help-snapped drainage plug

[steven_5041635]

I was getting the caravan sorted for winter when the drainage plug snapped while i was unsrewing it.Luckily it had slackened so the water is now drained from the caravan,but i have no idea how i am going to get the left over screw out from inside the pipe.The system is a carver. Any ideas???

Hope this makes sense and thanks in advance.

Steven

 

[Damian]

Hi Steven,

First do not panic!!

You will need a junior hacksaw blade or a padsaw with a narrow width end.

If you use a hacksaw blade, knock the locating pin out of one end and wrap something to make a handle round the other.

Now, very gently saw through the plastic remains of the plug from the centre outwards, until you feel a change in what the saw blade is cutting, and you should hear a change in sawing noise from plastic to metal,STOP as soon as you hear metal.

Cut a total of 4 of these cuts to form a cross in the old plug.

Now use a small flat bladed screwdriver and a small panel hammer or small general hammer and gently tap one quadrant out of its resting place, it may take a while but go gently, you do not want to damage the threads of the heater.

Once one quadrant is out, do the same for the other 3, which will come out much easier.

Having got a new drain plug, clean up the threads gently and you can then replace the drain plug with your new one.

Hope this helps

 

[Robtel]

Steven,

It seems you already have loosened the drain plug off a bit and if it is the plastic type another similar but perhaps simpler way might be to drill a hole in centre of the plug,then take narrow saw as suggested by Damian and again starting in the centre cut two slots opposite each other out towards the edge. You don't need to go right to the edge as all you are trying to do is cut a slot to allow you to get a screwdriver in place to unscrew it. If that doesn't work then continue with Damian's original suggestion.

Robert

 

[MikeJE]

Drill a hole then insert a small stud extractor. These have a reverse thread so as you insert it anti-clockwise it will unscrew the remains of the drain plug. Before all that try unscrewing the plug with needle nose pliers. Or even the rubber eraser on a pencil end, pressed firmly in, might just give enough 'grip' to do the job.

 

[gary]

Damian has described the strangely familiar but fool proof and safe method of removing broken plastic threads from Carver Cascade heat exchangers.

In this case as it's the drain bung then perhaps less cuts may be required but the smaller water inlet, outlet and QDV fittings should be removed as described infact I always make five cuts.

Warning, (sorry Mike), DO NOT under any circumstances use a stud extractor, The extractor will simply wind itself into the soft plastic until the pressure bursts the metal of the heat exchanger.