Warning: my pipe wrench slipped on a 30 year old galvanized joint, big surprise

Last weekend I finally tackled a stuck shower drain that's been dripping since I bought the place in 2019. Grabbed my trusty 14 inch pipe wrench, put some muscle into it, and the whole handle just spun right off the pipe. Turns out the previous owner had painted over the threads and the paint had fused everything into one solid rust monster. I spent 2 hours with a hacksaw blade and a blowtorch at my cousin's garage in Akron just to cut the damn thing out. Learned that if a joint looks painted, stop and heat it first, or you'll be replacing the entire trap like I did. Anyone else ever had to cut out a fitting that seemed welded shut by paint?

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oscarthompson18d ago

Man, that brings back a memory! I read this piece in a plumbing trade magazine a while back about how old galvanized pipes basically turn into one piece of metal over time, and the paint just makes it worse by hiding the real condition. Your story about the hacksaw and blowtorch sounds exactly like what the article said you'd end up doing, so at least you're not alone in the misery. I had a similar thing happen with a fence post anchor that was rusted solid, and I swear I felt that same rage when the wrench just slipped off like butter. The trick about heating it first is gold, I wish I'd known that before I ruined a perfectly good socket set on my own project.