drain plugs

[fishingdan]

Has anyone used one of these? With no rubber seal, do they seal well?

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: drain plugs

a lot of i/o's use them.

 

[andy6374]

Re: drain plugs

Those are nice. But the male end of it is rarely long enough to go thru the entire width of the transom (unless you have a very small boat with thin transom core). So to avoid rot issues in the transom you really need to oversize drill the hole and then filled with a mixture of resin/milled fibers/cabosil. Then drill the hole to the proper (smaller) size, so that water nevers hits the wood just the resin mixture.

That's why I like the brass drain tubes. You can just surround it with some 4200 around its outside surface area without worries of water intrusion into the core. Still, you should replace this every 5-8 years I'd say, to avoid problems.

Here's the pic of a brass tube and the flanging tool

 

[fishingdan]

Re: drain plugs

Thanks, but I'm not worried about the drain hole through the transom. The brass sleave for the old drain is still in tact and installed correctly. The brass plug I show above actually fits just inside the brass sleave. I know I can mount it properly. My question is with the new brass plug itself. It just threads in. There is no o-ring or anything else to seal it. Can the threads themselves seal effectively?

 

[Bondo]

Re: drain plugs

Ayuh,.........

It's a Pipe Threaded Plug,........ Tapered Threads........It'll Self-Seal.......

 

[fishingdan]

Re: drain plugs

Thanks Bond-o. That is what I was looking for. It must be a very slight taper, because I can't really see it.

 

[AguaSki]

Re: drain plugs

Still, you should replace this every 5-8 years I'd say, to avoid problems.

Replace every 5-8 years? I have not heard this recommendation, but I still consider myself new to boating. How is the best way to remove the old fitting and the install a new fitting? Any special tools needed?

 

[willamettejeff]

Re: drain plugs

Replace every 5-8 years? I have not heard this recommendation, but I still consider myself new to boating. How is the best way to remove the old fitting and the install a new fitting? Any special tools needed?

I have found a 1 inch diameter deep depth hole saw to be great at removing those brass tubes during several restoration projects. Just have to be careful to get it centered and start out very slow. Once in it is pretty much guided by the drain hole. All ready for the new tube with nicely cleaned out hole when done. Not sure why you'ld want to replace one on a regular basis though as long as no evidence of leaking around it.

 

[andy6374]

Re: drain plugs

The replacement is optional. However, every single one I've ever taken out is cracked or was just about there. So as preventative maintenance I like to replace them to keep the transom nice and dry. On the same point (dry transoms) I like to rebed my below the waterline thru-hull fittings and transducer screws (transom mount) every couple of years to ensure I have a watertight seal, it's just my preference.

 

[studlymandingo]

Re: drain plugs

It must be a very slight taper, because I can't really see it.

I would say that if you could actually see a taper, you probably wouldn't be able to thread the thing in.

 

[fishingdan]

Re: drain plugs

I installed one of the plugs pictured above. After the installation, I filled the bilge with water to check for leaks. All is good except that there is a tiny trickle (maybe a drop every 20 seconds or so) that is coming out from the threads. While that is a trivial amount, I was surprised to see any. Is this typical with these. I had the plug in pretty tight. I suppose I can try to tighten it a little bit more to see if I can stop it. Is this typical of these types of plugs?

 

[sdunt]

Re: drain plugs

I like the idea of using a hole saw to remove the old tube, have you tried to put a wood plug on the drill to help get the hole started centered? AKA use the hole saw to cut all of the way through a 2 x 4, save the plug you just created and slide the plug down toward the end of the drill so you can put the plug in the drain hole 1st and it should help center it.

We do something similar when we have to enlarge the hole for a lock on a house door. Put a plug the size of the existing hole on the drill followed up by a bigger hole saw for the new lock.

 

[Bondo]

Re: drain plugs

fishingdan,........

Put some Teflon Tape or other Pipe Dope on it,..........

After All,.......... It's Pipe Thread............

 

[fishingdan]

Re: drain plugs

That was my thought Bond-o as I was thinking about other plumbing stuff. Thanks.

 

[JAL51974]

Re: drain plugs

Once i started using teflon tape on it no leaks at all.