Removing / unscrewing a broken off pvc male adaptor

[rontaki]

I've read that acetone will dissolve PVC, but have no experience with that. It might also dissolve some other soft part of the hydrant, though.
What about gluing a PVC pipe inside of the stuck one to enable you to turn it out?
That might compound the problem. Free advice, worth every penny!

Good luck!

 

[dirttoys]

Good God man, I was being a little flippant before saying the guy with the torch has the answer, I shouldn't have been.

1. stand it up supported with vice or helper, plastic offender pointed up.
2. Close valve, fill with water to bottom of plastic offender. (wear gloves and face shield if you have one) you will look cool
3. Go right at the bugger with the torch, in 10 or 12 seconds it will be pliable.
4. Take a small straight blade and in a gentle but manly fashion force it between the threads and the plastic.
5. At this point you should be able to get needle nose on it and remove.
6, If not repeat number 4 without the gentle, break it into as many heat deformed pieces as you need to get it out.

Don't let the boiling water hit ya, if you have to repeat heatings refill with cool water.

Please let me know how it goes?

Best,

ed

 

[ning]

Perhaps paint the stuck PVC with some PVC primer ("purple primer"). Perhaps sacrifice a couple ounces of the stuff and put it in a can and soak the bottom of your unit in the primer for a bit.

 

[plowhog]

How much much to replace the unit?

HD lists one with a 2 foot riser at $130, so this one would probably be $150.

Turning upside down, using water as an insulator and directly applying flame to the plastic sounds promising. Hmm-- to try this it seems I need to film it, and first say: "Hold my beer and watch this!"

 

[dirttoys]

HD lists one with a 2 foot riser at $130, so this one would probably be $150.

Turning upside down, using water as an insulator and directly applying flame to the plastic sounds promising. Hmm-- to try this it seems I need to film it, and first say: "Hold my beer and watch this!"

Please do!! If you make any money please consider a small donation to the edneverwenttocollege fund

All kidding aside, you got the hole opened, when I used to do these things, we would run 4 feet of metal pipe each way from the hydrant, never broke one.

Best,

ed

 

[Captain Dirty]

How much much to replace the unit?

At this point it is obvious that rational, economic considerations matter not. The satisfaction of removing the pesky part is priceless.

Can you remove the riser and internal actuating rod from the foot valve and replace the foot valve? Can you remove any rubber, plastic, or otherwise heat-sensitive parts from the foot valve and then have your way with the plastic adapter? Are you deft enough to rout away the PVC without harming the threads using a Dremel? Using a dentist's drill? Would liquid nitrogen embrittle the PVC before embrittling the metal? How quickly willl aromatic hydrocarbons, e.g. toluene, degrade PVC? I am sure members on this list can come up with more imaginative methods. I'll hold your beer.

 

[Diggin It]

Are you deft enough to rout away the PVC without harming the threads using a Dremel? Using a dentist's drill?

I was waiting to see how long it would take someone to get there.

When you get it most all ground away, switch to a small wire brush wheel to clean out the threads.


I mean, you know, this isn't a drain plug in a pallet.

 

[plowhog]

Well this added another dimension ....

"Although PVC is flame resistant, PVC products release toxic hydrogen chloride gas when heated. These corrosive gases can spread faster than flames, trapping building occupants before they have a chance to escape. Hydrogen chloride gas is lethal when inhaled."

 

[dirttoys]

Well this added another dimension ....

"Although PVC is flame resistant, PVC products release toxic hydrogen chloride gas when heated. These corrosive gases can spread faster than flames, trapping building occupants before they have a chance to escape. Hydrogen chloride gas is lethal when inhaled."

LOL outside or in the garage the likelihood of a half inch of 3/4 inch pvc pipe being fatal is on the low side. However, replacing the hydrant might be the lowest risk solution, but will not be an exciting video.

 

[CoyPatton]

Heat would work if it did not have a rubber seat or something else and i believe they do. I do know it's not metal to metal seat.

Yes! The problem with using a torch is that the seat of the pvc female thread has a rubber seat sealing gasket. There is a fine line between softening the pvc and ruining the seat.
If you extraction tool is a 3/4” tool, then build your own. Take a piece of 3/4” flat stock steel, grind down your edges to be sharp and tapered, drive the sharpened edges into to male threaded piece until a hard bite, but stop prior to threads (female threads extend to the recesses of the male threads so you can quickly be fighting yourself) then use pliers to turn it out. You can drive this in multiple times if needed. Pliers as close to the broken fitting as possible puts the force into the fitting and not the metal.