Heating Help

I did, yes I did...

My radiator spud bushing union thingy was stripped and my the old radiator valve was leaking...
I am sure you all know where this is headed
Had to sawszall the old valve off
Which means I needed to get the old bushing spud thing out of the 80 y/o radiator
Just for fun I thought I would throw the spud wrench in there....what do u know...It strips the bushing...BIG surprise
So my sawszall was taking too long to cut the bushing so I switched blades
Well the new blade cut fine
AND I CUT THROUGH THE RADIATOR BUSHING THREADS
Yes, and I put the bushing in and connected it all up...and it is leaking.
So based on my picture what r my options?
Don't tell me I have to tap out a bigger hole and put a larger bushing in...please no

teflon/rtv

Try teflon(blue is better) and high temp silicone caulk on the male threads of the bushing.Also try to fill the notch that you cut with the high temp caulk before you put in bushing.Good luck

JB Weld?

You could add some JB Weld on the threads.  But it ain't ever coming out again.

I can't help with a fix

but I might help in the future.

When we did my steam mains we cut the pipes off around an inch away from a fitting.  We then used a chisel and a hammer to fold the pipe in on it self by pounding in one area with the chisel which pulled it away from the threads in the fitting.  We did this on two different mains and it worked great both times.  It may be more work but there is no risk of cutting threads.

Works every time

I have used this technique many times. Time consuming but it works

I'd bore and tap it on general principle.

With a bushing on there you'll at least have something you know you can get ahold of and unscrew the next time, and if you can't get the spud out of the bushing, oh well. You're only out a bushing (and a radiator spud, but they're not reusable anyway).

I don't know who ever fantasized that you'd be able to take a brass fitting out, when it's threaded in as tight as it will go and has the threads sealed with pipe joint compound, by pushing against those two little bumps, which are partially corroded, with a tool that doesn't even engage them efficiently.

To me a spud wrench is just for installing radiator spuds. I take them out by clipping the retaining ring and grabbing the end of the spud with a pipe wrench.

Next time take your sawzall to the retaining ring. Then you'll have something you can get a wrench on.

thanks

Thanks guys for your ideas....I will attempt the silicone and tape method first
The spud wrench from HD wasn't even able to tighten the new spud
By the way...if I put jb weld on it ill never b able to get the spud bashing out?
Not even sawszall and pound it out?

sawzall

What you could do is carefully put some JB Weld only at the cut. Then use a tap to clean out the threads a bit.  



I use a sawzall too.  Just stop short of the fitting.  You don't need to cut the fitting all the way through.  Just enough to weaken it so when you hit it with a chisel, it breaks off at that point.  Kind of the same strategy as cutting glass.  Here's some pics of a recent sazwall job I had to do.


http://www.heatinghelp.com/forum-thread/139477/Location-of-main-vent#p1252588

Cleaning before assembly

Make sure you clean and dry the threads and saw cut notches well before applying the silicone RTV. Use a wire brush and then clean with a rag and isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol. Dry the surfaces well with a heat gun or hair dryer, as the silicone won't bond to a damp surface.

If done properly the repair should last many years

we've all done it

just relax.  use a couple wraps of wicking on the male threads & you'll be fine.