stop cock gland

[markp]

Hi
I have an old 20 years old stop cock thats leaking from the spindle,and i can see the gland nut.....to repack do i have to turn off the stop cock[its the primary one in the house] or is it safe to just undo the gland nut with the stopcock in the open position?wont water gush out at me ? :D

[jondeau]

It will be ok to leave the water on.........may drip a bit though.

[explodingcarrots]

Just had the same problem - old stop tap, long standing drip (it seems by the buildup of gunk!).
Gave the gland nut a bit of a turn and now all is dry as a bone.
Lubed up the tap a bit with some vaseline just to smooth the action some.