How do I easily separate unglued PVC pipe from joints?

Question

I've been retrofitting an existing PVC irrigation system around my house. Part of that work requires that I work in shallow holes adding T joints and elbows in places where there were none before. In an effort to measure twice and cut once, I've been assembling the system without glue to make sure I have the layout correct. More often than not however I'm running into issues separating the slip joints and pipes despite the fact they aren't yet glued.

What's the best way to separate these joints? Should I be applying some sort of lubricant beforehand (that won't affect gluing later on) or is there a trick beyond forcing things? With too much force I'm afraid I'm going to break pre-existing joints or mangle the existing fittings.

Answer 1

The best lubrication I've found is some good ol' Elbow Grease™.

Actually, you should measure the proper lengths and just cut. Then glue it up and install. You can mark on the PVC how far it should go into the fitting if you want to be really precise. However PVC itself expands and contracts a lot with temperature change and is fairly flexible anyway. So, in my opinion, being extremely precise doesn't mean all that much anyway. Also, The solvent melts the PVC surface to weld them together, so the fittings will likely fit differently while gluing, thus making the dry-fit method even worse than just measuring.

Another solution could be to mark how far in the fitting the piece should go and lay them next to each-other in that position, even tape them together, to check your layout. That seems pretty time-intensive, though. I still think it would be better to just measure accurately and double check your measurements.

Answer 2

If you still can't get those unglued pvc pieces apart, we found that a flathead screwdriver and a rubber mallet help loosen the pieces enough to be able to pull them apart.

Answer 3

I had the same problem after doing a dry fit ( in the rain ) and grit/sand got into some of the connections. I tried various methods including heat/ice but none worked on one particular connection. I fortunately had 2 rubber strap wrenches i had brought for some plumbing work and with these i was able to get enough torque to get the pipes apart.

Answer 4

Try using a heat gun on the un-glued, but stuck connections. Also, if you need to un-glue a dried connection, using the heat gun gently warm the fitting until it can be pulled away. I've found this to be very effective.

Answer 5

I think just cutting the pipe and gluing it together is the best way to go in your situation. Dry fitting can still be hard to removed, as you've discovered! Also, PVC solvent does not melt surfaces to weld joints together. In fact it's easily unglued, should it ever need to be.