Has anyone shopped around for plumbers to replace the water main valve down in
their garage? Has anyone replaced their valve proactively, rather than during
an urgent or emergent situation, and had time to shop price?
The aforementioned Zurn Plumbing charges $400-$500 to do the job, which
involves about 30-45 minutes of work and a $25 part. I'd be curious if anyone
has shopped around.
Speaking from personal experience, if you still have the gate-valve (rotary
knob) the builder put in, it may or may not close/open in an emergency - even
though it has worked in the past. I've been told a ball-valve (handle rather
than rotary knob) is more reliable and longer-lasting than the gate-style
valves the builder installed.
These valves seem to be failing at an increased frequency in the complex - one
on October 12 and one on November 9 just recently, and before that it seemed to
be every few months. But generally you won't know if it will fail until you try
to close it in an emergency or attempt to reopen it. Ideally, several owners
would agree to proactively replace their valves at the same time, reducing the
number of times our water has to be shut off for a valve replacement. And maybe
a plumber would offer a discount to replace valves in multiple condo units
during same visit.
Bill H.