Olive puller or hacksaw blade

[ARW]

Just been asked to help out swapping some radiator valves. Microbore with lots of paint on the pipework:-)

The last time I did this I lifted the floorboards and changed the pipework to 15mm under the floor so the stabs up to the rads were 15mm and we could use proper valves with no reducers. The copper was clean under the floorboards and at the rad valves and it was an easy job.

This time the microbore comes out of the wall with no play.

Never had a problem cutting an olive on 15mm pipework with a hacksaw blade but never tried it on 10mm.

Hints and tips welcome.

[Andrew]

Even the new formula nitromors will remove paint effectively so provided there is enough pipe between wall and valve, you may still be able to solder a 10/15 reducer in place.

Also there are compression reducers available -

[PeterC]

Just use the hacksaw at 45 deg. to miss the pipe, don't go right through, lever olive open with screwdriver. I devised this method when changing valves (of course the new ones didn't fit!) that had a fixed length sticking out of a concrete floor.

[ARW]

That was my plan of attack:-)

Fuck

[Tim+]

If space is tight, a dremel type device with a cutting disk can be handy. Again, avoid cutting all the way through.

Tim

[Brian]

That is the method I use.

I saw someone try to use mole grips.

They slipped. He ended up in A&E with a nasty cut in his head. It was one of those things you could some how see was going to happen but couldn?t stop. The company were most embarrassed but I was more concerned he was ok, the blood came out of the carpet.

[Steve Walker]

Almost all my radiators are supplied by 10mm copper and use valves with a 10mm compression fitting - no reducers required.

[newshound]

+1.

I have five now, going from finger sized to full sized, two of them cordless. Except that I just blew one set of rotor windings on the Proxxon :-(

[ARW]

I think my mate has already bought them.

[Steve Walker]

Returning them may be less work than redoing the tails of the pipework?