I need to remove an old gas shut off valve that was installed with pipe thread sealant which is now as hard as a rock. Is there some kind of chemical solvent that I can use to soften this sealant so that I can remove the valve without having to hire Clark Kent? Thank you in advance for all replies.
If the old gas valve was installed by a pro. he may have used litharge and glycerin (lead monoxide and glycerin). It was common on gas fittings 50 years ago.. (when I was a steamfitter apprentice. Damn has it been that long. Who said old people can't remember this stuff.)
Your not going to be able to desolve it with liquid since the liquid can't get back into the threads.
I would suggest heat but I suspect your valve still has gas or gas residue on the other side.
This stuff is like concrete and will hold like hell until you put enough force on the fitting to break the bond..
Use bigger wrenches and be sure to use a very good 'back up wrench' on the valve so you don't break the wrong fitting loose or break a pipe up stream..
Good luck, you will need it.
Steve
This is Turtle.
Get you a 36" Pipe wrench and a 3 foot cheater and Clark's girl friend can loosen them for you.
TURTLE
That's TWO 36" pipe wrenches etc.
We broke open some old 3" gas line the other day that required two 36" wrenchs, and two 6 FOOT cheaters! Sometimes those 3 footers are not enough either! Greg
When I was a Pipefitter in the navy, I had a 24" pipe wrench that wouldn't fit into my 20" tool box, so I cut about 5" off the handle..
The Chief jumped all over me and ask "why the hell would you cut the handle off your pipe wrench??" (retorical question) Which I responded to with, " So I can get a longer cheater onto the handle." That was my personal pipe wrench as long as I was assigned to that shop.
This same chief, once saw a sailor 'choking up' on a hammer handle. He walked over to the sailer, took his hand, still holding the hammer, marked the handle with a felt tip marker, took the hammer to the band saw and cut off the extra handle length.. When he handed the hammer back to the sailor, he state; "If you ain't going to use all of the handle, then no sence carrying it around. That's your hammer as long as your working in this shop."
Steve
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