Cold Water Valve pops out on its own
 

Our cold water shut off valve pops out on its own every day. Does anyone else experience this? What is the solution?

Which valve? Is this at a toilet or a sink? I would buy a pressure gauge and test your water pressure at an outside hose bibb to see if your pressure is too high. It should be about 60 PSI. Also, check the drain pan under the water heater for evidence that the pressure relief valve has been tripping and spewing water into the drain pan. You can also place a plastic cup under the relief valve discharge pipe to see if the relief valve is occasionally tripping. Tap the expansion tank at the top of the water heater with a metal tool to determine if it may be full of water. It should have air in it and have a hollow sound. Also, the water temperature may be set too high. If these things check out, then you probably need to replace the shutoff valve.

Oh my. Sounds like 5 trips to Lowes and then calling a plumber

I agree with above, the expansion tank had probably failed and is full of water. This is a simple 10 minute (or so) replacement of the expansion tank. Be sure to precharge the new expansion tank to your water pressure, ours is 65 to 70 PSI. These tanks typically last 5 to 7 years. Tanks are available at Lowe"s be sure to get the correct tank, NOT the one for wells about $50 or so.

I have had several of my push/pull shutoff valves shutoff and have to be reset. I have read numerous posts over the years talking about checking water pressure, install new, better valves, etc. Years ago I decided to try a cheap almost free solution:

I drilled a small hole in the plastic valve and secured the valve in the on position (pushed in) using a plastic cable tie. This has worked perfectly on multiple valves. Of course, you will need to keep a supply of spare ties because, when/if you need to turn off the valve you must cut and remove the tie! See attached photo.

I agree with others that most likely the expansion tank on top of the water heater. I recently replaced mine. I bought the new one at Lowes for about $60.

I would not recommend this. Also, I would not recommend replacing a fuse with a piece of wire.

Everyday ! One bath and everyday in the work sink in garage. Common with other neighbors too, cheapest construction option, but "cure" is traditional (usually brass and expensive) shut off valves like those used in "the old days"... LOL. It's variations in water pressure (this from retired 47 year career plumber on our block).

Check your expansion tank, the cycling of the hot water heater causes the pressure swings if the expansion tank has failed (it is full of water). The next item to fail will probably cause a lot of water damage.

That's not solving the problem. That's putting a band-aid on it. You need to fix what is causing the valves to close. Have you checked the expansion tank?

As others have stated it's probably the expansion tank on the hot water heater. I also swapped out those pop-out shutoffs with shark bite shutoffs when I swapped out our bathroom sinks. I don't trust those things.

Comparing my using a cable tie to replacing a fuse with a piece of wire is not a fair comparison.

The water valve is not a safety device. It is simply placed where it is as a matter of convenience. If you didn't have such a valve and you needed to replace a sink (or toilet) you would have to turn the water off to the entire house.

My villa does not even have an expansion tank. So clearly some of my valves may be getting a little weaker with age and occasionally pop off. Sure, I could replace them, or perhaps unstall an expansion tank which is not required, but why bother spending the money? My solution has worked flawlessly for years AND I haven't even had to use any of the valves in question! So, I haven't had to cut and replace any cable ties!!

It is true that you don't need to install an expansion tank, but it is a code requirement for new construction, and it is a good idea. But, as a minimum, you should buy a pressure gauge and measure the water pressure in your house. You should also place a plastic cup under the discharge pipe for the relief valve on the water heater to see if it is tripping. It trips when the pressure exceeds 150 psi, but the valve will only open for a short time and then close, releasing only a small amount of water. Your water pressure may be too high, which could damage your plumbing fixtures and could cause a catastrophic failure of your water heater.

This happened to a neighbor. While she was visiting across the street for awhile, the valve popped and caused a flood in her home. Most of us replaced the pop outs with handles that turn.

You DO NEED the expansion tank, there is a check valve in the line between your house and the street. When the water heater cycles the expansion tank suppresses the pressure of the expanding heated water.

Have a plumber change out the expansion tank and replace all the shutoff valves while they are there.