Loosen Stuck Pipe Threads - With Heat!

[@jtms1200]

Had a 2inch cast iron nipple completely seized up into an elbow and wouldn’t turn even when I put some very large pipe wrenches on it. Applied about 60 seconds of torch and she popped right off - thanks for the tip!

[@josephinetingcang3831]

Thank you very much for this tip. My brother in law has been working on my copper pipe for few days now and was unsuccessful unscrewing the copper coughing, until I came across with your video. It was a big help👍Thanks again🙏

[@gringopeete]

This video saved me! I was stuck, having tried everything. Grabbed the propane torch, and all of the fittings loosened as advertised. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

[@DragonBuilds]

Glad it worked for you!

[@sillydog70]

@@DragonBuilds works for me too thank you stuck pipes. What a pain in the ass something that should’ve been quick and easy to fix ended up taking an entire day and then I found a video that showed me how to do it quick and easy. 😄👍

[@KingPhoey]

This video saved me. Thank you. Now we have a working kitchen faucet with new 1/4 turn valves. A torch was magic.

[@jmanny4118]

Best video ever straight to the point no BS blablabla…. Nice 👍

[@tadmartin3049]

One note about galvanized pipe. If you heat it to the point where the zinc coating begins to vaporize (392 F), you can get "foundry flu" or worse (death if you breath enough of it in). I learned this the bad way brazing galvanized metal. Basically, you get what feels exactly like the flu. If I ever have to heat galvanized metal that hot, I do it outside with a fan blowing the fumes away from me.

[@DragonBuilds]

Generally, metal pipe or bolt threads should come loose long before the zinc vaporizes. In my experience, the metal must be nearly cherry red before I can see the zinc vaporizing.

[@justchill10]

you can't see the zinc vaporize. cherry red is pretty dang hot... way hotter than the 392F temp the guy described

[@filzipfilzip]

This is a great video. I had the same problem - a gas pipe fitting that I needed to remove and couldn't budge even with two large pipe wrenches. I heated it with my propane torch, just as he demonstrates. With the heat - and only a minute of two of heat - the pipe fitting came loose easily. Thanks so much for posting this.

[@DragonBuilds]

Glad my video was helpful! Happy plumbing :)

[@JohnDoe-np3zk]

@@DragonBuilds my bic lighter failed. Now I try a real torch tomorrow. Your tap part makes some sense too

[@farrahmohammed614]

Thank you so much! At first it wasn’t working, but it did after some more heating! I had to heat it on my gas stove but it worked great! Thank you so much I was struggling for more than an hour before I come upon your video.

[@murrayhelmer8941]

Thanks. Just did this on a 40 year old joint! Worked great!! 👍👍

[@nheng6913]

Thanks. Just about to do this on 45 year old 1-1/4 pipe fittings.

[@jayz2911]

Thank you so much! I’ve been trying to loosen the water pipe in the kitchen for weeks. And your video really helped!

[@KioMilenium]

Just the thing I was looking for, lifesaver!

[@Victor-779]

Thanks, I used the heat and the light hammering and it finally unscrewed. IMO, number 1 cardinal rule for DIYer is shut off the main whatever(water, electricity, NatGas, etc.) before you start doing your work!

[@6StringPassion.]

I took a three-pronged approach: WD40 (meh), a heat gun(big progress), then the hammer (badabing!). Thanks for the help!

[@DragonBuilds]

Glad it worked for you! I usually use my torch but I guess a heat gun does have enough power for that.

[@mistyprice3400]

How do you use the heat gun? Just place it against the pipe? I'm being very serious. Don't want to make a mistake on gas water heater

[@6StringPassion.]

@@mistyprice3400 LMAO -💥🤕 YOU DON'T!!! I was loosening a water inlet pipe on a commode.

[@WVRetreat]

Worked for me on multiple pipes. thanks!

[@TheSilverGate]

Cool, now I only need a workshop with a work table, an industrial clamp and a torch

[@DragonBuilds]

All you need is a torch. You can use anything to hold the pipe, a vise isn't required.

[@RichC626]

Didn't have a torch, but my heat gun worked perfectly.

[@DragonBuilds]

Glad it worked for you! Usually, a torch works better but sometimes a higher-power heat gun can get the job done.

[@aloolly]

Great video . Worked on every joint I heated up thanks

[@ariesp815]

Actually did this today to our 20 year old GI Pipe with heat gun. It works! Thanks

[@qualitativequantitative6287]

Super helpful - thank you!

[@dav24x]

Wherever video I watch shows me the same way but nothing works so I get the grinder and cut it off

[@claudea79]

Good, and to the point! Thank you!

[@danielgardner9414]

Thank you!

[@HieuHoang-py8oe]

Instructions unclear: House blew up while trying to remove gas pipe fitting with blowtorch.

[@DragonBuilds]

If you're working on a gas like it's critical that the gas is off!

[@ryansmurda1552]

😂

[@FreeAmerican-mm2my]

If you ever watched the 3 Stooges DIY video channel, you would know that the best thing to do is to blast.

