# Removing pvc pipe from fitting



## mski (Apr 4, 2013)

I have to relocate a toilet in a bathroom remodel and I need to cut off the existing elbow and closet flange from the main 4" stack and remove the pipe from the fitting then extend about 5' away from the stack.
From the stack they elbowed 90* right up to the toilet location. Cutting the stack fitting out and replacing is not an option.

So that being said do I 
A) bight the bullet for a 4' Ram bit for one time use 
B) hacksaw and carefully chisel the cut pvc piece from the pipe bell 
C) get a heat gun and try to heat the piece inside the bell until I can remove it with a flathead screwdriver and needle nose


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## mikeswoods (Oct 11, 2008)

Bite the bullet and get a Ram bit---your other options have a risk greater than the cost of the bit------


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## jaydee (Mar 20, 2014)

My vote is for "a"

do it right, or, do it again...


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## owattabuilder (Sep 2, 2013)

I saw my plumber chisel out a fitting, slow and easy a d it went well. He has had a lot od experience however. He had forgotten his bit in hismother truck.


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## jaydee (Mar 20, 2014)

owattabuilder said:


> He had forgotten his bit in* hismother* truck.


Wow, his mother is a plumber TOO. :laughing::blink:


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## mski (Apr 4, 2013)

Thanks guys. I'm leaning to the Ram bit also. 
Hopefully I can find it locally if not it's hack and chisel (and praying).


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## tenon0774 (Feb 7, 2013)

owattabuilder said:


> I saw my plumber chisel out a fitting, slow and easy a d it went well. He has had a lot od experience however. He had forgotten his bit in hismother truck.


I've seen and done this as well.

It can be done, slow and steady with a generous helping of patience.

You'll still have to prep the hub again once the pipe is out.

( dremel's are great tools for this )

If it were abs, then my vote would be A, as well.


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## Dan_Watson (Mar 1, 2008)

It's about $45 for the ram bit? 

How is that not worth it....


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## mski (Apr 4, 2013)

Dan_Watson said:


> It's about $45 for the ram bit?
> 
> How is that not worth it....


For a 4"?


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## gbruzze1 (Dec 17, 2008)

I just checked the price on a 4" ram bit...50 bucks. That doesn't seem like much money to me at all for this tool. Am I missing something?


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## gbruzze1 (Dec 17, 2008)

mski said:


> For a 4"?


http://www.plumbingsupply.com/rambit-plastic-fitting-saver-tool.html


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## mski (Apr 4, 2013)

gbruzze1 said:


> I just checked the price on a 4" ram bit...50 bucks. That doesn't seem like much money to me at all for this tool. Am I missing something?


I never checked on the price yet as I opened up the small area of the first floor ceiling under the second floor bathroom yesterday where the toilet is to find out the situation.
I'll need to find it locally rather than online.

Actually here is the situation. 
7 years ago there was a whole house remodel. In this bathroom the contractor ordered the wrong size tub. The toilet was suppose to go behind the tub. There wasnt enough room from the tub to the wall to put the toilet (its now a closet) so the contractor put the toilet at the door area then installed the vanity. So when the clients kids sit on the toilet with door open (like kids do), when someone comes to the front door and looks up the stairs into the bathroom at the top of the stairs, there is a kid doing their business.
I'm flipping the vanity and the toilet which should have been done from the beginning.


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## tenon0774 (Feb 7, 2013)

Dan_Watson said:


> It's about $45 for the ram bit?
> 
> How is that not worth it....


For me, as a carpenter, i don't hesitate to buy a $60 router bit. I charge the customer a portion of the cost and I keep the bit, however; I WILL use it again.

Not sure what the OP's trade is, but it doesn't sound like plumbing.

$50 for a bit that I may NEVER use again, as a carpenter, vs. 35mins with the dremel and a sharp chisel, (both of which are ON the van )...

I'm leaning towards the tools I have. 

Or I call my buddy, the plumber.


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## mski (Apr 4, 2013)

tenon0774 said:


> For me, as a carpenter, i don't hesitate to buy a $60 router bit. I charge the customer a portion of the cost and I keep the bit, however; I WILL use it again.
> 
> Not sure what the OP's trade is, but it doesn't sound like plumbing.
> 
> ...


Same as you. Remodeling contractor.
I do a lot of my own work unless it's not worth my time or money. I bring in the specialist when I need to.


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## KillerToiletSpider (May 27, 2007)

I'd do it the easy way and replace the whole san tee.


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## MarkJames (Nov 25, 2012)

mski said:


> I have to relocate a toilet in a bathroom remodel and I need to cut off the existing elbow and closet flange from the main 4" stack and remove the pipe from the fitting then extend about 5' away from the stack.
> From the stack they elbowed 90* right up to the toilet location. Cutting the stack fitting out and replacing is not an option.
> 
> So that being said do I
> ...


Got a pic? This sounds like an overly-complicated solution. Isn't there any place to cut it and add a hub...something like that?


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## gbruzze1 (Dec 17, 2008)

mski said:


> I never checked on the price yet as I opened up the small area of the first floor ceiling under the second floor bathroom yesterday where the toilet is to find out the situation. I'll need to find it locally rather than online.


All the more reason for the Amazon drone deliveries.


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## mski (Apr 4, 2013)

I'll try and remember to get a pic tomorrow.
The toilet 90's from the stack directly up to the closet flange and on top of that the sinks and tub tie into another fitting on the stack. 
I'd have to rip open flooring and walls to cut everything out.
Ram bitting it or chiseling will be much easier than replacing the whole san-tee.


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## tenon0774 (Feb 7, 2013)

Agreed.

Tell us how it works out.


