Is there a Plumber in the house?

[Fencer]

A few months ago I was having a bad Kharma day, trying to fix a truck, tools breaking, parts not working, a shelf falling off the wall throwing paint cans on my other truck, etc.

Well, it turns out that shelf also broke a pipe solder joint on my hot water heater. I had been wandering where a little water in the garage had been coming from and now I know.

It put a pinhole leak at the joint connector that screws onto the plastic nipples that come out of the hotwater tank on the HOT side. I have cut out a section off copper and prepped a new piece to replace the old, but I can't get the old one to unscrew. It should be on there with pipe paste, correct? The whole tank is trying to twist as I wrench it. I don't want to muscle it to much and break the nipple off the tank. The tank is only a year or so old so I don't really want to buy a new one. Is there a trick to getting this off? If I break the nipple can it be fixed or do I have to trash the tank?

 

[Wingman]

A few months ago I was having a bad Kharma day, trying to fix a truck, tools breaking, parts not working, a shelf falling off the wall throwing paint cans on my other truck, etc.
Well, it turns out that shelf also broke a pipe solder joint on my hot water heater. I had been wandering where a little water in the garage had been coming from and now I know.

It put a pinhole leak at the joint connector that screws onto the plastic nipples that come out of the hotwater tank on the HOT side. I have cut out a section off copper and prepped a new piece to replace the old, but I can't get the old one to unscrew. It should be on there with pipe paste, correct? The whole tank is trying to twist as I wrench it. I don't want to muscle it to much and break the nipple off the tank. The tank is only a year or so old so I don't really want to buy a new one. Is there a trick to getting this off? If I break the nipple can it be fixed or do I have to trash the tank?

I've had good luck holding moderate pressure in the correct direction with a pipe wrench and tapping the wrench (end of handle) itself with a hammer. Works kind of like an impact wrench on a stuck lug nut. Lightweight hammer and sharp blows work best, and try not to "follow through" too much. I've only broke one and that tank was about 15 years old.

 

[Bull]

is there room to cut the little guy off close to the tank with one of those little turn-a-round clamp-on pipe cutters then solder on the neatly cut end?

good luck Fencer

 

[n7myr]

A few months ago I was having a bad Kharma day, trying to fix a truck, tools breaking, parts not working, a shelf falling off the wall throwing paint cans on my other truck, etc.
Well, it turns out that shelf also broke a pipe solder joint on my hot water heater. I had been wandering where a little water in the garage had been coming from and now I know.

It put a pinhole leak at the joint connector that screws onto the plastic nipples that come out of the hotwater tank on the HOT side. I have cut out a section off copper and prepped a new piece to replace the old, but I can't get the old one to unscrew. It should be on there with pipe paste, correct? The whole tank is trying to twist as I wrench it. I don't want to muscle it to much and break the nipple off the tank. The tank is only a year or so old so I don't really want to buy a new one. Is there a trick to getting this off? If I break the nipple can it be fixed or do I have to trash the tank?

On the hot side the nipple coming out of the tank should just be a nipple, about 3" long. the inlet side (cold) will be a cwd cold water dip tube. this is a long piece that goes down inside the tank about 3 foot. this is so when the water is going out the hot side the new water coming in will discharge down toward the bottom of the tank by the control thermostat so as to turn on the burner and heat the water. the hot side should just be a nipple that could be replaced as need be. there should not be a problem with getting tough with the hot side and get that nipple out of there and replace with what ever size nipple you choose. It should have been sealed with pipe dope and so it should release with some force but after heating and cooling it could be sorta like welded there. enough force should make it come out. if there is room use 2 wrenches one as a backkup and the other to remove the fitting. wish it were warmer and I could get the bike out past the snow drift and I could come give you a hand

good luck and remember that there may be cause to use strange words

 

[Fencer]

is there room to cut the little guy off close to the tank with one of those little turn-a-round clamp-on pipe cutters then solder on the neatly cut end?
good luck Fencer

Nope, It has to come off.

 

[James Burleigh]

Is there a trick to getting this off?

Yep. Call 1-800-PLU-MBER.

 

[FJRay]

Pipe threads are tapered and designed to seal on the taper. A lot of times if you try to tighten it first it will break the seal and then it will back out. Vulgarity and threats about ancestry help also.

 

[Geezer]

Try a little heat from your propane torch. If necessary give it a couple of heat and cold cycles with the torch followed by a cold wet rag.