So I have an old piece of 3/4" pipe I'm trying to remove from a 90-degree 'elbow.' I've done just about everything I can to try and remove it--at first it was CLR and WD-40; then I went to penetrating oils like Liquid Wrench and PB "Fabulous Blaster", letting it soak, tapping/wiggling the pipe, and then heating up the elbow with a butane torch so it'll expand off the pipe--and it still won't budge. I've check the forums and internet how-tos, and this seems to be the most consistent way to do it, considering the circumstances.
The pipe I'm trying to remove is for the bath faucet, and since it's in a wall, there's not a lot of room for me to move. Maybe 90-degrees rotation with my locking vice grips (if it budges), but I don't have any room to do counter rotations.
Right now, I have MORE Liquid Wrench soaking on the pipe, plus some sprayed inside, in case that does any good. But I don't think I'm getting any INSIDE the threads, since the pipe I'm trying to remove is laying horizontal, and the penetrating oils just kind of drip right off.

So. . .what am I doing wrong? Any suggestions?

Is this the pipe for the tub's spout? If so, then we would try several different methods to remove it, but would have to be there to see what might work. You are unlikely to have any of the items we MIGHT use, depending on your actual situation, and what "damage" you have done to it already by your efforts. Locking pliers are usually NOT a good solution, and often, once they are used they limit any other options.

I don't think you can break it loose with vise grips. You'll need to get a pipe wrench on it to get the leverage to unscrew it.

a bigger wrench

alot of times youll crush the pipe and it still wont come out...then i move to the next piece of pipe until i find one which will come out...typically all 1/2" and most 3/4" will unthread...once you get to 1" on up its very difficult...

go to the next piece of pipe.

I've never removed a pipe with vise grips. Pipe wrench is the proper tool. Plumbers have different size and styles of pipe wrenches.

I began with a ten-inch pipe wrench, but the space is so small that I have almost no room to work with, in terms of getting leverage. This is a faucet pipe in a wall, and to its left and right are some more pipes and structural 2x4s. The vice grips at least give me a steady hold in these conditions. (What kind of 'damage' could using these do?) Also, I'm trying to be careful with how much torque I use at one time, because there's nothing else to counter the force with except for the hot and cold water pipes that run into the 90-degree ('mixing') elbow I was talking about earlier, because I don't want to risk damaging those and making the situation even worse.

Unless anyone has a better plan, this is what I'm doing:

The problem with the pipe I'm trying to remove is that it's rusted away on the end that the faucet attaches to. It's only about a millimeter of corroded space from the end, but that's enough of a leak for me. So I've taken some teflon tape and sealant goo and reattached the faucet, which has reduced the leak significantly, and am going to surround this junction with some hard-drying putty/compound (any suggestions). It might not be the best fix, but it's definitely alright for now, since both the pieces are already junk, and I need to take a shower/bath until I can figure out what I can do to finally remove the pipe.

ANY other suggestions are welcome.

OMG wait till HJ reads that last post.

I think "heat" will allow the pipe to be removed.

Seemingly you are in a congested area and this may be preventing you from getting a decent amount of heat on the fitting. If you have to, wet the surrounding area with a spray bottle and use a piece of sheet metal to prevent nearby combustionables from igniting.


Try to get a "3-point" bite with a pipe wrench. This will help prevent warping of the pipe. You have to "want" it bad enough and "know" that you can and will get it.

................. ............ Good Luck .....................


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That's one heck of a stuborn pipe joint. Lock on with the best wrench you can use, apply liquid wrench to the outside threads liberally, and TIGHTEN/LOOSEN. Repeat as necessary. If you can ever get the pipe to twist back or forth, even a tiny bit, keep applying liquid wrench and torque in and out over and over. Your pipe nipple may thank you.

the damage visegrips will do is damage the end to the point where a proper tool can no longer grab it.

I couldn't reply until I stopped rolling on the floor laughing. Maybe he should post a picture of it in the "Many ways to fix plumbing post". Or wait a few months and then start a new one about, "How do I get rid of mold from a leaking pipe joint?"



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If the "thread" starts to move ANY amount he will have won the battle and it will then unscrew. I have NEVER had a pipe that I could "tighten" first and then unscrew. IF it is going to move while tightening it, it will definitely move in the "unscrew" direction easier. If the pipe starts to "twist" then there is probably no easy way to remove it.



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it works sometimes.

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PLUMBERS "Protecting The Health Of The Nation"

I have always found that if it is too tight to loosen, it is definitely too tight to tighten.

tightening it will sometimes break the threads loose. many times i had not been able to loosen something but it would move ever so slightly in the tighten directions which allowed it to move in the other.

it doesnt work every time but sometimes it does

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PLUMBERS "Protecting The Health Of The Nation"

If it works for you, great. It doesn't for me, and it is illogical when it does.

Well HJ.you are both old.but seems having to rest your lazy butt on it rather than work it off pulling up might create an elderly solution.LOL.Depending on the assess/access.

For future reference a pipe wrench would be the best idea for this sort of job, as vice grips wont be able to cut it. I've even had some small luck using WD40 in this case, but I dont often suggest using that type of solvant.

So you want to turn a stuck threaded pipe.

The name of the game is leverage.
This is just a simple Physics problem.
You want to increase the amount of torque when you turn the pipe.
The torque, or moment arm is calculated by the amount of force multiplied by the length of the pipe wrench.

You are only human, so you can only generate so much force.
But what you can do is increase the length of the pipe wrench.
Somebody on another post said to use a bigger pipe wrench... that is the correct idea.

But an easier fix is just get another piece of circular iron pipe; the longer the better.
You can increase the length of the moment arm by 2,3,4 feet.
Simultaneously you have increased the force of your torque.
2 feet you've doubled it, 3 feet you've tripled it, 4 feet you've quadrupled it.
The longer the pipe, the greater the force.
So just put the handle of the pipe wrench into an extra circular iron pipe.
If pipe is 5 feet long and you're generating 50 pound force into the extended handle, the amount of torque is roughly 250 pounds.
And watch how that pipe gets unstuck.