I'm trying to remove the sink cabinet but I'm stuck at these water shut off valves and the escutcheons.
Water is off already. Tried to use a wrench but didn't seem to do much.
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4Small frame challenge: if it happens that you're removing the cabinet for replacement, you could consider cutting the cabinet away from the pipes. You'll still need to disassemble the piping to install the new cabinet but doing things "in the wrong order" could make it a little easier to work on the bottom of that white tee where space is tight.– Greg HillCommented Feb 8, 2022 at 14:28
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2 Answers
That plumbing is PEX which uses compression fittings. You have two styles of compression rings on it, the black-ish ones with the aqua copper corrosion are "copper crimp rings" and the different steel one on the far left of the tee is a "cinch" or "clamp".
You can't reuse a PEX tube end once it's been crimped or clamped, so you need to cut the tube below the fitting. There are special PEX tubing cutters that make this easy and they're very inexpensive. Cut as close to the fitting as you can to avoid wasting tubing, and as square as you can (if it's more than a few degrees off, you'll have to cut it again).
The fittings (elbows, tees, valves) are often reusable after you open the rings. The steel clamp ring opens with a screwdriver, pry the outer ring apart until it slides over the ridges that hold it closed. The copper crimp rings need to be cut, but they're soft copper so this is easy. You can use a metal saw or there's a special tool for this that slowly cuts into the copper ring. Discard the old rings and use new ones when you reassemble the fittings.
answered Feb 7, 2022 at 21:49
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5ProTip™: Don't cut the PEX so close to the bottom of the cabinet in the first place - it makes it much harder for the next poor sod who has to do work in the future. (Not OPs fault, I'm sure.)– FreeManCommented Feb 8, 2022 at 14:41
Those look like Sharkbite crimp rings and they are not reusable. Try a screwdriver instead of a wrench and place the tip in the cut of the rings and twist. Then use a pliers to grab the end and pry the ring off. If you're careful, you can reuse the fittings but not the crimp rings.
