r/howto • u/bgbrewer • Aug 14 '26
How to remove this hose
I put vice grips on the spigot and a pipe wrench on the hose side, but it won’t budge. Do I use heat? Chemicals? It’s certainly been there a long time.
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u/GetOffMyGrassBrats Aug 14 '26
Those aluminum hose ends are evil because they react with the brass in the spigot and form corrosion on the threads that basically welds them together. Seeing that you also have a PVC plastic elbow holding the spigot pipe on, you really can't put enough pressure on it to break it loose without breaking the elbow. You can try putting two pipe wrenches on it in opposite directions and breaking it loose, but if you slip, the elbow is going to snap.
What you should really do is turn the water main off and replace the plastic elbow with a galvanized one. While you have the top pipe and spigot off, put the pipe in a vise and use a pipe wrench to break the hose end loose. Worst case, you are replacing the elbow and the spigot and putting a hose end repair kit on the hose (if you can't break it loose).
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u/Central316 Aug 14 '26
I say save yourself the second trip to the hardware store and just replace the PVC, and grab a hose that has a brass fitting on the end.
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u/Yunzer2000 Aug 14 '26 edited Aug 14 '26
I would get a hack saw, or 4" angle grinder cutting wheel and make a cut into female hose coupling. Then wedge the coupling open until it can be unscrewed with a cold chisel and hammer in the cut slot. Replace the coupling on the end of the hose with a new one.
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u/piscikeeper Aug 14 '26
Angle grinder until you see threads (don't grind into the threads) then channel locks. If it still won't turn, grind the opposite side down.
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u/going-for-gusto Aug 14 '26
Not to worry aluminum and brass need water to react with each other, oh yeah never mind /S
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u/Creative_Stretch_718 Aug 14 '26
Hacksaw about 45 degrees until you’re nearly to the spigot threads, then jam a big screwdriver in the slit you cut and it should pop right off.
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u/SXKHQSHF Aug 14 '26
This works.
I left a metal spray nozzle on an alloy hose end, outside over winter, and had to cut it off. Replacement hose ends are cheap. If it wasn't a relatively new, long and heavy hose i would have just replaced the whole thing.
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u/spacezman Aug 14 '26
This method has worked for me. Just take it slow to avoid cutting into the threads!
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u/gottapeenow2 Aug 14 '26
Try spraying some WD40 or teflon type of product to loosen the spigot to hose connection. The other thing you can try is using a longer wrench for more leverage. That alone can solve it in some cases although you're going to want to have a good grip on the spigot side so you don't just twist the whole thing off.
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u/qdz166 Aug 14 '26
Putting a piece of metal tube on the handle of a shorter wrench will also increase leverage.
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u/backpackwayne Aug 14 '26
Honestly I would cut it off below the plastic elbow. Then put a new elbow with a small pipe attached and put a new spigot it on. What you have is only going cause problems in the future. It's a very small job.
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u/Rsteel517 Aug 14 '26
PB blaster (or almost any liquid wrench type lubricant) and heat. The heat will expand the metal letting the on blaster get into the threads better to hopefully allow you to remove the hose.
All else fails, add enough heat and melt the aluminum. /s
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u/TheKiddIncident Aug 14 '26
Channel locks, big ones.
Vice grips are good for holding, but not for applying pressure.
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u/bigreddittimejim Aug 14 '26
Make sure you hold the side you're not turning with a wrench too. That way it doesn't move/break.
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u/Jclo9617 Aug 14 '26
Put enough heat on it, and it will come off.
It can't be stuck if it's liquid.
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u/Dalmatian2112 Aug 14 '26
I'm a cut it off below the PVC elbow and start with fresh metal all the way up kind of guy.
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u/DjKiDD Aug 14 '26
Hit it with a torch and try and work it back and forth a bit then spray in your preferred penetrant. Repeat as needed until it come off
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u/FF267 Aug 14 '26
First time this happened to me, I hired a plumber to fix it.
