Can't get the threaded backing of return to unscrew

[ntobik]

Closing the pool today. Everything is going well except one return. The top of the eyeball comes off, but the threaded portion that screws into the wall does not. I've tried pliers, channel locks, a pipe wrench everything. Isn't budging.

What are my options here? I'm afraid of torqueing it too much because I might break the glue on the plumbing in the wall. Last thing I want is to be doing some underground surgery to fix a leak in the spring.

Can I try to cut it out from the inside? I've tried hammering on it, tried all the tricks I saw searching through history on this site. This is the one thing holding me up from completing the close, it's extremely frustrating. I'm worried I'm going to have a leak in the spring from the force I've already applied to this thing.

Ideas?

 

[JohnT]

There is a special tool for removing them. You might find one at a pool store. I used to use a pair of needle nose pliers spread apart to engage the notches.

 

[richierich]

yeah there is a hayward eyeball removal tool. I used that and couldn't get it to budge using my hands to turn it. Then someone suggested turning that tool by using pliers instead of my hands and it unscrewed after 1 second.

 

[Catanzaro]

The industry should make something like a hockey puck that will go in flush. Then will pliers, one can grab the outside.

I can't unscrew my eyeball return

 

[ntobik]

I was able to get it using an unconventional method. I tried everything to turn it without luck.

So I climbed in the pool (it was in the shallow end) and used a drywall saw to cut through the fitting. I cut until I was near the threads then took pliers and bent the fitting in on itself. By cutting I weakened an area and the plastic snapped. I then pulled the thing out. The wall fitting looks undamaged.