taking apart glued pvc sections?

[DMBillies]

I want to reconfigure some of the pvc plumbing on my hang-on closed loop and was wondering if there is an elegant way of getting glued pieces of pvc apart. I'm working with some pieces that I got with the tank and I'd like to avoid having to cut-off the pieces because it will shorten them and get me into trouble with spacing issues. Any ideas would be appreciated.

I've thought about whacking them with a rubber mallet, but I'm not sure if I'm more likely to crack the pieces than I am to get them apart.

 

[crumbletop]

You can cut a pipe in half and use slip:slip couplings. This way you won't lose any length, and can add some length if you need to. You could also put unions in-line instead of the coupling.

 

[TitansFan]

but the answer to getting them apart is no. The glue actually heats up the pvc and makes it melt together. i would go with jacks idea and use unions. Cut the pipe and when ready to reassemble, the unions should hopefully take up any extra space.

 

[DMBillies]

I had thought about the idea of putting in a coupling, but wanted to reduce the amount of potential leaking joints. Left with no option of gracefully getting the pieces apart, I attempted my blunt force method of breaking the joints loose. This resulted in a semi-controlled cracking of the pipes. So, in short, it didn't work but I'm still left with the alternative of putting in the couplings/unions. Thanks for the input.

 

[rcmike]

Even if you did get them apart you would have next to no chance of getting it glued back together without leaking. PVC is cheap, I would just re-do it if I didn't want it patched up with extra couplers.

 

[turboex901]

sorry i didnt get to you earlier but if you doused it in primer and turned the pipe clockwise while pulling on it 9 times out of 10 it will seperate. on a side note after the pipe has been solvent welded together i wouldnt trust it when it was re-glued. i sell plumbing parts for a living so if you need any odds and ends to finish it off let me know. if youve been using home depot or savko youve been getting raped on prices! see ya <~~steve

 

[boofer]

Ive peeled pipe from fittings (and vise-versa) before by cutting a piece of the nipple (all the way through) inside the fitting with a Hacksaw in 2 spots close to each other. Then taking a small flat head screwdriver and a hammer place it between the fitting and pipe and tap gently. This will remove the piece of the pipe that was cut to give room for the rest of the pipe to be hammered out gently in the same way. 75% of the time once its started you can take pliers and literally peel the pipe from the fitting (the longer its glued the harder it is). If your careful you will get a clean fitting and with the use of heavy bodied glue theres little to no worries about re-glueing if you dont gouge the PVC. Ive done this numerous times and most of the time pressure tested (30PSI) afterwards with a 100% success rate. It does have a mean learning curve though
Its basically an old Pool man trick used as a last resort. It is a PITA sometimes. I agree like most have said its not worth attempting in our set-ups with PVC being so cheap. Just FYI..

 

[DMBillies]

Between my last post and now I had pretty much decided on re-doing the entire output part of the set-up. I had been thinking of sticking a scwd on the closed loop and the current set-up won't let me do it. Because I am already going to have to mess with so much of it, I figure it will be easy enough just to start from the ground up.

Turbo, thanks for the offer on the plumbing parts. I may have to take you up on the offer once I figure out exactly what I need.

Thanks for all the input

 

[spineshank385]

save your money on the scwd...its WAY too restrictive to do much good

 

[fishdoc11]

taking apart glued pvc sections?

:lol:

Sorry I had too

 

[Pickupman66]

for the price. just re do it. you as fo rhte sqwd, i would not use one.

 

[DMBillies]

pvc:hammer: :thumbdown

And my mom always said there was no such thing as a stupid question :lol: