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old threaded pipe dillema

Posted: Tue Jan 01, 2008 12:33 pm
by mopherman
i found a long 3/4 threaded pipe in my basement . It has a couple of fittings and a cool ball valve on the end. But they seem to to stuck on with some sort of weird pipe compound (looks like peanut butter). I tried beating it with a hammer and chiseling the stuff off but nothing has worked. How might i get this crap off the pipe so i can unscrew the fittings? BTW It is currently doused in purple primer. thanks

Posted: Tue Jan 01, 2008 12:41 pm
by WOW!!
Best thing to do is get 2 pipe wrenches and just twist with all your might.

DON'T heat the valve becuase you will melt the rubber seals inside of it. You could try putting hot water on it and then try it.

Posted: Tue Jan 01, 2008 12:51 pm
by potatoflinger
WOW!! has the right idea, two pipe wrenches is the way to go. Sometimes fittings can get stuck together pretty good, one time on the farm I work on, we had to get a ball valve off of an irrigation pipe, and we wound up having to put two pipe wrenches on it, then fasten one wrench to the hitch on a truck, and tie the other wrench to the back of a tractor and drive the tractor away from the truck :lol:

Posted: Tue Jan 01, 2008 12:57 pm
by mopherman
potatoflinger wrote:WOW!! has the right idea, two pipe wrenches is the way to go. Sometimes fittings can get stuck together pretty good, one time on the farm I work on, we had to get a ball valve off of an irrigation pipe, and we wound up having to put two pipe wrenches on it, then fasten one wrench to the hitch on a truck, and tie the other wrench to the back of a tractor and drive the tractor away from the truck :lol:
you broke the pipe right? I hope it doesn't get that extreme.

Posted: Tue Jan 01, 2008 1:03 pm
by WOW!!
Just get to wrenches and hit them with a hammer till you get it off.

Just get mad at it.

Posted: Tue Jan 01, 2008 1:06 pm
by potatoflinger
No we didn't break the pipe, one wrench was on the valve and the other was on the pipe. I don't think it will get that extreme, since it was a 3" pipe.

Posted: Tue Jan 01, 2008 1:08 pm
by noob of noobs
Blast it! :bom:
But yeah, I'd suggest using pipe wrentches too.

Posted: Tue Jan 01, 2008 1:24 pm
by Maniac
may be try to spray some kind of lubricant in the threads might loosen it a bit

Posted: Tue Jan 01, 2008 2:58 pm
by sandman
pressure washer to get the compound off :?:

Posted: Tue Jan 01, 2008 4:31 pm
by seudo411
freeze it the compound will become brittle and separate from the pipe as the metal contracts, how ever do not fidget with the valve it might cause permanent damage to the rubber. try using butane or propane, to rapidly cool it, hell even co2 might work if all else fails burn it, and get new rubber seals, :wink:

Posted: Tue Jan 01, 2008 4:42 pm
by WOW!!
Dont freeze the pipe or the valve, that could cause cracking when you are trying to get it off.

Boil up some water and soak the valve end in it for 5-10min and try to get it off then.

Posted: Tue Jan 01, 2008 4:49 pm
by MaxuS
WOW!! wrote:Just get mad at it.
Has worked for me so many times.
Sometimes, all you need a bit of fury to get your muscles going. :D

Posted: Tue Jan 01, 2008 4:53 pm
by Hotwired
Torch it.

It's not likely to get any harder if it's old sealant but it could become more brittle and crumble with excessive heat.

Make sure you're outside at the time and don't breathe any fumes.

Posted: Tue Jan 01, 2008 8:42 pm
by carter
wd-40 or similar, locktight make a product called freeze and release that works like a charm. we use it on everything encluding engines at work

Posted: Tue Jan 01, 2008 8:52 pm
by WOW!!
Hotwired wrote:Torch it.

It's not likely to get any harder if it's old sealant but it could become more brittle and crumble with excessive heat.

Make sure you're outside at the time and don't breathe any fumes.
DO NOT
You cant you will melt the seals in the ball valve.