# Can't remove washing machine shutoff valve



## rjniles (Feb 5, 2007)

Use 2 wrenches, the bigger the better.

Are you turning the valve the right way? CCW looking from the top.


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## sparky472 (Oct 5, 2007)

I'm using two wrenches - a backup wrench on the male nut and another wrench to try and turn the valve - yes, CCW.


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## rjniles (Feb 5, 2007)

sparky472 said:


> I'm using two wrenches - a backup wrench on the male nut and another wrench to try and turn the valve - yes, CCW.



The reason I said 2 wrenches is your first post said a wrench and pliers.


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## TarheelTerp (Jan 6, 2009)

It's not corroded and you can even see fresh tape.
Wrenches really should do it.

Odds are you're fighting a cross thread.
Go at it with the expectation of replacing everything afterward.


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## CitadelBlue (May 23, 2013)

I'm the kind of person who like it when my bride cuts OFF the water when she is finished with the laundry ...... the valves you have and are replacing don't last and usually leak either in the stem or weep in the valve itself. ....... you might just want to bite the bullet, open the wall and do some soldering or use the sharkbite fittings and replace the valves with one of these:


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## sparky472 (Oct 5, 2007)

@rjniles - yeah, I missed that thx. Tried two wrenches, won't budge. 

@tarheel - Tape can't be too fresh. I've been in the house for almost 5 years. 

@citadel - I agree with shutting it off and I want one of those single throw shutoffs, but the spread is too small for my pipe config. 











Here's the thing. Looking closely at the other valve, the tape doesn't look like its wrapped around the threads where I think the male threaded pipe connects to the female threaded valve. Maybe I've got it wrong and the male threads are part of the valve and the nut at the bottom is female? I guess either way, it would t change anything as far as how I'm tying to separate the two...


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## plummen (Jan 10, 2010)

Theres a nut on bottem side of washer box,then thers a either a female adaptor on the water line screwed to it,or the line is sweated onto the valve .
thats my guess anyway.


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## SPS-1 (Oct 21, 2008)

When you want to put a lot of torque on a fitting, you need a *LONG* wrench. Hammering on the wrench, pliers, etc, are all a waste of effort. If you don't have a couple of long wrenches, either buy them, or try slipping a piece of pipe on the wrench you do have.


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## jmon (Nov 5, 2012)

Sparky, I agree, that close up looks like a male threaded shut off valve screwing into a female threaded connector. By the looks of it, you would think it would come right off. Try some PB blaster, tap it few times let it soak for awhile and try again. Remember to use counter acting force with two wrenches so you don't break the pipe. If it still doesn't budge your problem may be underneath as plummen suggests.


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## raylo32 (Nov 25, 2006)

Hey, Ken... a little OT re: the OP's question but I agree. I took it a step farther with one of these. It automatically shuts the valve in up to 2 1/2 hours depending on how far you throw the lever. I put it in yesterday in place of simple boiler drain valves so I had to do a bit of re-work to the copper pipes to add the adapters. But if you have the valve in your picture you can pop one of these on in about 10 minutes... just remove and replace 2 screws, and a good idea to use the new o-rings that come with it.



Alls you would need is this valve head:

http://www.amazon.com/Keeney-Manufa...&qid=1376824833&sr=8-1&keywords=timeout+valve





CitadelBlue said:


> I'm the kind of person who like it when my bride cuts OFF the water when she is finished with the laundry ...... the valves you have and are replacing don't last and usually leak either in the stem or weep in the valve itself. ....... you might just want to bite the bullet, open the wall and do some soldering or use the sharkbite fittings and replace the valves with one of these:


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## beenthere (Oct 11, 2008)

sparky472 said:


> @rjniles - yeah, I missed that thx. Tried two wrenches, won't budge.
> 
> @tarheel - Tape can't be too fresh. I've been in the house for almost 5 years.
> 
> ...



The valve is the male, not the adapter its screwed into. 

As said earlier. Big wrenches give better torque.


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## raylo32 (Nov 25, 2006)

Another trick if the alignment works out is to brace one of the wrench's handles up against the wall or stud where it will stay once you put torque on the other wrench. Then you can put all your strength into turning the one wrench. Looking at your picture it really looks like it should come off... unless maybe it got cross threaded and galled up on install.


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## PoleCat (Sep 2, 2009)

Two pipe wrench face to face 30 degrees apart. Squeeze the handles together.


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## sparky472 (Oct 5, 2007)

@jmon - tried pb blaster. No luck. 

The problem with longer wrenches is they tend to be thicker too, and there simply isn't enough room to fit them in. Today I'll see if I can go buy a length of pipe that will fit over my wrench handles and try that. Hope it works. Otherwise I'm going into wall, cutting off pipes, sweating new connections. Not what I feel like doing today!


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## raylo32 (Nov 25, 2006)

I keep a couple pieces of pipe around to use as cheaters. Sometimes that does the trick. Also, have you tried heating the thing up with a torch?


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## NitrNate (May 27, 2010)

why hasn't anyone mentioned heat? if all else fails, hit that female adapter with a torch (put some heavy duty foil shiny side up around the plastic to help reflect the heat). it should break it free or at least expand it a bit, then quickly get the wrenches on it before it cools and give it another go.


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