Roger Wakefield, the creator of the Youtube channel (All About Plumbing), is a plumber with over 20 years of experience. In this video review, he shows us three different ways to remove PVC Pipe From a Fitting.
The first method is by using a pry bar. Roger demonstrates how to use the pry bar to gently lever the pipe out of the fitting.
The second method is by using a PVC cutter. Roger shows us how to cut through the PVC pipe, which will release it from the fitting.
The third and final method is by using a heat gun. Roger heats up the PVC pipe with the heat gun, which will cause it to expand and release from the fitting.
Roger demonstrates each method on a piece of PVC pipe, so that we can see how it’s done. He also gives us some tips on which method is best for different types of fittings.
Each method has its own advantages and disadvantages, so it’s important to choose the right one for the job at hand. Roger’s videos are informative, witty and practical so let’s watch the video then our expert team at Water Heater Hub will chime in on what they think of the video as well as methods they personally use to get the job done…so without further ado!
Let’s break down the four key moments of this video:
Minute 1:05 – Roger talks about scoring the pipe so it’s easier to remove the glued pipe in sections as apposed to yanking the whole pipe out.
Minute 02.22 – He discusses directing the force goimg from outside the pipe towards the inside to ensure you break off the intended pipe section.
Minute 03.33 – Roger talks about “the fitting saver”, which is really a drill attachment that shaves down the pipe section that needs to be removed.
Minute 07.58 – This is really a blooper reel, where Roger shows that making Youtube videos doesn’t always go smoothly.
Why Remove A Glued Pipe?
If you’re unglueing a pipe, it’s likely because you need to fix something. Maybe a leaky faucet or a clogged drain. Whatever the problem is, unglueing the pipe will give you access to fix it.
But unglueing pipes isn’t always as easy as it sounds. If the pipes are glued together with a strong adhesive, you’re going to need some serious unglueing power. But don’t worry, we’ve got you covered.
Anthony Barnes is One of the founders of WHH, he has over 30 years experience in plumbing, HVAC & Electrical…he knows his $hit!
Anthony: ” I like Rogers methods in this video I just don’t always agree with the way he chooses to do some of the tasks.
The reality is that lots of our readers are just average homeowners and Pros looking for a better way to get something done, which really means they don’t have all the time or tools to do what needs to be done without running to the store 100 times.
I’ll tell you a method that I found is my go-to whenever I need to remove a pipe that’s already glued one section is going to stay, and the other one can get ruined because I’m yanking it out.
How To Remove A Glued Pipe That Hasn’t Set
As you can see in the pic below, we have two opposing pipe wrenches. The key to this method is timing, if the glue is set more than a couple hours you’re probably going to break the pipe instead of break loose the glue.
The idea is to create counter rotation or torque and twist, if you do it too hard you’re going to crack something so be careful with this technique, but if you catch it in time and you use a forward and back wiggling motion you could easily remove that fitting then all you have to do is clean up the outside connection of the pipe that remains and you’re good to go!
Remove Glued PVC Pipe With a Heated Hole Saw Bit
Choose a Bit that will just barely fot inside the pipe as we will be heating up the bit & inserting it in the pipe.
Bit sitting inside the pipe:
Before placing the bit in the pippe, you need to heat up the metal for about a minute with a torch. This will create a heated pipe within a pipe that makes the (piece you want removed), soft enough to yank out with a pair of needle nose pliers.
Warning!!!!!
Always be cautious around pipes when they’re being heated especially PVC pipes. Any solvents or glues or any type of chemicals being used will create vapors that are not good for you.
Make sure you have plenty of ventilation… plenty of fresh air flowing through your work area and even wear a mask to protect you from inhaling anything that’s not good for you.
Place Heated Bit Into Pipe
The heated bit will sit inside of that pipe for about a minute and that will transfer enough heat to make the pipe that you’re removing soft and flexible so you can grab it with those pliers twist it until it breaks bond, then pull it out.
If you heated the pipe properly and long enough, you can twist it and you can pull it out and it will come out easily without breaking the pipe that’s inside of the wall.
Once the old pipe is fremoved, get the old glue out with some sand paper & prep with new glue & insert your newly fixed pipe back into it’s original position.
Conclusion
That’s it for today’s video review of Three Ways to Remove PVC Pipe from a Fitting, we hope you enjoyed our commentary and our personal methods of removing PVC pipe once it’s been glued.
I’m sure you guys have tried a lot of techniques as there’s a lot of different ways of doing this and some have worked and some have failed. We hope you find this info useful and good luck!
