PVC Question

[clg1085]

Is it possible to loosen thread joints on PVC piping with some kind of solvent to avoid breaking the pipe? I had to retrieve my daughter's earring from the bathroom sink trap, and two different nuts broke leaving the trap setup in my hand and water in the cabinet.

Thanks

[Gary Swart]

It sound like you need a new trap assembly. You can not unglue PVC. This is because commonly called PVC glue or cement is neither. The "glue" applied to PVC fittings and pipe basically melts the two surfaces so when it solidifies it is one piece. It does chemically to PVC what heat does to metal in the welding process.

[Mike Swearingen]

If you're asking abaout threaded nuts on a PVC drain assembly, actually those are made to hand-tighten, but sometimes people will give them an extra quarter-turn with a wrench or channel-locks, or mistakenly "glue" them with PVC glue.
They are pretty brittle, and can crack easily if too much pressure from a wrench is applied in either direction.
You can easily replace the nuts and plastic washers (they come separately) and re-assemble the threaded fittings. Turn the washers so that the flat side is toward the nut, and the beveled end is toward the pipe. You don't need glue on them.
Good luck!
Mike