[@jasonanderson6425]

🤣😂🤣👍🏿

[@magnanimus9692]

It happens to the best of us.

[@112Famine]

I have stuck brass fittings, and mine are a lot smaller, but also has plastic parts, so I'm going to try cold, to put the whole thing in the freezer until it is completely ice cold & then only warm the outside, it should pull apart.

[@DragonBuilds]

You could try putting the parts in warm water after freezing as well

[@vidacapital1147]

Did not help at all but I figured out how to do it. First I tried brute force, then tightening and loosening, then hitting with a hammer, then my MAP torch. What finally did work is I heated the fitting with the MAP torch. Not the pipe. Then after heating a few minutes, I poured ice water on the pipe. Not the Fitting. Then with me standing on the pipe wrench it started to come loose.

[@DragonBuilds]

Heating the fitting on its own is usually enough, but cooling the pipe with water would definitely help break loose an especially tough joint.

[@chicagosveryown8159]

I heated the male end of the pipe and got it loose, at first I was only heating the female fitting. Thanks 🙏 you saved me.

[@joeelwell162]

not a plumber ,nice new 14'" wrench

[@rahulgoswami8724]

Thank you so much ❤❤

[@violentneighborhood]

Thank you!!! Stuck tread tape!!!

[@JP-kg6wn]

Thank you much. 👍

[@gaetanproductions]

great tips thanks :))

[@nickstinson6077]

After you assemble a joint, heat it, then tighten a tiiiiiny bit more for a good tight fit. :)

[@DragonBuilds]

That's probably a bad idea, you'll burn the thread sealant.

[@eegg6954]

@@DragonBuilds ...and crack the fitting.

[@GaryYoung-eq1ph]

Tape is hard 2 wrap around pipe falls off cause sometimes your in a very tight working area.

[@DragonBuilds]

A trick is to wrap the tape around a pencil and then wrap it around the pipe

[@peterfong8777]

Thanks 🙏

[@centscents]

If a thread has Teflon tape in there, is it OK? I have a very old rusty galvanized tee fitting. It has Teflon tape in thread. Very hard to loosen it. May try propane torch method. Thanks.

[@DragonBuilds]

If there is Teflon tape this will work just fine. Make sure to use a high-quality sealant when you make your new joints to help seal up the rusty threads.

[@centscents]

@@DragonBuilds Thanks. It is a nearly 40 years old galvanized tee fitting. I am somewhat scared to remove this fitting. Your video helps a lot. Will see how it goes.

[@centscents]

@@DragonBuilds Thanks for the suggestion. With the help of 18-inch and 24-inch pipe wrench, I was finally able to remove the very old and rusty tee fitting. It took me almost 3 hours to do it.

[@DragonBuilds]

@@centscents Glad to hear it worked out!

[@davidtydor2883]

I'm going to conundrum I got a quick connect seized to a PVC pipe and we don't want to break the PVC

[@DragonBuilds]

You could try a plastic-safe penetrating oil. If that doesn't work then you'll have to cut the PVC.

[@heyyeshyou]

Are their any other ways without heat I ai t got no torch

[@DragonBuilds]

You can try using penetrating fluid if you don't want to use a torch.

[@jasonweishaupt1828]

I used a heat gun, squirt bottle, and a hammer.

[@DragonBuilds]

A heat gun works too but it obviously won't get as hot as a torch.

[@duskee4573]

We tried that. Ended up using an oil filter ratchet.

[@robertbaker50]

What to do if the pipe is in the wall surrounded by flammable wood lol

[@DragonBuilds]

You can use a heat shield to protect the surrounding surfaces. Most plumbing supply and hardware stores should carry them.

[@dianadavis6313]

Will a heat gun work too?

[@DragonBuilds]

It might, but it will take longer. You can use an infrared thermometer to see how hot your pipe is.

[@zztop8592]

The heating method doesn't work too well in water lines, unless you can get the water out first.

[@DragonBuilds]

True, but removing water is pretty easy. I used it to remove a stuck galvanized irrigation pipe. The system was only 20 years old, they used PVC underground with galvanized above for strength. The galvanized was rusted together and the torch worked perfectly.

[@GaryYoung-eq1ph]

What if it's a trap pipe ok ?

[@DragonBuilds]

It should work fine on a drain trap.

[@mrbig4532]

Here’s a cooler trick for getting a nipple out of a thread. Heat the threaded area that the nipple is threaded into until it gets red , a little bit of heat isn’t going to work like in this video , I know this is for demonstrating the technique but in real world applications you have to get the threaded area or the whole fitting cherry red , have a 20 oz bottle of room temp water within reach then after the area is cherry red shut you torch off and pour some of that room temperature water on the nipple only as close to the threads as possible without getting the female threads that you are trying to get the nipple out of wet so it doesn’t cool off to fast , after you poured 1/4 of that bottle of water onto the area I just mentioned take your pipe wrench on the nipple as close to the fitting as possible and it will come out with a little bit of force . If it doesn’t try it again but sometimes the nipple will rather twist in half then unthread so u really got to get it hot .

