Schedule 40 flex PVC? HydroMaxx brand OK?

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MitchRyan912

MitchRyan912

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Jul 21, 2015
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Madison, WI
Amazon.com : HydroMaxx 25 Feet x 2 Inch White Flexible Garden

Is this stuff any good for short runs? I've got myself in a bind and don't have the ability to pipe in everything I need to do in such a short space (I also want to reuse some diverter valves instead of junking them or buying new ones.) I'm only in need of getting this working short term, mainly the rest of this season and no more than another season or two beyond that. I don't expect flex pipe to be permanent.

I'd only need a few feet of this on each of 3 line, tops.
 
One CAN save various pool valves by heating up the part of the valve with the glued-in pipe and removing it.

There are lots of YouTube videos regarding saving PVC fittings/valves.

I reused all my Jandy valves by heating them up with a hot-air gun and pulling out the glued-in pipe.
 
Yes, one can remove glued-in pipe from all fittings BUT it takes a bit of patience and practice to get the hang of it. Your first try or two may ruin the fitting. Removing the pipe is fine but the pipe is toast afterwards.

Once you remove the pipe, you need to insert a clean pipe so that the mushy, heated fitting can reform around it. Then you can let it cool naturally or sponge some water around it.

Jandy valves are THICK so can take 5-6-7 minutes to heat up uniformly around in order to yank the pipe out.

I practiced on some fittings...some were still good afterwards and some never regained their shape and would likely leak. YMMV.
 
Hot-air gun. Milwaukee has a nice one and several different tips to help spread the air for particular situations.

Check out these YouTube videos:

Recover Glued Pipe Fittings - YouTube

and this one is pretty good:

Amazing New Way To Make Free PVC Fittings! - YouTube

Also, I wanted to add that after doing LOTS of 2" PVC fittings and several Jandy valves (3-ways and check valves), I began to see a design idea for a specific tip that would make spreading the heat around a fitting A LOT easier. Otherwise, I clamped the fitting in a vise and then 'spun' the heat gun around and around and around and around and around the fitting testing every once in a while to see if things were soft enough to peel the glued-in pipe out. It takes some patience!

This also works nicely to bend PVC. When redoing my pool plumbing, it came in handy to get pipes exactly where I want them since I didn't quite install them in the perfect spot to begin with.
 
How well does this technique work on fittings that are glue to an outside slip? I put fittings on the 2" outside slip of my valves, and would really like to get one of them off (the one that now faces down that goes to the pump suction inlet.)
 
Good question, Mitch. I haven't had to remove one from the outside of a fitting.

Thinking out loud here, I would cut as much of the fitting away as possible and nearly flush with the valve. I might even try to slice away a bit of the thickness of the fitting around the fitting to minimize the amount of plastic needing heated up. Heat up the fitting and test with a screwdriver to see how soft it is and how much it pulls away from the valve.

The deal with a pipe WITHIN the fitting, you pull away the pipe with a screw driver enough to get some longish needle-nose pliers gripped around the glued-in pipe and then you twist the pliers and sort of 'roll' the pipe away from the fitting wall. It works quite nicely.

With a pipe on the OUTSIDE, you don't have that luxury of pulling the pipe away from the fitting UNLESS you can somehow CUT the outside pipe. You don't want to dig any tools into the soft fitting because there could be a chance to damage its shape. So you pull the pipe away and attempt to slice/cut it so then you can roll it away from the fitting. This is why I'm thinking that you'll want to remove as much of the outside pipe as possible...maybe even cut into it with a hacksaw and stop just before you hit the valve. This way when it is soft, you ought to be able to pull it apart at the cut point and then roll it away.

Anyway, once the pipe is removed, you'll want to insert a nice clean pipe INTO the valve to get its shape back and either let it cool down on its own or sponge some water around it to cool it down faster. Prepare this pipe ahead of time and smooth the sharp edge with some sandpaper so it fits in a little cleaner and easier and doesn't catch.

Let me know how this works out for you. I'd try and remove pipe from the inside of a fitting or two so you get a feel for things.

It might take some trial and error...I've never done this.
 

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I have one of those, vermaraj, and I'd have to disagree with you in how great they are. In fact, I thought they were garbage. They didn't cut very well nor cleanly. I think they could be improved with a good sharpening but overall, I tried mine once and put it down and commenced with my heat gun.

Here is what looks like (I haven't tried them) to be a much better pipe reamer (fitting saver): Plastic Pipe Fitting Reamers - Reed Manufacturing


However, they cost about 3x the one you posted. I have intended to get one but then I found the heat method and I haven't looked back.
 
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