Stripped air vent tapping

Motivated Amateur

I had to replace an old gorton air vent, which came out quite smoothly. When I went to screw in a new vent, it could barely catch the threads - as if it were bored out wider at some point. The threads on the old gorton are the same as a new one. Is there any way to close up the hole a bit, to get the new vent to screw in? I already tried wrapping the vent threads 10 times in teflon tape. (And no, I don't know how that old vent stayed in all these years!) Thanks

Bernard Smith

Is this a main vent or a rad vent

Motivated Amateur

Sorry 'bout not specifying- it's a rad vent

John S.

drill...

and tap it for a 1/4 NPT thread. Then install a 1/4" x 1/8" bushing. Make sure to use the correct drill size (I think 7/16")

To Learn More About This Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Professional"

Motivated Amateur

thanks`

and tap it for a 1/4 NPT thread. Then install a 1/4" x 1/8" bushing. Make sure to use the correct drill size (I think 7/16")

Thanks, John. I looked up what an NPT thread is. At the risk of sounding oblivious, how do I get the bushing into the drilled out tap? Is it self-threading?

John S.

drill & tap

Richard,

It would be a two-part operation. First, drill the hole with the appropriate size drill. Then another tool called a 'tap' would be used to cut the 1/4" NPT threads. After clean-up, the bushing would then screw into the freshly 'tapped' threads.

If this would be your first time with a pipe tap, you may want to find a friend that's had some experience or find a pro to help. best of luck.

To Learn More About This Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Professional"