What's a reasonable price to fix a leaky main valve?

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We get cold snaps, but they usually don't last long enough to freeze up the meter or water line buried a foot down in the yard. Mid-January and our high today is 56F and low 39F. Per the iPhone weather app, on Saturday a week from now our low will be 28F with a high of 53F. Our footers tend to only need to go 12" down as well.
We had 52 F yesterday and 38 F low, but 3 days below 0 F just before Xmas...
28 F is cold enough to freeze and break the water meter unless you keep a little water flow moving through it...
 
So far no water in the bucket. I'll give it a full week.

Tentative pats on the back to Eddie and Buzz. But ya know, if it didn't work then I'd send you the plumber's bill of course! 😆
 
So far no water in the bucket. I'll give it a full week.

Tentative pats on the back to Eddie and Buzz. But ya know, if it didn't work then I'd send you the plumber's bill of course! 😆
Sure, send $667 to me and $333 to Eddie for fixing it so quick... maybe even add a bonus for fixing it so fast...
 
We had 52 F yesterday and 38 F low, but 3 days below 0 F just before Xmas...
28 F is cold enough to freeze and break the water meter unless you keep a little water flow moving through it...
Hasn't been a problem yet in over 28 years of home ownership in NC.
 
I was a fully licensed plumber for 30 years . in canada , I had a curb key to shut off the municipal curb stop. some communities
allowed you to use it. However some communities it was a $1500 fine. they felt that it was their valve and that sometime
contractor's would break them . the cost to replace a curb stop valve was about $1500 .
so my advice is to call the municipality
 
My set up is much like yours with an inside meter and a old gate valve.



When I bought the house my plan was to redo the whole house in PEX and I had the same problem what to do with that old gate valve.



They normally start leaking when they get used after years of sitting open. I shut mine and opened it a few times and sure enough I got a drip. I tightened the packing nut a little and it stopped. I tore it all apart leaving the old valve and right after the old valve I put a new ball valve to be the new shutoff point. I closed that valve and opened the old valve and gave the packing nut a little more and it was all good.



My plan is to leave a sleeping dog lie.



So far so good it’s been 10 years and I have shut the main valve a few times.
 
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