Removing olives

[k.dunbar]

I have 40 year old radiators which I am in the process of replacing. Unfortunately, most of the valves are non-standard - in that where they connect with the feed and return pipes they have the opposite fittings to what are used nowadays. In other words, the valves are female and the nuts that tighten up against the olive are male and screw into them. So a standard olive puller can't work. And all the olives I have come across so far seem to be impossible to pull off, even though they can be turned. I would happily cut them all off by sawing through the pipe below them, but many of the feed and return pipes are concreted in (yes I already know all about the problems that can be associated with that) and are very short, so I would rather avoid making them even shorter.

Can anyone come up with a bright idea as to how to get these olives off, apart from the rather tedious expedient of sawing through them all (there must be about 20 to remove). I have tried that before and have ended up grooving the ends of the pipes, which doesn't seem a terribly good idea!

TIA

Keith

[edalerichard]

You can get an "olive-puller" I do as you do.Cut with hacksaw at about 45 degree acroos the olive ,but only most of the way then prise apart with thin bladed electrical screwdriver

[Toby]

It might be easier with a dremel type tool, if you have or can borrow one!

[A.Lee]

I'd need to see it to have a better idea, but cutting the pipe just below the olive, then fitting a copper push-fit fitting woudl give a reasonable result.

The best option is to cut them off and solder a new bit of pipe in, you'd only need 3/4"/20mm or so of pipe showing from the floor to get a solder fitting on. Alan.

[TMC]

Dremel with reinforced cutting disc most of way through then thin screwdriver

Tony

[Dave Liquorice]

I cut 'em at 45 deg as has already been suggested but only enough to get the blade of a 1/4" or 3/8" flat screw driver in, twist and they'll open enough to slide off. Just be more careful with the hacksaw, I assume you are using a junior hacksaw not a gert big one taking 12" blades...

You can also get a olive cutter tool not a puller.

in 22mm version as well. I've not used one as I find the hacksaw/screw driver method works for me.

[Ed Sirett]

There is an excellent tool (c. £25) which neatly cuts the olive off the pipe.

pullers are hard work and can draw the pipe down to a smaller size. The saws and dremels work but need great care and take time.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Do you actually own one? They are a waste of time for that sort of thing - far quicker and less chance of damage using a hacksaw. They're fine for hobby stuff but not real work.

[John Stumbles]

Or from Toolstation:

I find they *sometimes* cut the olive off: sometimes they cut part-way through, distorting it into an oval shape :-(

However they are pretty good at gripping the olive allowing you to twist and pull it off, if it's not on too tight in the first place!

[Arfa Daily]

How about heating it with a mini blowtorch ? Might expand it enough to get it over the groove it's cut for itself in the pipe.

Arfa

[k.dunbar]

Many thanks for so many helpful comments. Am a bit confused though!

Tried blowtorch - didn't help.

Can't use puller - as already explained pullers are designed for modern fittings, not these antique fittings where the body of the valve has a female thread and the nut a male thread.

I'm a bit anxious about pushfit - leakage/expense.

I though a Dremel might be best - don't mind taking the time - it's only got to be done once and it might well come in handy for other little jobs. Don't understand comment about more chance of damage - surely using a Dremel is far more controllable than a hacksaw? (I see Amazon do a v. good deal with a Dremel 300 and 100 tool tin.)

I can't really understand how the olive cutters work - but would be pretty much redundant after job done.

Keith

[Bob Mannix]

I agree. It is very unlikely you could make a new good seal having sawn an olive off. You'll be messing about for ages and will wish you had cut back. Concreted in pipes are a bit of a downer though :o(

[meow2222]

=BF=BDAnd all the

Die grinder works, hacksaw works. You dont need to be too precious about scraping the pipe - an olive on its own will never seal onto a scraped pipe, but apply a little putty first and they do. Yes I know thats not how olives are designed to work, but they do it perfectly well.

NT

[Pete C]

Do you /have/ to remove the olives?

I'd consider reusing with a leak sealer like Fernox LS-X

cheers, Pete.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Not at all. It will tend to wander like any hand held grinder. A hacksaw - once it's started the cut - is far easier to control.

Sounds like you rather lack DIY skills. I'd cut off the pipe below the oilive using a proper pipe cutter and solder on new pipe to the length needed.

[Roger Mills]

Yes, he does! His OP (above) clearly says that most of the pipes have the wrong gender of 'nut' behind the olive to fit his new valves - so it all has to come off.

[Rod]

Which prompts question/suggestion. Are there gender benders for this type of thing?

Obviously, trheir use might force relocation of radiators...

[Roger Mills]

I have to disagree - based on very recent experience! I have just replaced both valves on each of 10 radiators, putting a TRV one end and a drain-off lockshield on the other end. In the majority of cases I had to remove the olives - either because the compression nut on the old valve had a finer thread than that on the new one, or because the olive was too far from the end of the pipe to fit the new valve - particularly the Drayton TR4s - and it was easier to remove the olive than to cut some off the pipe. I used the technique of nearly cutting through the olive at 45 degrees with a junior hacksaw, and then twisting a small screwdriver in the slot to break the last bit, and not one failed to seal when I fitted the new valve and olive.

[Pete C]

Right, now I know what you're on about, are these any good?:

part #6564

cheers, Pete

[Pete C]

and: