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Can you reuse an olive on a pipe?

Jim Brown

Can you reuse an olive on a pipe?

Olives can’t be removed from a pipe and reused. Even hand tightening a fitting with an olive inside before the pipe is inserted, is enough to make the olive unusable. You can usually dismantle and remake a sound compression joints without ill effect.

What is an olive in plumbing?

Olives, also known as ferrules, are used in compression fittings to help create a water tight seal. They sit on the pipe in between the compression nut and the main fitting body. The olive remains inside and as the nut is tightened it grips the pipe to create a water tight seal.

Are copper olives better than brass?

Copper is softer and tends to seal more easily than brass ones. Copper is preferred if using compression with plastic. I tend to make sure I use copper if the compression is in an awkward position which makes getting a spanner on difficult. Brass ones are OK and either should not be a problem when using PTFE tape.

How do you get olives out of a pit?

Place the olives in a bucket. Once you have the olives, gently smash the flesh with a hammer to loosen the fruit around the pit. Cover the crushed olives with warm water and soak them overnight. Stir the water every few hours or so. Jostling them will encourage the fruit to loosen further.

What’s the best way to cut an olive tree?

Make slanted cuts that are flush with the branches. Cuts that are slightly slanted will help deter water from soaking into the cut and having your branch get infected. Make cuts that are right against the larger branch that the branch you’re removing is growing from. Avoid leaving stubs when you make cuts.

How does a compression fitting olive pipe work?

Compression fitting olives work by the compression of an ‘olive’ between a valve and nut, and the pipe itself. The valve and nut both have tapered sides into which the olive fits. Using a spanner and a pair of grips you can tighten the nut to exert pressure on the olive.

What’s the best way to cut a copper pipe?

Determine where you’d like to make the cut on the copper pipe. Take a fine permanent marker and draw a line where you want the cut. After you’ve cut the pipe, you can wipe the mark off using rubbing alcohol. Set the hacksaw blade on the mark.

Can you reuse an olive on a pipe?

Jim Brown

Can you reuse an olive on a pipe?

Olives can’t be removed from a pipe and reused. Even hand tightening a fitting with an olive inside before the pipe is inserted, is enough to make the olive unusable. You can usually dismantle and remake a sound compression joints without ill effect.

What does an olive do in plumbing?

Olives, also known as ferrules, are used in compression fittings to help create a water tight seal. They sit on the pipe in between the compression nut and the main fitting body.

Should you use Teflon tape on compression fittings?

Thread sealants such as joint compound (pipe dope or thread seal tape such as PTFE tape) are unnecessary on compression fitting threads, as it is not the thread that seals the joint but rather the compression of the ferrule between the nut and pipe.

What’s the best way to remove olives from copper pipe?

You could try an adjustable spanner over the pipe and hit the compression nut against the olive to force it off. Depends how brutal you want to be really and if you want to re-use the pipe. If these are odd ends of copper, for the inch or so you would save by removing olives its not worth the effort.

What’s the best way to remove microbore olives?

Any advice much appreciated. I usually just cut them gently with a junior hacksaw to thin-ish metal then snap off with dull edge of Stanley knife or screwdriver. I haven’t gone into the pipe yet!

What’s the best way to smash an olive?

Use the flat side of a large knife blade (as pictured), meat pounder, small frying pan, or other heavy, flat surface—even the bottom of a mug will do if yield the right way—to smash the olive gently but firmly.

What should I do if my olives don’t pop out?

If the olive hasn’t popped open, try again. If it isn’t “open” you won’t be able to get the pit out! Continue to 2 of 3 below. The smashing should have essentially released the olive’s hold on its pit. The pit should pop right out or, at most, you’ll need to pull it out easily.

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