it, and apply a little bit of force to the handle. You should be able to get it to break free.

It is important to then thoroughly flush the system out through all hosebibs to prevent a chunk of mineral deposits from clogging a valve or faucet inside your house.

 

[tntgreen2]

Thank you Phishfood for the clear guidance. I will give it a try and see what happens.