corroded galv drain pipe removal method
Hudson Valley Carpenter
| Posted in Construction Techniques on
Got a difficult location, under the kitchen sink with the lateral coming out of the back wall at an angle. It’s an old 2″X4″ galvanized nipple that must be replaced.
I can just barely get an 18″ pipe wrench on it but only with the handle straight up. There isn’t enough room under there for me to get behind the wrench so leverage is very limited.
So far I’ve sprayed the treads with Inox mx3, a penetrating product recommended by the local plumbing supply house. I’m considering hitting the handle of the pipe wrench with a lump hammer, to try to break the nipple free.
Anyone, preferable plumbers, have suggestions? How about heat?
Replies
Heat will help some. Can you cut the pipe off square and use one of the rubber connectors to make the connection? The old boys who installed this pipe work always heaved it up very tight plus some rust and it ain't moving!
Sounds like an old pipe and I would be very careful with it!
Can you cut the pipe off square and use one of the rubber connectors to make the connection?
Thanks much for the reminder. I've only used rubber connectors once before, on another old drain, but I imagine that one of them ought to work just fine.
Of course I'd prefer to put in a new nipple but I'll take what I can get on this one. It'll be a minor struggle to get in there with the sawzall but I'll get 'er done.
Peter
Cut it out, sawzall to the exposed threads (the pipe is thinest at the threads.) Replace it with a Fernco. I've gone the other route, trying to save steel threads, it's never been pretty.
Here's a video of me replacing 3" steel pipe with PVC. Not very instructional but I hope it portrays the giant pain in the #### of saving the female threads.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTh4lJxTAjw
Replace it with a Fernco.
A Fernco is a rubber connector with two hose clamps, right?
BTW, the 2X4 nipple runs into a heavy duty galvy elbow in an exterior wall. I replaced a similar lateral nipple recently in the same house. I had the advantage of more space under that sink and a solid floor.
I was able to break the nipple free, using a hydralic bottle jack under the handle of the 18" pipe wrench. It took a good half hour, jacking over and over, to get that nipple free enough to turn the wrench by hand.
Edited 10/2/2009 10:02 pm by Hudson Valley Carpenter
Get two more elbows in your arms. ;-)
hacksaw blade, cut nipple lengthwise at the top (all the way into the fitting), chisel and hammer to collapse the nipple into itself, remove with pliers.
replace with pvc and lots of teflon sealer to seal the damaged threads in the fitting.
A La Carte Government funding... the real democracy.
Thanks Hackinatit,
That's my back-up plan, in case the rubber coupling doesn't work.
The corroded lateral nipple is very close to the floor of the cabinet, a very difficult spot to try to cut upwards...or any other direction. Besides, if I screw up the elbow in the wall (which may be partly corroded too), I'll be looking at replumbing the entire drain system for that end of the house. And I don't fit in the tight crawl space so it'd be a paid job. You know what plumbers get in L.A. for that kind of thing? Me and my wallet would be a quadruple amputees.
I'm going to cut off the threads on the exposed end of the nipple, then fit the coupling, adding a new shorter nipple in the brass trap's elbow. Wish I had a vise in the garage but I should be able to use the one at the plumbing supply, to tighten the fittings on the trap.
With a little grace, it should all fit up OK.
if it were me in your situation i would cut nippel off use a rubber cap to seal and turn it into a clean out then cut into wall install a santee into the wall for new sink drain at a desired height
Excellent! If you'll come over and show me how that's done, I'll buy lunch. Bring your tools. ;-)
I went to the plumbing supply and got a banded rubber connector. The parts guy was kind enough to cut a new nipple to fit, eliminating the threads on the open end.
Out of curiousity I asked him if they had an Easy Out for extracting threaded pipes of that size, inch and a half. He pulled one out from under the counter. Very nice tool...if the situation allows you to get a big crescent wrench on it and turn it. List price...are you sitting down...$99.
We laughed together, when the price came up on the screen, and headed for the bins of nipples and the rubber connectors.
Edited 10/3/2009 2:39 pm by Hudson Valley Carpenter
Yeah, that's called an "internal nipple wrench", I believe.
As I stood before the gates I realized that I never want to be as certain about anything as were the people who built this place. --Rabbi Sheila Peltz, on her visit to Auschwitz
on something like this,i use my 4.5 grinder with a 1/16 thick blade. go on each side and cut almost thru,then hit with a chisel and peel it off.
then put a new one on if possible,or go the fernco route.
the older i get ,
the more people tick me off
Thanks, I hadn't considered using a grinder on it.
cannt make your way ,ilove that part of the country . i was born in rome ny . on you r drain could you ,fernco, wye , street 45 , santee , in line vent . other end of wye , female adapter , plug .
This is a fifty-some year old galvy drain, in an exterior wall. The problem is under the kitchen sink, almost inaccessible. If it were in a better location, I'd have more options, like what you described.
I've been able to make cuts on the old nipple from two directions with a sawzall, one handed. Not real accurate or pretty but I got rid of the old threaded section so I can slip on a rubber connector.
I've attempted to unscrew old galv. fittings like you describe, no success. Ever.View Image
I've attempted to unscrew old galv. fittings like you describe, no success. Ever.
I managed to get one out, same age, same home, a little more accessible, about two months ago. But I had to use a hydralic jack to leverage the 18" pipe wrench. It took about a half an hour to get a half turn on it, using that method. After that I could turn it by hand.