Shower arm sheared off. HELP!

ritesh

Hello DIYers
In my attempt to remove a shower arm from the wall, it sheared off leaving part of the shower arm still in the brass thread in the wall. I have tried using a nipple extractor, hacksaw parallel to the remaining thread, but no joy. It could be liquid PTF that has made it bond really tight. I am loathe to use any heat in case there is any solder and fear of it being de-soldered. The pipe width is 1/2 inch. What would you suggest? My plan was to replace the shower arm so I could fit a rain shower. My final resort is to buy a Dremel with a grinder, but will wait to read your suggestions before going down this route.

FreeBear

To be honest, trying to remove what's left of the pipe will just make a mess of the thread inside the fitting. It may be possible to clean up the thread with a suitable tap (a tool for cutting internal threads), but few people will have one the right size - They can also be very expensive to purchase.

Realistically, your best option is to replace the fitting. Probably not what you want to hear as it will involve trashing a few of those tiles...

Jeepers_Creepers

Why no joy with the hacksaw parallel to the remaining thread (I can see the slot!)?

What's the shower arm made of - chromed copper? The receiving fitting will most likely be brass, so I'd hope you could tell when you've cut through the stuck pipe wall and hit the crests of the brass fitting's thread. Doesn't matter if you go a mm past this.

Once you have a slot, use a smallish flat-bladed screwdriver that you don't mind bashing, or a centre-punch if you have one, but it would need a long thin nose, and set it to catch the front edge of the stuck pipe right next to where the cut is. Angle it as much as possible to drive the pipe edge inwards away from the brass fitting wall. Gentle taps with a pin hammer - tick tick tick - and try and lift that front edge; I'm hoping it's a malleable metal? If it works, carry on - get the tool point in between the raised bit of pipe and the brass fitting. Repeat on the other side of the cut - a bit on each side, work your way in slowly.

Failing that you either need to get behind that fitting to replace it, or else cobble up an engineered solution such as a short piece of 15mm SS pipe, roughed up and epoxied in there - push and epoxy/resin it in as far as it goes. Ditto on the new rain head.

You'd need to be able to drill out that brass fitting to take the SS pipe snugly first - and flush out the debris!

ritesh

Thank you FreeBear and Jeepers_Creepers. 

It is chromed copper material. I just noticed the slot I created with the hacksaw. I’ll give it another go and see if I can pry the metal towards the middle. Maybe this can give me enough to get some purchase with some pliers and then twist it out. 

Jeepers_Creepers

Copper is very ductile - lots of gentle taps will almost certainly find it crawling out of the threads once you hacksaw through the main thickness of the pipe wall. Each bit of thread should then break when it's prised out enough - work steadily, one thread at a time. Don't wallop - shouldn't be needed.

As you say, if you have good grippy long-nosed pliers, then catching the raised edge and curling/rolling it away could work.

nofoollikeold

1. If you hacksaw it parallel with its bore you will most likely damage the threads, and it will leak when reassembled.
2. The metal won't be copper, it will most likely be brass, or something awful like Mazak.
3. A file of appropriate size, hammered in and then twisted, is the most likely way to remove it without damaging the threads.  Be careful with force, files are brittle (but hard) and can shatter,
4. If you want to try heat, use boiling water, its not hot enough to melt solder.

Jeepers_Creepers

Yes, you will very likely slightly damage the crests of the brass threads in the process, but this will be taken care of with a smear of Fernox Hawk White.

The shower pipe might well be a different material to copper - that will make both it and the job harder. However, I am pretty confident that judicious use of a tapped sharp tip to get that first pipe edge upwards, followed by gentle levering/prising as you make your way in, will do the job. Work right beside the hacksaw cut where it's weakest, and only the actual 'threads' - one at a time - are the issue.

Apodemus

nofoollikeold said:

4. If you want to try heat, use boiling water, its not hot enough to melt solder.

  ...or perhaps careful use of an induction coil over the outer face of the pipe?

andyhop

Hawk white isn’t suitable for water 

Given how thin the metal looks , a score with a hacksaw blade and 3.5mm flat head driver should prise this away without fuss

Jeepers_Creepers

andyhop said:

Hawk white isn’t suitable for water 

Unless Ritesh is in the habit of tilting back his head in order to drink from the shower, or likes to tweak up the shower 'stat until it is literally super-heated, then yes it is.

ritesh

Some fantastic responses here. A big thanks to all. I'm looking for my small sharp pointed tool. I'll give this a go by gently tapping away near the score line I have created by tapping upwards to see if the metal gives, other wise a small flat bladed screw driver to get between the pipe and fitting. I'll let you know how I get on