I have a shutoff valve in my basement that leads to outside backyard. I closed that valve during winter and I just opened it to water my newly seeded lawn.
Upon opening the valve, I noticed that the shutoff valve continiously leaks water. There is a small nut that holds the knob. I tried tightening the nut while the valve is open but it still leaks water.
What is causing the leak? Do i need to take the knob off and perhaps put some sealant tape along the thread?
In addition to what @crip659 mentioned in the comments, You might have to remove the valve stem from the base by turning the big nut counterclockwise and removing the valve stem. This is probably a gate valve. There should be some packing or washers around the shaft that turns with the handle. You might have to remove the handle to change the packing or washers. Sometimes the gate can be removed from the shaft and the packing/washers changed. Gate valves have a history of leaking after awhile and can't be closed completely so often the choice is just to change them out.
