Electric 50 gallon electric Whirlpool water heater…
Trying to back out the crappy plastic drain. Managed to mangle it so far, now busted flush with the sheet metal cover. Goal- remove and replace with dielectric nipple…thermosiphoning project.
Any advice on backing that plastic critter out would be appreciated. On the edge of boogering up the threads now and getting frustrated.
Todd
To prevent moisture buildup and improve performance, install a continuous air barrier—such as drywall or specialized membranes—under tongue-and-groove boards or other interior wall paneling.
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Replies
A large "easy-out" extractor. There are other brands that have different paterns, but should work the same.
Get a single ended hacksaw and make 3 or 4 cuts through the plastic from the inside out and then colaspe it.
pick and peel out with spike and needle nose pliers. LAST thing you need is damaged threads. soldering iron to melt it a little might help.
Yeah, CAREFULLY cut through the plastic from the inside, using a hacksaw blade. Do this in 3-4 places as said. Then you should be able to GENTLY use an icepick or some such to collapse the plastic inward.
The PROPER way you remove those drains is to unscrew CCW the outer ring until it's gone as far as it will go, then pull outward and turn CW. This removes the ring, leaving the stem to wrench out normally.
For mine I found a long-stem plastic boiler cock that fit nicely and is much friendlier than the other thing.
happy?
Thanks for the advice. Don't own extractor, low tech hacksaw should work. SO will be getting pis*y soon without hot water, I am off sawing!Todd