Hi all I need to temporarily move some pipework then refit. Here's what I need to know - can I undo the existing compression fittings, and then when I put the pipe back just rescrew everything together using the same olives and fittings? Or...do I need to cut off the olive and start again? What is the official angle on this? Thanks in advance for the help! Best Matt
all depends on your skill in getting the old olives off, i have reused fittings and olives many times.
If you are not altering the pipework and are refitting in the same place, then you can reuse everything. If this is the case, mark a continuous line on the nut and fitting with an indelible pen, before you undo the nut. Then when refitting wrap a couple of turns of PTFE tape round the olive, reassemble and tighten the nut to the position that you previously marked. You shouldn't have any problem. BB
Can you even get old olives off? I admit, I have done two compression joints so far in my life, and one of them was a refit. When I took the fitting off, the olive was firmly (and I mean FIIIIRMLY) stuck to the pipe. It would rotate, but not move laterally ie off the pipe. Is there a trick to get old olives off? Thanks again Matt
http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/sea/searchresults.jsp?dyncharset=UTF-8&q=olivepuller&pn=1&pd=1&pi=1&cn=1&cd=1&x=5&y=8 Much cheaper to use a junior hacksaw carefully and use new olive.....
If you want to remove an olive and don't have any specialist tools like the olive puller mentioned above, saw through the olive with a junior hacksaw taking care not to let the hacksaw blade touch the pipe. Stop when you are almost but not completely through the olive, and insert a screwdriver blade into the slot that you have just cut. Push and turn the screwdriver and the olive will crack open without any damage to the pipe. BB
my method matty, use a adjusable spanner, open it to slighly wider than the pipe so it will slide up the pipe,then slide down towards the compression nut with plenty force, this will move the olive, you may have to do it several times and if the olive is tightly hold you may have to use a hammer onto the spanner to gain extra force, it will work on 15,22 pipe but not on 10mm as the copper on 10mm is very soft and the olives bite down hard.