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## KillerToiletSpider (May 27, 2007)

This thread kind of proves that hub and spigot cast iron is a superior product, burn lead out of joint, remove fitting from san tee, and still have a perfectly good hub to go back to. Drilling out a PVC fitting that was poorly made in the first place greatly increases your chance of creating a larger problem.


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## tenon0774 (Feb 7, 2013)

KillerToiletSpider said:


> This thread kind of proves that hub and spigot cast iron is a superior product, burn lead out of joint, remove fitting from san tee, and still have a perfectly good hub to go back to. Drilling out a PVC fitting that was poorly made in the first place greatly increases your chance of creating a larger problem.



That and cast is the quiet pipe.

"Sheer core density."


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## jaydee (Mar 20, 2014)

here's another to get the fitting off the pipe
w/o damaging pipe.


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## mski (Apr 4, 2013)

Here are some pics.
I need to remove the elbow from the stack tee. Then extend it down the joist bay about 5' to the new location where the toilet will be.


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## pappagor (Jan 29, 2008)

buy the pipe hog tool $250 you will be done in 5 minutes:clap:


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## mikeswoods (Oct 11, 2008)

You are going to need an angle drill----


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## mski (Apr 4, 2013)

mikeswoods said:


> You are going to need an angle drill----


Thats what I was thinking. I have a right angle drill attachment if I cant get straight at it.

In the first pic I'm removing the wood blocking/nailer thats there. It was placed there when the house was built b/c thats were the rock lathe joint fell. Hopefully I can get straight at the hub after I remove it.

This is Mondays thing. All other stuff is done I just need to do this. Being sick and working Thursday and Friday it was easier to concentrate on other things in the bath than mucking this up due to lack of concentration.
It's not rocket science but if I mess this up it's a can of worms I need to open.:laughing:


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## TAHomeRepairs (Jun 18, 2012)

Just me, but I would saw, chisel, and pry. Once you get it started, it comes out pretty quickly. 

It will be a little trickier because this is a street elbow, most if the times I've used this method it was cutting the hub. It will work both ways though. 

Good luck with it


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## madmax718 (Dec 7, 2012)

Chistle but hope its not too boogered up?


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## mski (Apr 4, 2013)

Well I got it done. I cut and chiseled. I actually practiced on the closet flange I broke off and thought, damn this is going pretty well.:laughing:

I cut the elbow flush to the hub with the sawsall then used my multitool to carefully cut the inner pvc in sections then chiseled and pryed the pieces out.
After that I used a dremel to "smooth" the inside of the hub of any boogers.
Primed and glued a 4"-3" bushing in. Going to the new toilet location with 3".
Thanks everyone for their input. Much appreciated.


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## KillerToiletSpider (May 27, 2007)

Let us know if it passes a stack test.


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## mski (Apr 4, 2013)

KillerToiletSpider said:


> Let us know if it passes a stack test.


Why would there be a problem?


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## KillerToiletSpider (May 27, 2007)

mski said:


> Why would there be a problem?


Because you have altered the hub of a PVC fitting that may or may not be right on spec to begin with. Lasco, Nibco, Mueller, and a few other fitting manufacturers are notorious for making fittings that are on the very edge of being out of spec. That and the hub has already gone through the solvent welding process once, and may have hardened beyond the ability to do it again, again depending on the fitting manufacturer and what type of waste oil by products they are using to produce the actual fitting.


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## madmax718 (Dec 7, 2012)

KillerToiletSpider said:


> Because you have altered the hub of a PVC fitting that may or may not be right on spec to begin with. Lasco, Nibco, Mueller, and a few other fitting manufacturers are notorious for making fittings that are on the very edge of being out of spec. That and the hub has already gone through the solvent welding process once, and may have hardened beyond the ability to do it again, again depending on the fitting manufacturer and what type of waste oil by products they are using to produce the actual fitting.


Your a dream killer. Why do you have to make so much sense?


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## dielectricunion (Feb 27, 2013)

What exactly is this stack test? Pressure testing or measuring some sort of density & hardness? it and sounds like a pretty stringent test for some junk plastic non pressure lines. You work around Chicago right? I saw an inspector downtown flunk a guy once just for being Mexican. Definitely a little stricter there than most places.


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## KillerToiletSpider (May 27, 2007)

dielectricunion said:


> What exactly is this stack test?


It's a simple test of making sure the plumbing is water tight by plugging the stack at it's lowest point and filling it with water, and letting it stay full for 24 hours. It can save thousands of dollars in water damage that could occur from a small leak that goes unidentified for a year or two.


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## rrk (Apr 22, 2012)

KillerToiletSpider said:


> It's a simple test of making sure the plumbing is water tight by plugging the stack at it's lowest point and filling it with water, and letting it stay full for 24 hours. It can save thousands of dollars in water damage that could occur from a small leak that goes unidentified for a year or two.


Do they do that from the roof or the highest fixture where you are? They used to do that from the roof until the plumbers made the inspectors bring their own ladders. They did not want any insurance problems


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## mski (Apr 4, 2013)

KillerToiletSpider said:


> Because you have altered the hub of a PVC fitting that may or may not be right on spec to begin with. Lasco, Nibco, Mueller, and a few other fitting manufacturers are notorious for making fittings that are on the very edge of being out of spec. That and the hub has already gone through the solvent welding process once, and may have hardened beyond the ability to do it again, again depending on the fitting manufacturer and what type of waste oil by products they are using to produce the actual fitting.


Didnt do a stack test. Honestly didnt know what you meant. 
Had the toilet in and being used be 3 kids since Monday w/o leaks. Thats the only fixture going in at that connection.
I still have the section of the first floor ceiling open and all is good with the fitting. The ceiling will be open until sometime next week before I get a chance to cover it up.
Great info BTW.


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