What type of shut off valve is this, and can I replace it with a quarter turn ball compression valve?
Can anyone identify this type of shutoff valve
shutoffvalve
Related Solutions
From the way you describe it, it sounds like it's a regular gate valve. You might be able to repair it as you describe by removing the packing nut and replacing whatever is broken or stripped out inside.
The only exception to that would be a ball type valve, but those will just have a handle that makes only a 1/4 turn. Those generally aren't repairable, but then again they almost never fail either.
Personally, I would just remove and replace the gate valve with a good ball valve. Gate valves have a tendency to rot out or seize up from lack of use. I actually had one once that disintegrated in my hand when I tried to turn it off (spraying water everywhere and making a nice mess). Ball valves are just much more reliable.
That's most likely a copper pipe covered in solder. You can try scraping the solder off to see if you get down to some copper to verify. A copper pipe cutter is cheap and easy to use:
Get this onto the pipe a close to the valve as you can, tighten the screw until it's snug, and spin it around the pipe making sure to keep spinning on the same location (you're making a cut, not treading the pipe or making a spiral). After every few turns, tighten the screw a little more and eventually the pipe will break off. Clean the pipe with some emery paper, and install a new compression style valve (this only requires a few wrenches (crescent or fixed, not a pipe wrench or pliers if you want to avoid teeth marks). If you removed too much of the pipe, you may need to replace the escutcheon with a flatter style.
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Best Answer
That is a standard sweated valve, if it is leaking they are easy to repair and much cheaper than a new valve. Most of the time a new seat (rubber seat that stops the water) and a new stem packing under the nut that holds the stem in place is all that is needed to fix a leaking valve , if it is leaking at the hose fitting that was probably over tightened , the plastic ones today break when over tightened those metal ones sometimes held but it looks like it is leaking. , replacing the valve with a 1/4 turn you will probably have to replace the hose also. I have a kit of faucet seats and valve packings / gortex rope that I got many years ago 10$ fixed probably 30 valves I still have the nice little metal box and buy rubber seats to refill you might consider a valve repair kit as looking at the age your home probably has 15+ total valves you could repair for the cost of 1 or possibly 2 new valves.