Need ideas for how to remove a very stuck soil spigot tail/cap

[Putlog Pete]

I'm trying to pull a Polypipe SA62B access plug and cap out of the soil vent branch (which I think is a Floplast SP190). It's a bit of a cramped space and it feels VERY stuck. Any suggestions?

I'm removing it so I can fit a pan connector.

Three years ago my contractors installed my new SVP inside the house, hidden in stud walls on the ground/first floors and vented through the roof. I'm pretty sure the branches they used in the stack are solvent weld FloPlast (as I can see the product code on one section is Floplast SP581). I was doing some of the work myself and so they left the connectors (as part of the vertical stack) for my ground floor and first floor toilets plugged with access caps. Removing the access plug/cap from the first floor connector took some doing (was very stiff) but I got there in the end.

My carpenter hung a door on my ground floor WC, which helped me forget for a couple of years that I'd not finished that part of the job. I'm finally getting around to it now, but it's had 2+ years (attached to an in-use stack) to get very stuck in place. I can unscrew the access cap just fine, but pulling the whole access plug/cap OUT of the branch unit is defeating me.

It almost certainly wasn't solvent welded as the one upstairs was very stiff but not welded, the contractors knew I'd remove it to put in the WC, and the Polypipe SA62B says its pushfit on the website.

So far I've tried:

• Pulling, twisting, wiggling
• Spraying some silicon lubricant around the neck
• Little taps with a rubber mallet
• More pulling, twisting and wiggling

Does anyone have any good ideas for how to get it out?

If I unscrew the access cap, is there anything sensible I can do to get the rest of the plug out?
Or if I unscrew the access cap is there any product I could attach to widen the pipe back to fit my pan connector?

 

[ShaunCorbs]

Any chance of a picture of said tee and access ?

 

[Putlog Pete]

Sure, here's one I took earlier.

Cap facing the camera is an access that I'll be putting a little door in front of for future rodding. The lower cap facing right is the one I'm trying to remove. You can see it's a bit shinier from the silicone lubricant spray.

The SVP at this section has three connectors in a stack. One with 40mm boss that receives the basin waste under the floor, the T that the toilet pan connector will feed into, and the one with the access port on top.

Copper pipe is feeding a wall-mounted cistern. Cable is an ethernet cable weaving round everything because the electrician was having some fun.

Not shown in this picture is that there isn't tons of space to the right, which I'm finding is making it harder to pull on the bit I'm trying to remove.

 

[ShaunCorbs]

Yep twist clockwise until it starts to move and pull then twist some more like your unscrewing it it’s not easy but will start moving

 

[Putlog Pete]

Would it be a terrible idea to unscrew the cap, leave the rest of the tail in the branch spigot and just push the pan connector into that slightly reduced pipe?

My pan connector has those rubbery gills on the SVP end, which are just over 110mm diameter, while the diameter between the gills is only 100mm... so I feel like it might go in with some effort. Haven't attempted it yet though because it seems like a bit of a bodge.

 

[ShaunCorbs]

No as the access isn’t all the way in / long enough

You still need a piece of 110mm as the pan connector doesn’t just fit into the tee

 

[Putlog Pete]

Thanks Shaun, makes sense.

 

[WC1]

"strap wrench" or "boa" might help