metal pipe on sprinkler system stuck

[kyle]

hi all,

i live in florida. i have a sprinkler system that sucks water out of a lake, and then onto my lawn. works fine.

well stupid me, i was cutting tree limbs right above it, and the tree branch landed on the ONE TINY portion that is PVC that connects to a metal pipe that then goes into the water pump. so basic flow is filter attached to a plastic hose that sits in lake -> pvc pipe -> metal pipe

water pump > pvc irrigation system.

anyways, end result, i got the pvc part off the other end, going down to HD today to replace that.. but my problem now is the screwed in portion of the pvc is stuck in the metal piping -- and i can't unscrew any of the metal piping!! I have channel locks and am able to get good grip, i am only 150 lbs, but i can literally stand on the channel locks and it won't budge at all.. so what can i do??

[Lawrence]

I would try a small wood chisel and chop it out piece by piece.

[dpb]

...

Or add a "cheater" to the channel locks. Really need to have a pipe wrench to back up the other end as well.

A little heat on the metal pipe end would undoubtedly do wonders as well if more leverage doesn't do it.

[Jeff Wisnia]

I can't tell from your description of the problem whether all you really want to do is get the busted male part of the PVC fitting out of a female metal pipe fitting or if you really need to take anything else apart.

If all you are trying to do is remove that PVC, then some heat from a torch applied to the female fitting will quickly soften it so you can easily pry it out with a screwdriver. If more is needed tell us why.

HTH,

Jeff

[trader4]

Neither can I. But if you're trying to work on steel pipe with channel locks, that's the problem. Buy a decent size pipe wrench and if necessary, add a piece of pipe on the handle for leverage.