When we moved into our new place I broke the basement tap trying to connect it to the washing machine. So we went to the hardware place and they told us to just unscrew the tap with a wrench, so I tried that and did exactly what happened to Stray Dog.
So I went back to the hardware store and they sold me one of the things thebayou is talking about, and I tried that, and I broke the bloody pipe too.
Then we called a plumber – at 8pm on a Sunday night, no less – and he fixed it all up in under a minute for 400nt.
Unrelatedly, our two-year-old condo has no master water tap thingy except on the pump, which is downstairs. You turn it off, and then you wait while the entire gigantic, inaccessible, roof-mounted water tank five floors above empties out onto your basement floor, the public car park area, and all your neighbours’ shoes, and then you fix your tap, and then you turn the pump on again, and then you wait three hours before you actually have running water. Can this possibly be a good way to do things?
I’d need to see a pic to understand what the problem is for sure.
I’m guessing the piping is ABS. In that case, I would just cut the pipe and install a new threaded fitting. If the pipe is inside the concrete wall and all you have is a threaded hole on the wall, then you can’t cut the pipe and replace the fitting. You need to get the threaded tap broken part out of the threaded hole in the wall. Am I right? In that case I would recommend drilling drilling it out with a large drill bit. Applying heat and using chisel and pliers is also a viable suggestion.
You have to be careful, though, not to bang too hard with the chisel. If you damage the ABS fitting inside the wall, you could be up shit creek. These things aren’t usually screwed in very tight. It’s just a matter of loosening it up, and heat would be effective. But not too much heat or you’ll end up melting the ABS and you’ll also be up shit creek, possibly having to jackhammer the wall to expose the piping for proper repair.
If you have the tools you need, give it a go, but if not, just move the dogs and call a plumber. They are cheap, indeed.
I don’t really know if I understand the problem, but I’ve had some success getting light bulb bases out with potatos. You know, if the bulb has been broken and there’s little or no glass left, just shove a big potato into it and grabs the threads enough to twist the base out. Maybe you could try the same thing for this similar concept? Or maybe it’s totall different.
I don’t know why Iris didn’t mention this, actually.
Whatever you do, don’t listen to Sandman. All his ideas seem helpful and well intentioned, but they sound fishy to me.
Hey, thanks very much everyone. I not only got the thread out, but the new tap that went in the old one’s place is far better for what I need, too, so I’m feeling pretty chuffed that I have proven my manliness while getting a tap that the hose fits onto better.
I actually did a bit of everything (except the potato). The pipe is half embedded in the wall, so I had to get the thread out. I used a hacksaw blade to cut through the male thread at opposite points from inside, being careful not to cut into the female thread (too much). Then I used a hammer and chisel to loosen both halves, which was quite easy, as the hacksawing had enabled some movement inwards.
Then I used the chisel in the way that that tool someone mentioned would have worked. I wedged it into the grooves made with the hacksaw, and the now loosened male thread was easy to rotate and remove. Ta da!
I was dreading getting a plumber late at night, because of the dogs, and I have an event to go to today so I really needed my weekly shower, so I’m a happy, fresh-smelling boy today.
Thanks all for the advice. You inspired the eventual solution.
