Check Valve Broke and cannot thread in!

[dryfly]

I just went through that same situation a few weeks ago. Buy a 1/2" NPT tap, to clean the residual plastic out of there. I 1st cut slots in the plastic thread stuck in the tank bung, then pried some out with a screw driver, then melted and scored more of it with a soldering iron. Pain in the ****** job. After removing as much as you can, then run the tap in just like you would if you were tapping metal. That is how I cleaned mine. A thread extractor tool didn't work at all. Be sure to flush your tank a couple times to clear debris before putting it back together. I bought an aluminum elbow for mine, followed by a PVC fitting, then a brass check valve to avoid dissimilar metal corrosion.

See post # 10 in this thread where @Hoopy Frood mentions that the tap will bottom out on the bung. Did you have this issue or were you able to clean all of the thread area?

[deerislandbrew]

See post # 10 in this thread where @Hoopy Frood mentions that the tap will bottom out on the bung. Did you have this issue or were you able to clean all of the thread area?

I didn't have any real problem with the tap bottoming out. The plastic threads from the old check valve were cleaned or pushed out when I stopped. Still your best option to clean the threads anyway you look at it.

[deerislandbrew]

Heating up very hot with a torch is a bit of an issue when the port is surrounded by styrofoam, and close quarter wiring. That would work well in an open environment. I couldn't do it in my very close quarter area around my water heater.

I used a soldering gun with the flat hot tip. Trigger heat to activate the gun, is really the best option cause its not hot until you need it.