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Post by Mr Stabby on Aug 6, 2017 17:12:17 GMT
Been trying to empty the tank so I can change the valve on the outlet which has stopped functioning, but it is taking an awful long time to empty (I've never fully emptied it before). This has made me somewhat paranoid that there is a hole letting in canal water... Lol, I thought that the first time I fully emptied my water tank for Winterisation before I lived aboard, I wondered if an invisible person was outside filling the tank up as fast as I was emptying it, but no. If canal water was leaking into your water tank then you'd sure as shit notice it when you drank a glass of tap water.
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Post by Delta9 on Aug 6, 2017 17:14:47 GMT
A pic of the offending item might help to get more ideas. If it's only rounded off one way then sometimes tightening a smidge helps to break the seal. Also try soaking a few drops of diesel under the bolt head, not too much though, don't want it inside the tank... if there's a bigger allen key spare, maybe try filing it down to a very tight fit. This is the bastard.
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Post by Delta9 on Aug 6, 2017 17:18:04 GMT
Been trying to empty the tank so I can change the valve on the outlet which has stopped functioning, but it is taking an awful long time to empty (I've never fully emptied it before). This has made me somewhat paranoid that there is a hole letting in canal water... Lol, I thought that the first time I fully emptied my water tank for Winterisation before I lived aboard, I wondered if an invisible person was outside filling the tank up as fast as I was emptying it, but no. If canal water was leaking into your water tank then you'd sure as shit notice it when you drank a glass of tap water. I tasted canal water before when trying to figure out whether the water in my bilge had come from the canal or a water pump leak. Turns out canal water doesn't actually taste awful and is surprisingly clear when you only have a glass full.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 6, 2017 17:20:14 GMT
A pic of the offending item might help to get more ideas. If it's only rounded off one way then sometimes tightening a smidge helps to break the seal. Also try soaking a few drops of diesel under the bolt head, not too much though, don't want it inside the tank... if there's a bigger allen key spare, maybe try filing it down to a very tight fit. This is the bastard. Torx candidate all day long. If that fails, drill the head out. It looks to be an M6 screw are you using a 4mm Alan key? If it is M6, carefully drill the head off with a 6mm drill bit, you need to be as banh on centre as you can, starting with a 4mm drill will help to center it. Slowly drill as it looks to be stainless until the head breaks away.you can then think about extracting the remains of drilling and tapping a new hole, which may well be the easiest thing to do.
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Post by TonyDunkley on Aug 6, 2017 17:52:52 GMT
Try tapping it round with a cold chisel into the outer edge of the head, . . . two or three blows at a time, alternating from side to side each time. Avoid using a sharp chisel - it will just slice a bit of metal off the head instead of driving it round.
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Post by lollygagger on Aug 6, 2017 17:59:36 GMT
Forget the L shaped key, you need a proper bit. Get the dust and crap out of the hole and hammer the bit, or torx bit in with a lump hammer. 👍
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Post by Andyberg on Aug 6, 2017 18:18:20 GMT
Get Foxy on the job....he'll be able to talk it out! 🙄🙄
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Post by bettina on Aug 6, 2017 18:59:52 GMT
The butchers way: Either: A pair of vice grips on the head. Or, a flat screw driver hammered into the hexagons of the allen bolt, and a spanner to turn the screw driver Like this... The engineers way: Drill and tap ( sometimes using a left handed drill bit does da biz) Heat it if you can...it makes all the difference !! I was actually gonna suggest ^^ this, but thought all the blokes on here would just laugh at my "silly suggestion". Now I feel silly for not suggesting it at the time
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Post by Deleted on Aug 6, 2017 20:24:02 GMT
I laughed a little bit.
I'd drill it out if it were mine but then there is the question about whether to enlarge the hole to tap for M8 thread or try to remove the threaded part. Hmm.
As it happens both my boats (both about 20 years old) have integral water tanks with inspection/access panels fastened down with M6 countersunk socket cap stainless steel machine screws. Just like D9's one appears to have.
I am a "let sleeping dogs lie" type of person so I'm not going in either of the water tanks until the tap water gets seriously naughty.
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Post by IainS on Aug 6, 2017 21:27:23 GMT
I've become a fan of left handed drills for things like this. Great feeling of satisfaction as a threaded cylinder unscrews itself from the hole, leaving the internal thread clean and undamaged ...
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Post by naughtyfox on Aug 6, 2017 21:27:52 GMT
Get Foxy on the job....he'll be able to talk it out! 🙄🙄 Fucksake why not just glue something to it with Gorilla Glue, wait a day, then turn it. Easy peasy.
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Post by naughtyfox on Aug 6, 2017 21:30:15 GMT
Get Foxy on the job....he'll be able to talk it out! 🙄🙄 I had to click on the '1 more likes this' to see who it was. Grrr...., dogless! (edited: was for effect but too harsh, dogless is a good egg.)
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Post by smileypete on Aug 6, 2017 21:56:07 GMT
A small magnet will help tell if it's stainless as stainless fasteners tend to be non magnetic.
If it's plain steel and you go the chisel route, it might help to drill a couple of 1/8th inch holes right at the edge of the bolt head, even the cheeepest battery drill should be able to do this.
Though I'd agree a torx bit hammered in might do it OK if one's available, maybe try a little WD40 or diesel overnight to help free the thread.
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Post by Clinton Cool on Aug 6, 2017 23:08:46 GMT
Bit of a long shot, but might an impact driver with an allen key bit, good clout with a hammer stand a chance of starting it off?
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Post by Deleted on Aug 6, 2017 23:21:03 GMT
A pic of the offending item might help to get more ideas. If it's only rounded off one way then sometimes tightening a smidge helps to break the seal. Also try soaking a few drops of diesel under the bolt head, not too much though, don't want it inside the tank... if there's a bigger allen key spare, maybe try filing it down to a very tight fit. This is the bastard. If you have a drill, don't piss about, just drill it. Then whack an oversized hex key in and undo with a spanner.
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