Band clamp let go on a repair job in Tacoma this morning

Was swapping out a cracked section of pipe at 45 feet. Had the band clamp cinched down tight. Water pressure hit it and the thing just popped loose. Lost my grip on the pipe and had to surface empty handed. Spent 30 minutes rigging a backup line before I went back down. Anyone else had luck with those strap wrenches for stubborn pipes?

2 comments

2 Comments

wesley831d ago

Man that sounds like a nightmare. My buddy had almost the exact same thing happen to him last year. He was working on a main line about 30 feet down and his band clamp just gave out. He said the pipe slipped right out of his hands and he had to come up with nothing. He rigged up a second clamp as a backup before he went back down, took him about 40 minutes. He swore by those strap wrenches after that, says they give you way more grip than just your hands. I think he uses a Knipex or something similar, but I don't remember the exact brand.

beth_hart688h ago

Honestly, it's Knipex but they make pliers wrenches not strap wrenches.