Pasco

Pasco pipe repair tools for pool plumbing

Pasco is known among plumbers for the small, specialised tools that solve the jobs other tools cannot reach — and the Rambit pipe router is the clearest example. Instead of cutting out a fitting and rebuilding a section of pipe, the bit works inside the fitting socket itself, so a damaged joint can be recovered without disturbing the rest of the run. On a pool system, where pipework is often buried, boxed in or glued tight against a pump, filter or valve manifold, that difference saves hours.

Here you will find the Rambit pipe router drill bits in three nominal sizes, each matched to a common pipe and fitting diameter used in pool and spa plumbing.

The Rambit pipe router range

The range consists of three bits covering the sizes most often found on suction and return lines, pump unions, filter connections and equipment-pad tie-ins:

• 1 inch – PPS-10269: for smaller branch lines, feeds to chemical injection points, air lines and secondary connections.
• 1 1/2 inch – PPS-10270: the size most commonly seen on pump and filter connections on domestic pools.
• 2 inch – PPS-10271: for main suction and return lines and larger equipment connections.

Each bit is sold separately, so a single size can be bought for a one-off repair, or all three kept together for an installer’s tool case covering the whole equipment pad.

What a pipe router does on a pool system

When a solvent-welded PVC pipe snaps off flush inside a fitting, the stub of pipe stays glued in the socket. The fitting is still perfectly good, but it cannot take a new pipe until that stub is removed. A pipe router is designed to cut away the remaining pipe wall from inside the socket, leaving the socket clean so a fresh length of pipe can be prepared and glued in the normal way.

Typical situations where this matters on a pool installation:

• Snapped pipe at a pump or filter port: the threaded or socket connection on the equipment is intact, but the pipe has broken off inside it.
• Buried or boxed-in pipework: cutting back far enough to fit a coupler would mean breaking up paving, decking or a plant-room wall.
• Valve and manifold bodies: replacing the whole body because of one blocked socket is far more expensive than clearing the socket.
• Fittings that cannot be replaced easily: older or awkwardly positioned elbows and tees where there is no slack in the pipe run to work with.

Choosing the right size

The size on the bit refers to the nominal pipe and fitting size, not to a measurement you take with a tape across the outside of the pipe. Before ordering, check the following:

• Nominal size marking: most PVC pipe and fittings carry the size printed along the pipe wall or moulded into the fitting body — read that first.
• Imperial or metric plumbing: pool systems in Europe are built in both imperial (1″, 1 1/2″, 2″) and metric (mm) pipe. These bits are sized to imperial fittings, so confirm which standard the pipework uses before choosing a size.
• The fitting, not the pipe: the bit works inside the socket, so it is the socket size that decides which bit is needed.
• Mixed systems: many older pools have been extended over the years with whatever was to hand; check each socket individually rather than assuming the whole pad is one size.

Working cleanly inside the socket

A pipe router is used in a drill and cuts away material from the inside of the socket, so a steady, moderate speed and light pressure give the best result. Work the bit in gradually, clear the swarf and shavings as you go, and stop as soon as the old pipe wall has been removed — the aim is a clean socket, not a wider one. Once the stub is out, dry-fit the new pipe to confirm it seats fully before cleaning, priming where appropriate and solvent welding.

Pasco at PoolParthub.com

Here we stock the Rambit pipe router drill bits in 1 inch, 1 1/2 inch and 2 inch, listed individually by part number so the right size can be picked for the repair in hand rather than buying a set.

These bits sit alongside the pipe, fittings, unions and valves in the plumbing section of the shop, which means a broken joint can be dealt with in one order: the tool to clear the socket and the pipe and fittings to finish the repair. For installers maintaining several pools, keeping all three sizes on the van covers the great majority of socket diameters found on a domestic equipment pad.