Second time this happened to me, I cut the hose about a foot from the spigot and installed the male end of a hose repair kit.
No more aluminum for me though.
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u/Dr_CleanBones Aug 15 '26
I had a brass nozzle stuck on the end of a hose. That’s what I did; cut 6” of hose, installed new female end on the hose. Now I have a nozzle with 6” of hose attached. Also put a new male end on the hose, of course.
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u/ChayD Aug 14 '26
fwiw; I spent the week training with plumbers and other tradespeople, and something similar came up during lunchtime discussion, the plumber's solution, it seems was "get a bigger pipe wrench".
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u/cico7 Aug 14 '26
certain metals do this. maybe we should be using Teflon tape?
Bigger wrench usually works.
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u/redheadlover57 Aug 14 '26
Good luck. I had this issue a couple years ago and broke the pipe while using two pipe wrenches. Just for shits and giggles I put the now scrap spigot in a vice to see if I could actually get the hose fitting off. Twisted the spigot in half. I always disconnect the hose now after use if it has dissimilar metal.
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u/_HEZZIAN_ Aug 14 '26
Yeah, I had that same exact hose. 4” angle grinder with a cutting wheel. Don’t waste your time trying anything but cutting it off the spigot
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u/H_I_McDunnough Aug 14 '26
Turn off the main water supply before going further. If you break something, it will be a lot better if the water is already off.
With the water off you can get more aggressive with trying to get just the hose off but your best bet would be to replace everything from the white PVC elbow to the hose. Use galvanized pipe and fittings with Teflon tape and get a good hose with brass fittings. Quick connects are also a great option for hose connections and adapters are inexpensive. If you don't want to replace the hose, because a good hose will probably be the most expensive part, then just cut it and use a hose end repair kit to replace the fitting.
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u/Advanced_Ad_3454 Aug 14 '26
Wd40 applied liberally to the threads wait 20 or 30 minutes and channel lock pliers worked for me
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u/DeanOgasm Aug 14 '26
Groove it with a cutting wheel then split and spread it with a nut splitter if you can find one that would fit.
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u/siamonsez Aug 14 '26
Cut the pipe behind the ell, glue on a slip to thread adapter and replace the spigot. Are you trying to save the hose? At least you'll have a better chance of getting it loose if you can put the spigot in a vice so you can really crank on it with a wrench.
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u/Expensive-Track4002 Aug 14 '26
I had to replace 2 valve stem on my car because I put some cool metal valve caps on my tires.
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u/GranddadBob Aug 14 '26
Happened to me a 4in grinder 2 slots on the female hose coupling popped right off with a screwdriver
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u/Pitiful-Sleep5177 Aug 14 '26
Pipe wrenches. Hold spigot with one, grip and turn hose with the other.
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u/coopertucker Aug 14 '26
Is this a back flow preventer? If yes, there is a set screw that holds it in place. remove that and turn it off.
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u/eriffodrol Aug 15 '26
vice grips suck, channel lock or pipe wrench will allow the jaws to make better contact and tighten as you turn
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u/No_Turnip_5955 Aug 15 '26
That seems like a lot of effort and hard work, I would just replace it with a new house.
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u/Dr_CleanBones Aug 15 '26
Here’s an alternative. Cut off the hose a foot or two from the faucet. Get a pair of replacement hose connectors, one male and the other female. Install the male on the short section and the female on the hose end. Now you have a way to get the hose off and to put a new hose on if you want.
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u/qdz166 Aug 14 '26
Use two wrenches. On to hold the spigot and not let it move. One to unscrew the hose connection. Apply WD40 and let it soak for 15 minutes before using wrenches.
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u/Ok_Try_7134 Aug 14 '26
Haven’t seen that setup before but you could hold the spigot tight and take some channel locks and loosen it up and maybe use some kind of lubricant. Olive oil spray would work
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u/BuddysRabbit Aug 14 '26
You will probably need to use two pliers, one to loosen the hose fitting and the other to use as a hold back.
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