Cow boy plumber

[Milzy]

I bought an expensive radiator. I should have fitted it myself. The kitchen fitter said don’t worry I’m a plumber too I’ll fit it for you while I’m here.
I noticed a dab of water when he left near the left valve. It had plenty of PTFE tape on. I thought he must have needed one or two more turns. Plumbers paste like jet blue is better than tape anyway.
I drained the rad and inspected and found the threads chewed up. Also some inside are. He swears he didn’t cross thread it and is a fault of the internal threads. Now looking at this picture to me it has been cross threaded then tightened. Wouldn’t you agree??

 

[Profpointy]

To be fair, it might have been supplied with munged up threads

 

[Milzy]

To be fair, it might have been supplied with munged up threads

Not the one in the picture I checked them. So you’re saying the internal thread was bad and it stripped the part shown?

 

[Slick]

Nah, he has stripped that.

 

[Profpointy]

Not the one in the picture I checked them. So you’re saying the internal thread was bad and it stripped the part shown?

Not really saying that - I guess it's possible but less likely. Was just saying it's not unheard of to be shipped damaged items, but it sounds like you've already rules it out.

Maybe a new screwy in bit would still match up to the perhaps damaged female threads? The makers might post you one for low or even zero cost maybe

 

[classic33]

What's the internal thread look like?

I don't know about cross threading, it looks as though it was slightly larger than the female thread. It's flattened the tip of the threads.

Would you take the time to take a small knife file or junior hacksaw blade to the plug?

 

[slowmotion]

That's not a manufacturing defect. Someone's stripped that thread.

 

[PeteXXX]

If it's stripped the male thread, the rad internal thread must be similarly mullah'd!

 

[Milzy]

What's the internal thread look like?

I don't know about cross threading, it looks as though it was slightly larger than the female thread. It's flattened the tip of the threads.

Would you take the time to take a small knife file or junior hacksaw blade to the plug?

Inside you can see some of the last threads have become rough probably from cross threading. Maybe with all the PTFE tape on he couldn’t feel it properly then rushed it in but too late by the time he realised so left it.

 

[gbb]

I'm not suggesting the person responsible for fitting did or didn't bogger it up but..
Any debris on either the male or female threads, perhaps left during manufacturing, can drag metal with it, horribly damaging threads as it goes. Seen it particually on alloy cranks when inserting pedals, also on components at work. Done it myself, start threading, feels tight but you can tell its not cross threaded, its actually ripping the threads as you go. Its sensing when that his happening, stopping immediately and backing up then checking that prevents a bigger mess. Or vcarefully visually inspecting before you start....and we all do that don't we

 

[Slick]

Well, any half decent tradesman certainly would.

 

[Accy cyclist]

Just looking at, never mind the thought of attempting D.I.Y sends me to sleep.

 

[raleighnut]

That has been cross threaded.

 

[Milzy]

That has been cross threaded.

He blames the female threads on the radiator. He will have put the PTFE tape on too thick so couldn’t feel the thread engagement properly. Why can’t he just say sorry I cross threaded it. I’ve been using nuts and bolts in industrial settings for years so I know how it’s done.

 

[notmyrealnamebutclose]

Is that a vertical bike rack.