[@DragonBuilds]

That sounds like a good trick for seriously stuck fittings! However, I would be worried about heating iron fittings red hot as it may turn them brittle. It shouldn't be a problem for forged steel fittings, however.

[@mrbig4532]

@@DragonBuilds no it’s not a problem just look at the temperature difference there is in dual temperature piping system , and what that pipe ends up looking like after a few months even if it’s insulated properly. You can get that fitting nice and red with no worries of it breaking unless you plan on getting it nice and hot then dumping it into a bucket of ice water. I could see that being a problem but I have been getting broken threads out of fittings for almost 30 years and I use heat a lot and have had to issues . Besides what are you going to do especially if you need that existing female thread and there’s a broken 1 1/2 nipple that needs to come out ? You can try and use a sawzall and cut it out if you have the room , or if it’s safe you can burn it out with a small cutting torch which I prefer to do and it’s really easy with almost no chance of damaging the female threads. [

[@GaryYoung-eq1ph]

Using a saw can damage threads !?

[@evelynmahoney3569]

Thank you! I'm gonna try your method.

[@JayWillis2120]

Still don't know if I feel safe using this trick on gas lines! Lol

[@DragonBuilds]

It's safe if you shut off the gas and use a gas detector to make sure it's all gone.

[@JayWillis2120]

Lol I'm actually an HVAC guy and when we replace a gas furnace, we will actually use a bic lighter as a leak detector! 😆

[@DragonBuilds]

@@JayWillis2120 Sounds dangerous... Why not use the spray on leak detector?

[@briancarroll6803]

@@JayWillis2120 I remember the first time I ever saw someone do that, many many years ago... Under a house running a line for a space heater. I almost lost my sht haha

[@tonyhungerford8365]

On a gas line really?

[@pegaleiway79]

The problem with this is, no matter how I search the fact that the gas line behind my stove is stuck to the wall and cannot be wrenched loose and how to help, this video pops up advising to use a blowtorch. I hope no one has been daft enough to try to loosen it while still at the wall near the gas line!

[@DragonBuilds]

In that case I would just use two large wrenches to get the connection apart.

[@evelynmahoney3569]

@pegaleiway79 Some gas line fittings are threaded backwards. If you haven't already, try "tightening" it (turning it to the right) and it may just loosen instead. Mine did. I don't know if it's true of ALL gas fittings, but is definitely true of the ones to my kitchen stove. House built in 1951, stove bought in 1990. I was struggling to disconnect the flex line that had gotten kinked & was leaking. A friend happened to stop by & enlighten me. Fittings then came apart easily. Who knew!?

[@DragonBuilds]

@@evelynmahoney3569 The only common residential gas fittings that are left hand threaded are left/right couplings and nipples which are used to connect two pipes when you can't rotate one without loosening the other.

[@evelynmahoney3569]

@@DragonBuilds Not sure if you're trying to add to my education or perhaps indicating I'm wrong. It was a flex gas line from the wall to the back of the stove. 2 properly fitting wrenches & all the strength I could muster, but wouldn't budge. My friend said to turn the wrenches the other way; that gas connections are threaded the opposite of normal so that they can't accidentally be connected to water lines or electrical conduit. Made sense to me, mainly because turning the wrenches the opposite direction from "normal" actually worked to disconnect them. Just sharing my experience, which may be helpful to the person having the same or similar struggle. ☺

[@DragonBuilds]

@@evelynmahoney3569 I have never seen a flex gas line with left handed threads. It could be a regional thing or a very old fitting.

[@Kt-mq6ls]

How long do you heat it? The last video I watched said to let it get red hot

[@DragonBuilds]

There's no need to get any parts red hot. In most cases, a few minutes is enough

[@jimfish5981]

Also, don't forget about a trusty cheater.

[@kaybhee6]

one day... ice,,,, or,,, ultrasound bursts

[@smc3453]

DO NOT ADD HEAT TILL ITS "HUNDREDS OF DEGREES" IF ITS A VALVE. FOR GODS SAKES MAN, YOU WILL MELT THE RUBBER SEALS IN THE VALVE.

[@smc3453]

all of you guys going "wow I never thought of that" just give me all your tools right now

[@DragonBuilds]

Heating a valve will indeed damage the seals inside. However, if the valve is old and needs replacement anyways, then it's not a problem.

[@smc3453]

@@DragonBuilds this is a brand new pipe, a rusty flaking galvanized steel pipe could pop and crack and send a flying shard of rusty steel in your eyes, I'm speaking from experience because it just happened to me, be careful. if this pipe was connected to your water meter you could damage the water meter. there is variables to account for putting out advice like this

[@DragonBuilds]

@@smc3453 Working on old galvanized pipe is always risky which is why most pros recommend replacing all of it.

[@GaryYoung-eq1ph]

Safety no. 1!!!!

[@nickstinson6077]

Thank you!