# main gas shutoff is stuck



## acerunner (Dec 16, 2009)

I went to shut it off and it won't budge.
Any tips to loosen it?


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## the_man (Aug 14, 2010)

acerunner said:


> I went to shut it off and it won't budge.
> Any tips to loosen it?


Call your gas supplier. I'm sure they're not going to want you messing with a valve that isn't working properly


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## steveel (Sep 10, 2010)

if I live nearby I don't want you doing that either. suppose you apply a cheater to your wrench and give a mighty tug and it..... moves but not the way you hoped. Don't screw with it. Won't hurt to soak it wd40 while you wait for the gasco to stop by, of course then they may want to know why you're turning it off and whether you got a permit to do whatever you're doing. Some DIY jobs are not worth taking shortcuts


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## COLDIRON (Mar 15, 2009)

If it's the valve at the meter call the gas company don't f--- around with it. CALL NOW.


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## acerunner (Dec 16, 2009)

i understand the risk of messing with gas, which is why i didn't push any harder when it wouldn't budge. I was not about to use a cheater bar. I just used a crescent wrench. This is the valve that's suppose to be shut of "in case of emergencies", so it had better be easy to turn. But it's not.

This valve is located along the portion of the pipe coming out from underground through the slab, before the meter. No other shutoffs except at each individual appliance.


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## Scuba_Dave (Jan 16, 2009)

How old is the house ?
As I undertsand some valves have a "safety reset" for lack of a better term
So if its shut off....it can only be turned back on by the Gas co
My last house the valve turned easily
Plumber shut it off to install stove & add a shut off for the stove


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## acerunner (Dec 16, 2009)

Scuba_Dave said:


> How old is the house ?
> As I undertsand some valves have a "safety reset" for lack of a better term
> So if its shut off....it can only be turned back on by the Gas co
> My last house the valve turned easily
> Plumber shut it off to install stove & add a shut off for the stove


the house was built in the 40s i think.
The valve is currently in the open position. I was trying to shut it off. So its probably not a reset as you describe.


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## kenmac (Feb 26, 2009)

It's probably just an old stuck valve.. The gas co here has replaced all the old valves with ball valves.. Can almost turn them with your fingers


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## the_man (Aug 14, 2010)

I'll go ahead and quote myself to make a point... even if it's not theirs, they'll tell you and then you can call someone else to come fix it correctly. If it's just stuck, they'll unstick it. Don't mess with it, I heard a rumor that's what caused the explosion in San Fran :laughing:




the_man said:


> Call your gas supplier. I'm sure they're not going to want you messing with a valve that isn't working properly


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## acerunner (Dec 16, 2009)

the_man said:


> I'll go ahead and quote myself to make a point... even if it's not theirs, they'll tell you and then you can call someone else to come fix it correctly. If it's just stuck, they'll unstick it. Don't mess with it, I heard a rumor that's what caused the explosion in San Fran :laughing:


actually that's in San Bruno, about 10 min south of SF. But yeah, I know not to mess with it. Just wondering if there was a low-risk way for a homeowner to do fix it, like the wd-40 tip. Beyond that, I think I'll leave to a pro.


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## kenmac (Feb 26, 2009)

acerunner said:


> Just wondering if there was a low-risk way for a homeowner to do fix it, like the wd-40 tip.


 
No ! Not a DIY project.. As it has been said call the supplier


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