Hello :)

[carranzaj20]

Hi!  My husband and I recently purchased our first fifth wheel - a used 2004 Keystone Outback (Sydney Edition) bunkhouse.  We are SO excited to be taking our first outing this weekend!  We are learning things about it every day - all systems seem to be in good working order, but when we went to flush the water tank last weekend the water came pouring out of the water heater plug on the side of the trailer - and we discovered that not only had we forgot to check that plug - but that the top of it had been broken off and the thread of it is still in the pipe!  I purchased new plugs for it, but will be unable to screw the new one in until we remove the broken "neck" (for lack of a better term) of the old broken one!  Any suggestions on how to do this?  There is a pipe (metal tubing) in the way so I am unable to get plyers in there to try to unscrew it... my husband may be able to figure it out since he's pretty handy but I'm at home early and getting impatient.

I have enjoyed reading bits on this website for months now, as we've been shopping for our perfect camper... we have three grown kids and three "little" ones (ages 23 down to 3) so we look forward to many adventures as a family!  This is a very informative website and such a friendy community.  Keep up the great work!

Jennifer and Mark

 

[Becks]

Hi guys, and welcome aboard. Those plastic water heater plugs break off often. What has worked for me is to simply heat up the end of a screwdriver, and when real hot push it into the plastic plug, then just unscrew it. Good luck.

 

[Ned]

Something like this or larger might work.

 

[kjansen]

Is it plastic or steel.  Ned has the right tool or you can  take a hack saw blade and cur the plastic. Just be very careful not to cut completely thru the threads or you may damage the threads in the water heater.  I havae had ths happen and used the hach saw trick before.  Once the piece is out you can use teflon tape and don't screw the new plug in too tigt-just enought to stop the leaking.

 

[carranzaj20]

Thank you all for your advice - I went out there with a screwdriver and a fireplace lighter and tried to get it hot and stick it into the remnants of the plug - to try to unscrew it - but I couldn't get it hot enough to go in.  Not sure what it's made of - it's kind of rubbery - is it nylon?  I found something on here somewhere about a nylon plug.  Feels kind of like what zip-ties are made of.  Anyway, then I got the idea to take a big knife and stick it in there - so it would grip into the plastic or nylon or whatever - this gripped it, but I was afraid I'd break the knife when I tried to turn it.  Wouldn't budge and the blade was starting to bend!  Maybe we'll try the hack saw idea and just be really careful... if that doesn't work I'll get the tool Ned mentioned!  Thanks so much... hopefully it'll be out soon!