Replacing/repairing slip return fitting

[mcolina1]

Hey everyone! First time posting, long time lurking . I’ve hit a bit of a snag. I went to adjust one of one return nozzles the other day and the thread which holds the eyelet just crumbled. I removed all the remaining pieces of the thread just to prevent the kids from getting cut on them. My question is:

It seems like I have 1.5” slip in returns, but I can’t for the life of me get them removed. I can feel the drop off inside the pipe after a couple inches so I’m confident they’re slip. I’ve seen the recommendations of using a hacksaw to cut at the 3,6,9, and 12 o’clock positions but before I do that I have a concern. It seems as if there is some sort of plaster/cement on the outside of the return. Does this seem like it’s something for aesthetic reasons or did they “seal” in the slip when it was installed. If I do happen to get it removed, am I going to have to seal it back up. Should I NOT remove it and find something that slips in in order to temporarily repair it? I’ve attached a picture for reference. Thanks!

 

[AQUA~HOLICS]

All return lines are sealed on the outside with a special mix to obtain water tightness from the shrinkage of the shell during curing.
You could use a plaster patch after the replacement of the nozzle.

 

[mcolina1]

Nice! So if I understand correctly, I would simply re-seal around the new slip?

 

[AQUA~HOLICS]

Yes with plaster patch.

 

[mcolina1]

Yes with plaster patch.

Perfect. Thanks!

 

[mcolina1]

Just wanted to follow up…I was able to successfully remove the return. What I thought was plaster on the side was actually the PVC pipe. It definitely required hacksaw and some elbow grease. Like everyone has mentioned before, the old return will definitely start to crumble. Looking back I feel like maybe the pry bar method might have worked too/better. I have two other returns to replace so I’ll give that a shot. The only other issue I’m running into now is that the slip is not snug. I’m trying to build up the new return with some pvc cement to see if that will help.