Complications make me crazy...

[rpell1@msn.com]

I was in the process of cleaning the vee berth water tank on my '91 Cat.30 when, as I was removing the outlet hose from the elbow fitting, it broke of at the threads. So, now I have half of a threaded portion of the fitting in the wall of the tank. I am so tempted to just glue what's left of the thread into the tank, since there's really no pressure...........But, I know better. So, I tried to back out the piece of the fitting thread from the tank, to no avail.

Any ideas? Keep in mind, the tank is plastic and the broken fitting is nylon and my budget has no room for a new tank.

 

[Ralph Johnstone]

Seems to be the Story of My Life ..................

................... in that the simplest of jobs can turn into mega projects.

If the tank is polyethylene, there's hope of removal. If it's fiberglass, perhaps a little less so.

First suggestion, have you tried inserting an easy-out into the fitting ? It'll give you a better grip on the broken fitting.

Failing that, the only other remedy I can see is to very gently cut through the broken fitting wall with a bare, fine toothed hack saw blade. If you can do this (without cutting the tank fitting) you can collapse the fitting with pliers and remove it that way.

Best of luck and let us know what works.

 

[rpell1@msn.com]

Thank you for your suggestions Ralph. The tank is polyethylene, which should make it a little easier. However, the location of the fitting is at the very bottom of the tank, in a small well, which makes it a "by feel" type of cutting job. Given the materials, cutting might be disasterous. I haven't tried an "easy out" yet, but it sounds like a plan. Otherwise, it's either spring for a replacement or "goop-it-up" and keep my fingers crossed. Well, I guess the worst that could happen would be that the fitting falls out and I wind up with a fresh water washdown of the bilge......

Thanks again and Happy Sailing.

................... in that the simplest of jobs can turn into mega projects.

If the tank is polyethylene, there's hope of removal. If it's fiberglass, perhaps a little less so.

First suggestion, have you tried inserting an easy-out into the fitting ? It'll give you a better grip on the broken fitting.

Failing that, the only other remedy I can see is to very gently cut through the broken fitting wall with a bare, fine toothed hack saw blade. If you can do this (without cutting the tank fitting) you can collapse the fitting with pliers and remove it that way.

Best of luck and let us know what works.

 

[Bob S]

Ralph,

If you remove the hose you can easily remove the tank and work on it atop a table or something. I've removed mine to clean them out. I'm not sure the diameter of the broken fitting. If it's large you might not be able to find an easy out to fit. If you remove the tank try using a hair dryer or heat gun to soften the pipe dope with a screw driver or even a knife if it's wide enough. Too much pressure on the broken fitting will just transfer to the tank and make it more difficult to remove. Like squeezing the cover of a jar too hard will make it harder to remove.
Don't you just love boating!

 

[Bob S]

If you don't have a tight seal there you will have a problem of the water pump continually cycling which will drive you nuts not to mention the drain on your batteries.

 

[rpell1@msn.com]

That is something I was not sure of, yet. I didn't know how easily I could remove the tank. If it's not attached anywhere, then my problem is solved and I can remove the fitting easily.

I knew someone would know something I was missing.

Thank you much and Happy Sailing.

Ralph,

If you remove the hose you can easily remove the tank and work on it atop a table or something. I've removed mine to clean them out. I'm not sure the diameter of the broken fitting. If it's large you might not be able to find an easy out to fit. If you remove the tank try using a hair dryer or heat gun to soften the pipe dope with a screw driver or even a knife if it's wide enough. Too much pressure on the broken fitting will just transfer to the tank and make it more difficult to remove. Like squeezing the cover of a jar too hard will make it harder to remove.
Don't you just love boating!

 

[jackhararis]

You might try a pipe wrench for unscrewing pvc pipe fittings used in landscape irrigation installations. This has a tapered section with "teeth" so that when you unscrew the fitting it "bites" into the pipe and unscrews it. They are available at Lowe's, Home Depot, ACE hardware, etc. Worth trying.

 

[redhead78]

Maybe if all else fails cut fittng flush wf sawzall, or hacksaw, install an inspection plate over it, pick up a new fitting kit maybe from ronco and install new??? Red