milesrobinson•12d agoMost Upvoted

Used to fight a stuck valve with a pipe wrench and a prayer... now I just heat the flange

Back when I was new, I’d spend 45 minutes cussing at a frozen valve on a 6-inch steam line, wrench slipping every time. Finally, an old-timer on a job in Gary, Indiana, told me to grab a MAP torch and warm the flange ring for 2 minutes. Did it pop right open? Yep, in like 10 seconds flat. Anyone else have a trick that made you feel stupid for not trying it sooner?

2 comments

2 Comments

stella90412d ago

Wait, have you ever had a valve so stuck that even after heating it, the handle just snapped off in your hand? lol. I was working on an old chilled water line once, same deal, torch to the flange, worked like a charm. But then the next week I tried it on a different valve and the whole stem came out with the handle. Made me realize sometimes the pipe wrench and prayer method ain't so bad if you don't want to replace the whole valve. Still, that heat trick saves my butt more often than not, especially on those rusty outdoor lines where the threads are basically welded with corrosion.

william40712d ago

That snapped stem thing happened to me on a 4-inch gate valve in a boiler room once. I had heated the flange just like you said, but the valve must have been sitting there since the 70s with all the rust packed in tight. I grabbed the handle to turn it and the whole thing twisted right off in my hand like a dry twig, left the stem stuck halfway open. Ended up having to cut the valve out with a sawzall and put in a new one, took the better part of a Saturday. Now I always give the stem a little heat first too, just a quick pass with the torch along the packing nut before I even touch the handle, stops that dry rot snap from happening.