Hot/Cold valves for Kitchen sink

[CMF]

Hello, all.

I am doing some work under the kitchen sink and I am trying to get it good and dry. I have taken out the disposal, all pipes, the faucet, etc. I turned the water off at the valves (of course) before removing everything, but still get a drip out of them. One is worse than the other. I went and bought caps for them, just so I can get the work done. Squeezes water around the caps, and still drips. Not a lot, mind you, but enough to be exasperating. I guess I could teflon tape as well to really seal it up, but the real question is do these valves need to be replaced? Is this some weird safety feature (nothing surprises me anymore) that keeps whatever from happening or not happening? I mean, over the 9 year life of the house they haven't exactly been worked to death; it's not everyday you turn off the water under the sink.

Ideas? I am obviously not a plummer, but unfortunately not in the position to hire one.

Thanks in advance,

[donald girod]

The caps for compression fittings drip (in my experience) unless you either put a compression ferrule in the valve or use a rubber washer which will fit. Teflon tape won't help. If the valve shutoffs drip a bit, this is not generally a problem when you use them for their normal function (working on the kitchen faucet), but the caps dripping could be a real problem if it sits there for a few days.

exasperating. I

[edfan]

If it's compression fittings leaking, you might want to go back and use two wrenches to tighten them down a LOT. They do take more force than many folks expect. You are crushing a metallic object, after all.