Always a good experience for a Newb to take stuff apart in order to gain experience in determining if it's worth it or not. If what your trying to separate has some good weight in it often times it is worth it if you can get it out fairly quickly. Many threads on pipes that have gas or liquid flowing through them will have thread sealer on them and will take some muscle to break free...be careful since there are a lot of sharp metal edges on the surrounding housings that will do more damage then just busting your knuckles.