Olive removers are used to… wait for it… remove olives. Whether the tool cuts them off or pulls them off, its chief function is to get that olive off as quickly and efficiently as possible, without damaging the pipe beneath.
Please note: The function of a compression fitting is to join two pieces of pipe together. The olives are compressed by the fitting nut and, as such, can be very difficult to remove afterwards, especially if they are old fittings.
Why would you need to remove an olive?
If you need to repair a pipe, perform maintenance, or gain access to part of your plumbing you may need to remove a section of pipe or a compression fitting. To remove the compression fitting nut, you will need to remove the olive, otherwise the nut will not pass over it. Due to the pressure an olive is put under, it’s easy for it to become distorted and an old olive should never be reused.
An olive puller’s purpose is to pull the olive off the pipe.
An olive cutter’s function is to snip the edges of the olive without damaging the pipe beneath, in order to remove it.
