Why McAllen Valves Seize Up So Often
The water that feeds most Rio Grande Valley homes carries a heavier mineral load than what you'd find in a lot of other parts of the country, and that scale builds up quietly inside the small angle stops under every sink and toilet. A valve that hasn't been touched in five or ten years often looks fine from the outside while the stem inside is frozen solid with deposits. You don't find out until the day you actually need to turn it.
Older multi-turn valves are especially prone to this because the rubber washer and threaded stem sit in the water path year-round, collecting scale with every use. Quarter-turn valves handle McAllen water better because the ball mechanism has less surface for buildup to grab onto, which is why we typically recommend them when we're already replacing a stop.