plastic pipe stuck inside copper nut & pipe

[Popzdad]

Advise urgently required!
Whilst swapping over the filling valve in my toilet cistern the old plastic pipe thread has snapped and got stuck inside the copper nut and around the copper pipe ( hope this makes sense, have look at the attached photo ) Any suggestions to getting them separated? I only have basic tools and hope they'll be enough.
Cheers in advance

 

[SimonG]

Spanner below and tap it upwards.

 

[Last Plumber]

I would go with that too to begin with.

 

[SimonG]

To be honest though, by now I would have cut it back with the pipe slice, shot an isolation valve on and had the water and kettle on.

 

[Popzdad]

Spanner below and tap it upwards.

I tried that earlier but it's not budging. The nut and plastic pipe are spinning together but refusing to come off the copper pipe.

 

[ShaunCorbs]

Screw fix run flexi 1/2 to 15mm comp and a pipe slice 15mm

 

[Ric2013]

My first thought was that could be a tap connector, so you can't just tap the nut off (though it doesn't quite look like one if I'm honest as there is no joint where the tap connector would have been soldered to the pipe). If someone had some kind of crimping tool I'm not familiar with then perhaps they could have formed theor own tap connector? Seems unlikely.

Assuming then it is a nut and olive onto the plastic (wrong!), you probably don't want to cut the nut, unless you have a spare, but that is an option. So best bet is grip the pipe firmly, adjustable held under the nut and whack the adjustable with another spanner or similar upwards a number of times until it shifts. Then ensure you use a BRASS tailed fill valve if you are making the connection with a nut and olive.

 

[Ric2013]

Screw fix run flexi 1/2 to 15mm comp and a pipe slice 15mm

Are we allowed to recommend flexis on here? I thought the collective decision was that they were nasty things?

 

[ShaunCorbs]

Are we allowed to recommend flexis on here? I thought the collective decision was that they were nasty things?

since hes got no water will do

 

[Chuck]

I tried that earlier but it's not budging. The nut and plastic pipe are spinning together but refusing to come off the copper pipe.

Do you have a hair-dryer that you can use to warm the nut? This should soften the plastic to the point that pushing down on the nut will slide it off the (now soft) plastic thread. You should then find it easy to remove the plastic.

Done this way, you'll be back on track to replace the float valve like-for-like but you'll need a new fibre washer, which you can get from a plumber's merchant.

Be careful not to burn yourself on the hot metal or plastic. Hair-dryers can get things suprisingingly hot.

 

[SimonG]

Looks like nut and olive to me.

 

[Chuck]

Looks like nut and olive to me.

I'm seeing part of a bottom-entry filling valve that has been sheared off at the connector, probably by overtightening, i.e. tap connector with a fibre seal. If you look carefully, you can see that the plastic has a thread on it.

 

[Popzdad]

I'm seeing part of a bottom-entry filling valve that has been sheared off at the connector, probably by overtightening, i.e. tap connector with a fibre seal. If you look carefully, you can see that the plastic has a thread on it.

yes, the plastic pipe has a thread which the nut is attached to. It's from a regular water feed to the ballcock

 

[ShaunCorbs]

Sorted ?

 

[Popzdad]

Sorted ?

Not yet, having to come back to it this afternoon.

 

[Popzdad]

yes, the plastic pipe has a thread which the nut is attached to. It's from a regular water feed to the ballcock

This what it's from, snapped at the bottom thread as I couldn't loosen the white plastic nut at the bottom of the cistern ( schoolboy error )

 

[SimonG]

I'm seeing part of a bottom-entry filling valve that has been sheared off at the connector, probably by overtightening, i.e. tap connector with a fibre seal. If you look carefully, you can see that the plastic has a thread on it.

Aye. Can see the plastic. But what I can't see is a soldered tap connector. Which is why I suspect nut and olive. Also wrong type of nut for a tap conn.

 

[Popzdad]

I'm suspecting it must be a nut & olive due to a) plastic and nut both spinning and b) getting nowhere with tapping it upwards. If this is the case what can I do? There isn't enough copper pipe to cut under the nut and rejoin to the new plastic valve. Please tell me in layman's terms

 

[SimonG]

Blow torch on it. Melt plastic. Tap down. Cut olive off and new nut and olive.

Alternatively get yourself a 15mm x 1/2" flexible tap connector. Cut back copper pipe and assemble. Making sure you don't over bend or twist the flexi.

 

[Ric2013]

I'm seeing part of a bottom-entry filling valve that has been sheared off at the connector, probably by overtightening, i.e. tap connector with a fibre seal. If you look carefully, you can see that the plastic has a thread on it.

I can see the thread, but I cannot see an end-feed or other joint where this supposed tap connector is going onto the copper tube, hence my theory is nut and olive straight onto the plastic thread.
At this point, if it won't tap off, I'd say either a flexi as other have suggested, or cut the nut with a hacksaw and bend it off the plastic thread. At least then we'll know for sure if it was a nut and olive or not.
But don't use a nut and olive on a plastic-threaded fill valve, or this will happen again.

 

[fixitflav]

Advise urgently required!
Whilst swapping over the filling valve in my toilet cistern the old plastic pipe thread has snapped and got stuck inside the copper nut and around the copper pipe ( hope this makes sense, have look at the attached photo ) Any suggestions to getting them separated? I only have basic tools and hope they'll be enough.
Cheers in advanceView attachment 35997

Can you grip the pipe wall and the plastic together at one point, with long-nosed pliers, and then turn the nut? It might unscrew. If it moves a bit, you then have more plastic exposed to grip.

 

[Ric2013]

Can you grip the pipe wall and the plastic together at one point, with long-nosed pliers, and then turn the nut? It might unscrew. If it moves a bit, you then have more plastic exposed to grip.

Cranked long nose pliers, drilled holes into plastic bit... might work.

 

[Riley]

Or if you’re not good with a torch it could be one of those rare (horror) occasions that I recommend a flexihose

 

[Popzdad]

All sorted using flexihose with isolator.
Thanks for everyones advice.

 

[Riley]

Well done. Make sure no tight bends or twists. Hate the things but sometimes needs must