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Rant: My bathroom faucet swap turned into a 5 hour plumbing puzzle
I thought replacing the old kitchen faucet would take an hour, but the corroded supply line nuts were totally seized and I had to cut them off with a mini hacksaw in that tight space. What's the best trick you've found for dealing with stuck plumbing fittings without wrecking the pipe?
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zara_kelly2725d agoTop Commenter
My uncle who's a mechanic swears by ATF and acetone mixed 50/50 as a penetrating oil. It sounds weird but that stuff creeps into threads way better than anything from the hardware store. I soaked a stubborn showerhead overnight with it and it came off with just a wrench. You have to shake it up each time and it smells strong, but it saved me from cutting the pipe.
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irisjenkins25d ago
That trick about soaking it overnight is key. I had a garden hose bib that was totally seized, and a three day soak in plain old WD-40 finally got it. Sometimes you just have to out-wait the rust.
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the_paul19d agoMost Upvoted
Yeah, patience is the real trick. I had a bike seat post that was one with the frame, gave it a full week with some PB Blaster and it finally let go.
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