Need advice - broke the universal wall fitting

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Arthur Dent

New member
Nov 3, 2024
2
St Louis, MO
I was in the process of closing the pool today and I was having some difficulty getting the universal wall fitting removed so I could plug the opening. Then I made a critical mistake and must have used a bit too much force with my channellocks and the entire outer hexagon part of the fitting sheared off. I then tried to use some needle nose piers by opening them inside the fitting and trying to use the tips of the pliers to catch on the two pieces that the quicklock attaches to but it would not budge. I also tried to attach the quick lock and use that to try and break the fitting free. Again no luck. In both of these cases I was being careful to not force it.

So I am looking for some suggestions on how I can remove the rest of the fitting so I can finish closing the pool and not have a problem waiting for me next spring. Thanks.
 
Welcome to TFP.

Use a hacksaw blade as described in these threads to score the fitting and a screwdriver as a chisel. You can then peel pieces of it out of the pipe.

Polaris 280 Connector Thread Stuck in Wall

Hello and Merry Christmas. Of course on Christmas Eve, my wall connector coupling for the Polaris 280 cracked at the connection to the wall. And after I unscrewed it to check what was going on, I made the boneheaded decision to try to screw it bad on. Well, that didn’t end well. The threading...
www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com

Polaris quick connect doesn't go all the way into wall fitting.

Looks like that plastic was plastered in. That shouldn't have happened. A regular hacksaw won't cut it (heh). I have used a mini hacksaw to successfully get the remains out. https://www.homedepot.com/p/Husky-10-in-Close-Quarters-Hacksaw-80-522-111/304583784
www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com
 
 
I did not like the idea of trying to use a hacksaw to cut the inside of the part and chisel it. Seemed like a lot of work and a high risk of me damaging the threads of the receptacle. I dug through a bunch of tools and took them all out to see what I could do. The end of a crowbar seemed to fit pretty good and caught on the inner locking tabs that the quicklock piece engages. I got it to turn about a half inch before it seemed to shear those off. And it was still tight as heck. I had a piece of pipe that was tapered on one end and I tapped that in a bit and tried turning it with a wrench. I had a lot of pressure on it before it would twist out without turning the piece. Then I took this tool pictured that is for some other plugs and tried to catch it on the back part of the piece where it is sort of slotted. But I could not catch enough of it due to the restrictor plate that was behind it. So I then decided to try and break the restrictor plate. I put the wrench against it and tapped it with a hammer. It did not seem to take much and I was through. I then used a large pair of channel lock pliers to help turn the other tool. It was tough going the whole way but I managed to get it to turn. But it seemed like it was hard to turn the entire way out. I don't know why. I thought maybe it was cross-threaded, but the new piece went in by hand easily. So anyway, I am glad I got it out without damaging anything and we got the pool closed up for the season.
 

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Arthur Dent said:
I did not like the idea of trying to use a hacksaw to cut the inside of the part and chisel it. Seemed like a lot of work and a high risk of me damaging the threads of the receptacle. I dug through a bunch of tools and took them all out to see what I could do. The end of a crowbar seemed to fit pretty good and caught on the inner locking tabs that the quicklock piece engages. I got it to turn about a half inch before it seemed to shear those off. And it was still tight as heck. I had a piece of pipe that was tapered on one end and I tapped that in a bit and tried turning it with a wrench. I had a lot of pressure on it before it would twist out without turning the piece. Then I took this tool pictured that is for some other plugs and tried to catch it on the back part of the piece where it is sort of slotted. But I could not catch enough of it due to the restrictor plate that was behind it. So I then decided to try and break the restrictor plate. I put the wrench against it and tapped it with a hammer. It did not seem to take much and I was through. I then used a large pair of channel lock pliers to help turn the other tool. It was tough going the whole way but I managed to get it to turn. But it seemed like it was hard to turn the entire way out. I don't know why. I thought maybe it was cross-threaded, but the new piece went in by hand easily. So anyway, I am glad I got it out without damaging anything and we got the pool closed up for the season.
Click to expand...
In the future, leave the wall fitting in the receptacle if using a pliers-type tool. It keeps the hex from being crushed and breaking off. The entire hose will spin so it is no problem. Or you can remove the hose then use a the pliers.
 
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