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Removing these push fit plumbing things

Lady_Trish

By Lady_Trish
in Boat Equipment

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MtB Veteran II

MtBDonate to Canal World

Posted
Posted

How do I remove these push fit pipe connections? I think that's what they are ? They won't budge.

 

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BxkJnMByKGOgblBVbDQ5Q3JxWkk

 

I want to replace the copper pipe going upwards and the isolation valves above them too, which also won't budge... At all!

 

 

Turn the water off. Relieve the pressure.

 

Unscrew the capnuts and out the pipes come.

 

Easy.

 

Relieving the pressure is the key.

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alan_fincher Veteran II

alan_fincher

Posted
Posted

You have to also push the outer rings / collets in and hold them in as you pull the pipe out ( once you have undone the nuts as mtb says..)

 

Surely it is only pushing the rings you need to do on that type, and they will separate without unscrewing anything?

 

Certainly I have been able to do so on what I think is the same type of fitting - one of the reasons I prefer Hep2O where you do actually have to unscrew something. I'm nervois of the types where you dont!

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MtB Veteran II

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Posted
Posted (edited)

 

Surely it is only pushing the rings you need to do on that type, and they will separate without unscrewing anything?

 

 

 

Nope. With that version of SpeedFit you need to unscrew the capnut by about one full revolution.

 

Tightening the capnut on that version of SpeedFit locks the pipe in place securely.

Edited by Mike the Boilerman
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alan_fincher Veteran II

alan_fincher

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Posted

Nope. With that version of SpeedFit you need to unscrew the capnut.

 

Tightening the capnut on that version of SpeedFit locks the pipe in place securely.

 

Fair enough - obviously what I encountered can't have been this type.......

 

.smiley_offtopic.gif Guess who has been trying to preserve the "toothed grab rings" off of older style Hep2O today so he has some to re-use.... You've guessed it - There proved to be non left in the spares box!

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Lady_Trish Engager

Lady_Trish

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Posted

 

 

Turn the water off. Relieve the pressure.

 

Unscrew the capnuts and out the pipes come.

 

Easy.

 

Relieving the pressure is the key.

Thanks for all the help guys! Problem is it won't unscrew more Than a millimetre, the pipe then turns with it! Water is turned off and should be no pressure as the line is open

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MtB Veteran II

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Posted
Posted

 

MtB?

 

Ok, with that particular version of SpeedFit there are two ways to withdraw the pipe from them.

 

These are Mark II fittings, introduced to deal with a problem with the original Mk I fittings.

 

With Mk I fittings, one pushes the pipe into the fitting and the lock ring grabs it. To release the pipe, the lock ring is pressed down into the fitting which releases the pipe, and the pipe can be freely pulled out while the lock ring is held down. On rare occasions after installation, pipes expand, get pulled around etc and one way or another the lock ring gets pressed in accidentally and held down, leading to the pipe popping out of the fitting whilst in service, and a major flood results. This was happening often enough for John Guest (the manufacturer) to be driven by claims for compensation to find a solution. The solution is the Mk II fitting in the photo.

 

The Mk II fitting is confusing to use. IT is designed to work in exactly the same way as the Mk I, but after insertion of the pipe, the big white capnut is supposed to be tightened down and this positively locks the lock ring in the 'out' position so it cannot be accidentally pressed in, the pipe fall out and a flood result. So, the MkII fitting comes from the factory with the big white cap nut not fully screwed down. The installer is supposed to do this after inserting the pipe. If it is fully screwed down first, the pipe cannot be inserted! IF in doubt, the installer is instructed to fully screw down the cap nut, then unscrew it about 3/4 of a turn until an ident position is felt. When in the ident position, the cap nut is in the correct position to receive the pipe. After insertion, the paipe must be locked in place by fully tightening the cap nut. All clear?!

 

So, to withdraw the pipe from a Mk II fitting, one needs to loosen the capnut by 3/4 of a turn, as the installer will have tightened it when he fitted the pipe, then press in the lock ring, right? Well normally yes, but not in the case of the OP's photo. If you look carefully you'll see some of the cap nuts have been fully tightened, some partly and some not at all.

 

Now the other way of removing a pipe from a Mk II fitting if you can't press down the lock ring (and they can be awkward buggers to press in uniformly), is to just fully unscrew the big white cap nut and remove it completely. This way pipe has no choice but to fall out of the fitting, with the cap nut, lock ring and sealing O ring all remaining on the end of the pipe.

 

LT's comment about the cap nuts only unscrewing a millimetre tells me she isn't turning them with enough force. The resistance to turning she describes is the 'ident' position at which the pipe can be correctly inserted, and at which the lock ring can be pressed in. But in a tight location like in the photo, the easiest way to remove the pipes is to fully dismantle the fitting by fully removing the cap nuts.

 

Just turn them harder, Lady Trish!

(It doesn't matter if the pipe turns too, it will all fall apart in your hands if you keep on turning.)

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BargeeSpud Rising Star

BargeeSpud

Posted
Posted (edited)

 

Fair enough - obviously what I encountered can't have been this type.......

 

.smiley_offtopic.gif Guess who has been trying to preserve the "toothed grab rings" off of older style Hep2O today so he has some to re-use.... You've guessed it - There proved to be non left in the spares box!

 

Thats what I've done & I expect you've removed them the same way I do, namely cutting the old pipe as close to the flat faced surface of the rings as you can & then pushing them off the pipe as if the pipe was being inserted into it, except its the ring thats moving, not the pipe. That way there's no damage to the ring & its easy.

Edited by BargeeSpud
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Loafer Veteran

Loafer

Posted
Posted

 

Ok, with that particular version of SpeedFit there are two ways to withdraw the pipe from them.

 

These are Mark II fittings,...

 

Well done Mike. I knew you'd come up with the 'gen'.

 

I've had an incorrectly fitted Hep2O pipe come undone, just south of the water tank, and flooded our entire bilge. Can't remember who fitted it (!!!) but it was a right bummer to get the water out!

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