Busted Thumb Twist Drain Plug - Suggestions?

[simsjim]

Hello All – and thanks for reading my post.

I have a WhisperFlo WFE-3 pump. On the fluid part of the pump there are two threaded thumb twist drain plugs. One below the pot and one near the impeller. The exposed part of each drain plug (on the outside of the pump) resembles a wing nut.

Here's my dilemma: The "Thumb Twist" section, (the part of the threaded plug you would grab onto to loosen or tighten) of one of the plugs is snapped off, and the threaded part of the plug is in the socket, but cannot be loosened or tightened because there is nothing to grab to turn the plug.

Any tricks to remove this busted drain plug so I can replace it with a new one?

A good comparison of what has occurred would be if the head of a screw broke off with no exposed male shaft outside of the female socket. How would I get the shaft out of the socket?

Any thoughts?


Peace,
J

[tphaggerty]

Mine have the wings but also have what looks like a large phillips head indentations. I would check that first.

If not, I would drill a small hole in the plug, then use a "back out" tool (they have little edges that "bite" into a screw or plastic when reversed)

[simsjim]

hmm.. I think the indentation is broken too

BUT the back-out tool, sounds like a bet. I'll see if I can find one at the Home Despot.

Thanks for the quick suggestion!

[chrisexv6]

If you cant find an extraction tool that works, try scraping a slot into whats left of the plug, then just use a flat blade screwdriver to take it out.

I have those wing-nut-type drain plugs in my pump too, Ive always just wanted to replace them with regular hex-head plugs for just this reason......but they havent broken (yet ).

-Chris

[waste]

Another, perhaps easier, way to do as Chris said is to just take a hammer to the butt of a flathead screwdriver and drive it into the plastic enough to create the slot you need. (a not as easy way could be to heat up the head of the screwdriver and melt, and let cool, a slot into it)

[CarlD]

For removing metal bolts and screws you use a tool called an "Easy-Out". You drill a hole of the correct size in the screw, then insert the Easy-Out turning counter-clockwise until it bites down and loosens the screw.