how do you get broken off pvc out of alternate pin placements?

at zboaz in fort worth texas, there are several pins that have broken pieces of pvc pipe stuck in the bottom of them. this is a pain in the a$$. sucks having alternates that you cannot use because of some acehole hooligans. i am a plumber, so i have knowledge of the tools and materials, i just cant wrap my brain around any good solutions...

[castawaydave]

Bend a peice of steel into a hook so you can us it to get under the pipe and pull or slide hammer it.

[Aaronv]

Small genorator and a shop vac.

[Mike]

Depending on the diameter of the PVC which I'm guessing is the same inside diameter as the outside diameter of a basket post, similiar to a steel sleeve? You could use a auger bit in a cordless drill and clear the PVC right out of there. Or a sawsall, cut relief grooves vertically so it will be in a few seperate pieces, take a flathead screw driver and a hammer to break it loose, then you should be able to pull the pieces out.

[Jamie 'gr8rocshot' Ruane]

castawaydave said:

Bend a peice of steel into a hook so you can us it to get under the pipe and pull or slide hammer it.

I'd try that first using an heavy guage engineering strap.


If it's really stuck all the way down, then it's easier to dig it up and break up the concrete and re-install it next to it.....new hole!

We have a ton of extra placements and just about seen everything stuck inside a sleeve.

Sometimes you can tap the sleeve enough to losen it from the concrete and it will slide out. if the hole stays intact i.e. the concrete doesn't break(if the concrete breaks your digging a new hole anyway)....re-install using Gorilla Glue...Yeah it works!!!! How long? We did that with one last year and it still holding strong.

[Jamie 'gr8rocshot' Ruane]

Another option is too get a longer pipe that fits inside the sleeve...cap it (the cap has to fit inside too) and drive the broken piece into the ground. I'd get a flashlight and see how deep each one is stuck and how much of it is down there first.

[Jamie 'gr8rocshot' Ruane]

Mike said:

Depending on the diameter of the PVC which I'm guessing is the same inside diameter as the outside diameter of a basket post, similiar to a steel sleeve? You could use a auger bit in a cordless drill and clear the PVC right out of there. Or a sawsall, cut relief grooves vertically so it will be in a few seperate pieces, take a flathead screw driver and a hammer to break it loose, then you should be able to pull the pieces out.

That might work if you already got the bit.....pound it in like an easy out...reverse it out. Squirt some WD or oil between the stuck piece and the sleeve.


Trust me, if you can't cant get it out by fishing it out in a few minutes...it's easier to start over with a new hole.

[Tino "SilverBack" Medina]

gasoline. Burn and melt hte plastic until its gone. Shouldn't hurt the sleeve. Just a thought.

[charles lignos]

I'm also a plumber. Jones-Stephens Co. makes a drill bit that drills out different sizes of pvc out of fittings. They are in all the supply houses down here in southwest alabama. This would be a perfect one time purchase for you that you might have to use again one day and i don't think the individual bits are that expensive.

[Mike]

Warning...Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) is a thermoplastic and emits toxic gasses when burned. I am guessing that the pipe diameter is too small for burning it out anyway as there will be a shortage of oxygen in the pipe, short of using a torch.

Tino "SilverBack" Medina said:

gasoline. Burn and melt hte plastic until its gone. Shouldn't hurt the sleeve. Just a thought.

[Jamie 'gr8rocshot' Ruane]

Tino "SilverBack" Medina said:

gasoline. Burn and melt hte plastic until its gone. Shouldn't hurt the sleeve. Just a thought.

That won't work....not enough O2 in the tube...besides PVC is extremely toxic when burned.

[castawaydave]

I stand by my advice. If you can't slidehammer it out then it will be easier to dig out the entire thing and reset it.
Any heat will re-temper the tube and cause rust. and the burning idea simply wil not work just like Tino said.
.

[ROBEY the one.]

never tried this, but i just had a brainstom. bend some steel rod into a hook sharpen the hook, heat with torch, press into slide of pvc, let cool down a little, then pull straight up. let me know if this works if you try it. then buy caps for anchors because its prob. worth the 15 bux each to not have to do it again. if you cant find any i can make them for you.