main steam vent stuck in steam pipe

I have a vent at the end of my steam main that is stuck open and I am unable to unscrew it.  It is screwed all the way down into the tee with no threads showing.  I have sprayed it with WD-40 repeatedly and let it soak.  I have used a crescent wrench and a pipe wrench but it still won’t loosen.  I am afraid if I put too much force on it, the vent will snap leaving the threads stuck in the tee. If it does snap what can I do to get the remaining threads out of the tee?  How much would this cost if I just call a pipefitter or heating company to remove the vent? Thanks.

joe78

in Heating 13 years and 9 months ago

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joe78 | 13 years and 9 months ago

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Well after spraying and soaking repeatedly for 4 days and still not being able to budge it, I gave up and got the hacksaw out.  But instead of seeing a smooth wall down there is a step down in diameter and turns into a female thread.  It’s kind of hard to measure but the diameter seems to be 1/2″ by my estimate.

http://cdn.brownstoner.com/4f401599d0acc-processed-IMG_0153[1].JPG

Instead of trying to furthur remove the remains of the old vent, do you think it would be better to just screw a nipple into that and then attach a new 3/4″ vent with a reducer coupling to it? Thanks.

joe78 | 13 years and 9 months ago

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I had it soaking overnight with the PB Blaster.  Will spray and soak it repeatedly for the next couple of days and see what happens when I try to unscrew it over the weekend. Thanks for the help.

eman134 | 13 years and 9 months ago

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Drill and tap. I can almost guarantee that  the vent will snap off when you try to remove it. The nice part about master vents is that they are generally threaded 3/4 x 1/2 (outer dimension by inner dimension) so if you cannot fit an angle drill in place to drill out the broken vent, you can usually fit in a 1/2 inch tap in the broken thread after you saw it off cleanly,and retap the half inch thead..you will lose vent capacity due to the 1/2 versus 3/4 takeoff, but you can make that up by replacing the old vent with two gorton #1 master vents, raised as high as possible over the main. I would do it for you at a resonable price, but Bensonhurst is to far away for me…If you need advice, feel free to contact me via the info on my profile

SewardWasRight | 13 years and 9 months ago

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http://cdn.brownstoner.com/4f39659b9001d-processed-90747.JPG

I’ve used Pipe Break in cases like this. (Probabably the same – or from the same company – as PB Blaster, recommended above.) Spray it on, leave it there for a while, and then use a pipe wrench to start immobilizing the vent. Eventually, it should come out – unless it is reeeeeeeely old.

shahnandersen

in Heating 13 years and 9 months ago

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WD-40 is useless. Get PB Blaster from an auto supply store or, better yet Kroil from their website: www.kanolabs.com . Give it several applications over a few days. If that doesn’t work, you’ll have to call a professional.    Figure a minimum of $250 for labor for a licensed plumber.  Or if you can wait until the end of the heating season,you can risk breaking the valve.  I doubt whether it will cost you more to fix it broken off than stuck in place. If