Shoutout to the old-timer who told me to use a torch on stuck galvanized pipe fittings

I spent two hours with a pipe wrench and penetrating oil trying to loosen a galvanized tee on a sprinkler line at a house in Fresno. Nothing budged, not even after soaking it overnight. An old plumber who was picking up supplies at the same hardware store saw me struggling and said, "Hit it with a torch for 30 seconds, not the fitting, just the female side." I was skeptical because I thought heat would wreck the threads, but I tried it on a different joint I had given up on. The pipe practically unscrewed by hand after that. Now I keep a small propane torch in my truck for any stuck metal plumbing. Has anyone else had good luck using heat on stubborn pipe joints?

2 comments

2 Comments

emmag402d ago

Did you make sure to expand the female side before heating, @the_dylan?

the_dylan2d ago

Is it just me or is that how a lot of things work in life? Heat the thing that's stuck, not the thing you're trying to free up. It's like the universe's way of reminding us to look at the whole picture instead of just the problem in front of you.