Help removing sheared drain plug from pump housing

[jtaves85mcss]

I started my pool opening today and everything went well up to the point of installing all the drain plugs at the pad. I managed to shear the head of a nylon drain plug at the front of my hayward unit and need to figure out a way to back out the screw body at this point. The plug head had a rubber washer that compresses against the ABS housing to make the seal, so I doubt it is water tights at this point.

I have given consideration to cutting a slot in the screw body with a hot screw driver or running a screw extractor in it, which will require more clearance than afforded by the suction side lines (nearest I can tell at this point).

As you can see from the picture there is not a lot of room here.

I hope this isnt the first time this has happened and some of you may have an easy solution. Any suggestions are welcome

 

[JamesW]

Heat up the tip of a flat head screwdriver and push it into the plastic. Allow it to cool and unscrew. Don’t get near the threads.

 

[jtaves85mcss]

Thanks for the confirmation JamesW. I went out at lunch and bought a replacement plug. This evening I used the hot screw driver and had it out in less than 5 minutes and was able to get the filter charged and finish opening.

I was not overly aggressive with the plug, it spun out so easily I suspect the female threads had some grit even after hitting them with a tooth brush or the old plug was just brittle.

All is good in my corner of the world.

 

[JamesW]

Good job. Thanks for the update.