# Plastic boiler drains are an abomination!



## hewhodigsholes (Oct 28, 2020)

Changed out an 80 gal electric today. Connected the hose and cracked the valve under pressure to clear out the scale, then shut it off and hooked up the transfer pump. As soon as I started to open that plastic drain valve, the dang thing blew apart and shot water and scale all over the carpeted hallway. 

I managed to jam it back together enough to stop the flood. Pretty sure I cross threaded it in the process. I despise plastic valves. 🤬

Anyone else had this happen to them?


----------



## Tango (Jan 13, 2018)

How about flooding city hall? 1st year apprentice and my mechanic told me to hook up the hose to a big water heater and to drain it, I didn't know what the hell I was doing until the whole drain cock came out. They were scrambling to find a shut off valve which wasn't there.... 6"inches of water later....

Our bottom drain cock are opened using a flat head screw driver. Unless it's those freaking off brand diy specials. Those are booby traps.


----------



## Nazareth (Sep 30, 2017)

Yep. I'll usually grab a bowl or a bucket, and then hot swap a bv. I don't even mess with that garbage anymore.

I think those plastic pieces of sht need to be illegal. Its absolutely ridiculous.


----------



## Tango (Jan 13, 2018)

I hook up the pump first then open the valve to prime the pump. Plus the plumbers here install the heater with a brass drain cock still using a screw driver to open/close. Those I haven't had any issues.

What kind of valve was it?


----------



## Nazareth (Sep 30, 2017)

Tango said:


> I hook up the pump first then open the valve to prime the pump. Plus the plumbers here install the heater with a brass drain cock still using a screw driver to open/close. Those I haven't had any issues.
> 
> What kind of valve was it?


I've had issues, but I live in UT so the water here is liquid sandpaper


----------



## Logtec (Jun 3, 2018)

As an apprentice we were working in the youth detention Centre, after we shut down and drained the heating system, i was told to crack open up a union, to see if the system was empty, so We could change a valve... 
nope the pipe sheared off just above the floor and over the next few mins it started to flood out the first floor and cells.. 
it was a nightmare, I ended up using a wooden wedge(that held the door open) to drive a rag into the 1” pipe to stop the flood of water. 
in the end it was a learning experience and a good story to tell the grand kids(which I don’t have yet..).
This type of thing only makes us stronger, as long as you learn from your mistake.


----------



## skoronesa (Oct 27, 2015)

Logtec said:


> .....................
> it was a nightmare, I ended up using a *wooden wedge(that held the door open) to drive a rag into the 1” pipe* to stop the flood of water.
> .................



The british navy still teachers their sailors to plug holes in the hull(say that 10 times fast!) with a bag of wooden wedges.


----------



## Logtec (Jun 3, 2018)

skoronesa said:


> The british navy still teachers their sailors to plug holes in the hull(say that 10 times fast!) with a bag of wooden wedges.


100% I saw that some where at some point in a movie..


----------



## Sstratton6175 (Jan 10, 2021)

Those plastic drains are an insurance claim waiting to happen. When they give me even the slightest impression that they are brittle I drain what I can from the T&P into a bucket. Then I unscrew the T&P and put a rubber washing machine hose that I cut the end off of into the tank and hook that up to my transfer pump and avoid the crappy drain all together.


----------



## ShtRnsdownhill (Jan 13, 2016)

skoronesa said:


> The british navy still teachers their sailors to plug holes in the hull(say that 10 times fast!) with a bag of wooden wedges.


----------



## Master Mark (Aug 14, 2009)

those valves have been around for 40 years and have been a horror show for plumber
and homeowner alike.....

I had one fellow where a set of skis fell over in the mechanical room and snapped off
that valve on the way down to the floor...... full pressure shooting across the room and
flooded the hell out of his house before they could shut the heater off.....

Smith and whirlpoo both have them on their newer heaters and they seem to be much
stronger than the older ones from long ago..... you just cant get them to drain when 
their is sediment in them....

brass valves rule


----------



## Tango (Jan 13, 2018)

Nazareth said:


> Yep. I'll usually grab a bowl or a bucket, and then hot swap a bv. I don't even mess with that garbage anymore.
> 
> I think those plastic pieces of sht need to be illegal. Its absolutely ridiculous.



I heard this many times on this forum but what I don't get is what happens if the threads of the plastic drain cock were to snap off? 70 gallons end up flooding the place or worse it's on a 3rd floor condo complex damaging the apartments below too.

It's getting me to think that I should maybe drain them from the top in condos if they are plastic. Never had an issue though with these :


----------



## hewhodigsholes (Oct 28, 2020)

Master Mark said:


> brass valves rule


Our company policy is to rip out whatever boiler drain is there and replace it with a short brass nipple and a full port ball valve.


----------



## Tango (Jan 13, 2018)

Master Mark said:


> those valves have been around for 40 years and have been a horror show for plumber
> and homeowner alike.....
> 
> I had one fellow where a set of skis fell over in the mechanical room and snapped off
> ...


2 summers ago a guy was installing shelves in a closet and his drill fell on the plastic valve and it snapped off. Him and his wife spent the entire night using towels to soak up the mess and they showed me their blisters on their hands... I had to extract the broken plastic. Told the guy you should of went and bought a shop vac.


----------



## OpenSights (Mar 23, 2015)

hewhodigsholes said:


> Changed out an 80 gal electric today. Connected the hose and cracked the valve under pressure to clear out the scale, then shut it off and hooked up the transfer pump. As soon as I started to open that plastic drain valve, the dang thing blew apart and shot water and scale all over the carpeted hallway.
> 
> I managed to jam it back together enough to stop the flood. Pretty sure I cross threaded it in the process. I despise plastic valves. 🤬
> 
> Anyone else had this happen to them?


