Olive removing tool

[ptarling]

Hello,

If anyone can give me some advice - would appreciate it...

Thinking of buying an olive removing tool. As far as I can see there is a cheaper model that will remove both 15/22mm olives (the tool screws on to the existing compression locking nut and you pull the olive off) or there is a more expensive tool that splits the olive (but 2 seperate tools required to do both 15 & 22mm).

Will the cheaper one suffice or are they unreliable..???

[JPC]

i bought a 15mm mor expensive type.

it lasted about a month. the cutting teeth are now blunt and it compresses the olive (and pipe) and in so doing causes more work !

i now have gone back to me hack saw

[ChrisR]

I've got them (all!).
The screwy one which does both sizes (unless the threads's the older finer prestex type) is the better bet.

Either that or cut yourself a set of very short lengths of copper pipe, and put them in a compression fitting, starting with the shortest, and do the nut up. As you do so it'll slide the olive along the pipe. When tight, undo the fitting and put a longer bit of pipe in, and repeat. See?

[croydoncorgi]

The splitting-type tool does for me, for 15mm. Larger sizes = less frequently needed and easier to work on = carry on using hacksaw.

The other problem is the quality of the plumbing BEFORE you came on the scene! If a compression joint has been over-tightened so that the olive has dug in and 'necked' the tube, there's no point removing it in most cases! You won't get a leaktight joint on the tube a second time anyway.

[ChrisR]

The plug centre of the screw-on type, goes some way to reshaping the pipe.
SOmeone ought to make a tap-in bar of the right size to do the job. 13.6mm!

[ptarling]

ChrisR wrote:

I've got them (all!). The screwy one which does both sizes (unless the threads's the older finer prestex type) is the better bet. Either that or cut yourself a set of very short lengths of copper pipe, and put them in a compression fitting, starting with the shortest, and do the nut up. As you do so it'll slide the olive along the pipe. When tight, undo the fitting and put a longer bit of pipe in, and repeat. See?

This sounds like a good plan!!!! Thanks for advice

[ptarling]

JPC wrote:

i bought a 15mm mor expensive type. it lasted about a month. the cutting teeth are now blunt and it compresses the olive (and pipe) and in so doing causes more work ! i now have gone back to me hack saw

Thanks for advice!!

[ben28]

I have monument 15mm/22mm removal tool, it is very usefull and avoids the problem of cutting the pipe and the olive when using a hacksaw. Occasionaly the effort required to turn the handle can be difficult in tight spaces. On the whole its a usefull bit of kit though.

[nigelad]

Didn't know you get tools to deal with olives until I saw this thread!
I replaced 9 rad valves with TRVs recently, and removing the old olives was the hardest part of the job!
I was too scared of damaging the pipes with a hacksaw, so wore them down with a file until I could rip them open and off with an old jeweller's screwdriver

[scatmanjohn]

i use these

[Blasphemous]

nigelad wrote:

Didn't know you get tools to deal with olives until I saw this thread! I replaced 9 rad valves with TRVs recently, and removing the old olives was the hardest part of the job! I was too scared of damaging the pipes with a hacksaw, so wore them down with a file until I could rip them open and off with an old jeweller's screwdriver

Crikey!!! The award for perseverance goes to.... YOU!

[micktheframer]

I'm with scatmanjohn on this one....

[namsag]

Never used or saw one, to be honest never saw the need... Is it so much better and quicker than the 30 seconds it takes to cut with a junior hacksaw and an remove with an old electricians screwdriver. Or just wallop the nut an olive off with pair of grips.

[dan the man]

scatmanjohn wrote:

i use these

yup i use these in 15 and 22.

otherwise a hacksaw is easy enough imo if u get technique right

[pigeon1974]

I use both and the one scatman recommends is the best. And it helps strengthen the wrists.

There is a technique though -be careful and slow (that's what she said) or you can nip the copper pipe as well.