Plumbing Seattle

What is a typical plumbers charge for replacing a very old turn off valve that does not turn, and replacing it

I have 2 of the old valves in my condo; one under the kitchen sink for the kitchen and laundry area, and the 2nd in a closet for the bathroom. I know plumbers charges are high, but I need to know in advance to prepare for the shock.

Public Comments

1. replacing the valves is not the expensive part, its very easy. However most plumbers have a minimum charge or only charge by the hour, so it can get expensive that way. Highway robbery I know but don't blame the guy who comes to your house, its his greedy boss that is to blame. Try phoning the service plumbers in the back of the phone book and compare quotes. We might be talking about 60-100 dollars here.
2. Shut off valves or angle stops- standard charge $50. each. Try using a channel lock plier and turn the handle with it- Clock wise and loosen the rust inside first. If that don't work, than call the plumber. stardard charge- plumber- $100. DIY- Free. The valve is only used when u need to turn off water for that faucet- so if it don't drip water, u don't need to replace it. Keep that $100- $150. and try what I mentioned first.
3. yours is a case that we hear all the time on this forum. You want some work done, but you feel that the cost will be exhorbitant and the specialist you call for a fix will hose you. If you cannot fix it by yourself, or get someone to help you free, you are going to have to pay someone. It takes that person time and gas to get to your place and on to the next. He has to pay insurance and he has to be bonded in many cases. He needs to put food on his table too. Call a couple of handyman services. You don't need a specialist plumber to do what you want. They will probably be a little less than a licensed plumber. As one of the respondants said, if it isn't leaking why replace it, but you would not have asked the question if you didn't have a problem or didn't anticipate a problem. I just replaced a DW and had to completely redo a hot water double shutoff valve. It took a channel lock pliers, a wrench, some plumber's tape, a 13 dollar shutoff valve (I went high end), about 2 dollars in gas to get to and back from the hardware store, and knowing where the main water shut off was. Two hours maybe. If you cannot afford a specialist, find someone who can do the work for you for the price of a dinner.
4. Such professionals can charge you whatever amount they want. They can make their job look so hard even if its not, and finish a job longer even if it will not... just to cash in a high pay. One time I had my leaky faucet replaced with a new one and the plumber took him about two hour to finish it because he said he had to replace the faucet & the hose connector which he said he was overlooked and he had to go to the hardware store because he had no hose connector available in his truck. Then upon installing the faucet, he said it has a factory defect and its still leaking and he would need to go back to the hardware store to return the faucet and get a new one to be installed. In short, I was ripped off by long hours he had finished the job. Paid around $250 for that single simple job. So, try to find a number of really GOOD plumbers to estimate the problem and compare their services and rates and before the repairing be started. Be nice to them... this is a good way to win them if you want or could bargain with the pay. From your discussion, the plumber should come up with the estimate of how much will it cost you. But I will tell you from my estimate, it should not cost more the $200 to have it done including the parts replacement. Good luck.