I don’t remember if this was a 40 or 30. Plastic drain down. 2nd or 3rd floor in a 20s apartment building. It turned into a bucket job. On the plus side, I was able to change for cleaning the tub drain.... we put the valve back in once it was light enough to move down the stairs.


----------



## Debo22 (Feb 15, 2015)

It just happened to my brother today


----------



## skoronesa (Oct 27, 2015)

Master Mark said:


> .............brass valves rule


Of course brass is better. We install state and they all come with brass.

But nothing is foolproof. I was snaking a drain at a school and hooked my hose to the drain valve to flush the waste line. Went to shut the drain and when I tried to shut the drain it wouldn't. Phocking anode rod wire was stuck in it!!!! Tried pushing it back in with hot water coming out to no avail. I ended up screwing my 3/4" ball valve with garden hose ends on! I was pissed. That was ~5 years ago. Our guys changed that heater a month ago and no one knows where my valve ended up!!!

I couldn't shut the cold off because it was a bank of 3 heaters with one valve and it was 30mins before lunch time so the cafeteria kitchen was using tons of hot water. That valve and hose adapters was only like 2 months old.


----------



## Nazareth (Sep 30, 2017)

skoronesa said:


> Of course brass is better. We install state and they all come with brass.
> 
> But nothing is foolproof. I was snaking a drain at a school and hooked my hose to the drain valve to flush the waste line. Went to shut the drain and when I tried to shut the drain it wouldn't. Phocking anode rod wire was stuck in it!!!! Tried pushing it back in with hot water coming out to no avail. I ended up screwing my 3/4" ball valve with garden hose ends on! I was pissed. That was ~5 years ago. Our guys changed that heater a month ago and no one knows where my valve ended up!!!
> 
> I couldn't shut the cold off because it was a bank of 3 heaters with one valve and it was 30mins before lunch time so the cafeteria kitchen was using tons of hot water. That valve and hose adapters was only like 2 months old.



Its stories like this that make me want to go to my supplier and order a bag of hose caps just out of paranoia


----------



## skoronesa (Oct 27, 2015)

Nazareth said:


> Its stories like this that make me want to go to my supplier and order a bag of hose caps just out of paranoia


HAHAHHAA!!! EXACTLY!!! After that I grabbed a handful from the shop and have kept one in my pocket ever since


----------



## skoronesa (Oct 27, 2015)

Nazareth said:


> Its stories like this that make me want to go to my supplier and order a bag of hose caps just out of paranoia


I had a call for a leak in the ceiling of a selectman's office a couple years back. I happened to be parked on main street 100' away. I stood on his file cabinet to look above the drop ceiling. Heating system boiler drain was slightly dripping, they had just started the heating system for the season a couple days prior. Pulled out my pocket hose cap, screwed it on gudentite, and I was done. He grinned and asked "That's it?! You're still charging me the hour minimum aren't you?".


----------



## Nazareth (Sep 30, 2017)

skoronesa said:


> I had a call for a leak in the ceiling of a selectman's office a couple years back. I happened to be parked on main street 100' away. I stood on his file cabinet to look above the drop ceiling. Heating system boiler drain was slightly dripping, they had just started the heating system for the season a couple days prior. Pulled out my pocket hose cap, screwed it on gudentite, and I was done. He grinned and asked "That's it?! You're still charging me the hour minimum aren't you?".


"Hell yes I am!"


I have two hose caps on my van

...Somewhere

Probably next to all those lost receipts I've been looking for


----------



## skoronesa (Oct 27, 2015)

Nazareth said:


> "Hell yes I am!"
> 
> 
> I have two hose caps on my van
> ...


I probably have a dozen. One in my pocket, several in my toolbag, and some in a couple different places in the van. If I use a drain for water like when I am snaking and I have any doubts about it holding, usually because I was the first guy to use it in several decades, I throw a cap on. No need for a call back from a dripping boiler drain my master could have put in when he was knee high on a fence post.


----------



## Tango (Jan 13, 2018)

Debo22 said:


> It just happened to my brother today


How old was the heater? Ask him if he put any kind of strain on it and what he did.

When is the time in years to assume the plastic valve may be brittle?


----------



## Tango (Jan 13, 2018)

I keep drain caps in the same tool box as the water heater drain pump, easy to remember where they are.


----------



## BC73RS (Jan 25, 2014)

Nazareth said:


> Its stories like this that make me want to go to my supplier and order a bag of hose caps just out of paranoia


Most of the big contracts we did had a cap c/w chain on an any hose bibb styled valve. It was always written in the specs.


----------



## sparky (Jan 8, 2014)

skoronesa said:


> I had a call for a leak in the ceiling of a selectman's office a couple years back. I happened to be parked on main street 100' away. I stood on his file cabinet to look above the drop ceiling. Heating system boiler drain was slightly dripping, they had just started the heating system for the season a couple days prior. Pulled out my pocket hose cap, screwed it on gudentite, and I was done. He grinned and asked "That's it?! You're still charging me the hour minimum aren't you?".


Nope 2hours what I would have said lolololol9lo


----------



## Master Mark (Aug 14, 2009)

I have had a number of them break off and then try to chip out the plastic shank broke off in the threads...
I finally get the threads cleared and the new valve wont start cause the threads are all corroded..
then I had to find a 3/4 tap to re-tap the god dam thing ..... and all this with the water coming out 
onto the basement floor........ this was a rental and they did not want a new heater

but I won....


----------



## skoronesa (Oct 27, 2015)

Tango said:


> I keep drain caps in the same tool box as the water heater drain pump, easy to remember where they are.


I always keep a hose cap in my pocket.


----------

