Aluminum replacement for broken T handle on tank valve rod
On a recent trip, part of the plastic T handle on my black tank valve rod snapped off while we were dumping the tank. Back home, after a little research, I discovered that the T handle was internally threaded and screws right onto the end of the valve rod -- very convenient! So I came up with this simple fix.
(I know what you are thinking -- why not just buy a new plastic handle? I could, but I no longer trust those handles not to break at a crucial moment. I wanted a heavy duty handle.)
I took a piece of half-inch thick aluminum scrap and used a hacksaw to cut a replacement handle. I then shaped it with a flat file and then cleaned up all of the rough edges with a belt sander.
Next, I drilled a 15/64 inch hole in the center of the piece, starting with an eighth inch bit, then a 3/16, and finally a 15/64 bit. (Don't use a quarter inch bit -- the cutting threads on the tap will have nothing to cut if the hole is too big.) I then used a quarter-inch 20 pitch tap in order to create internal threads in that hole, to match the threads on the end of the rod.
I screwed the replacement handle onto the rod, holding back on the rod with a vice grips so I could get it very tight. The end of the threaded part of the rod projected out from the backside of the replacement handle by about 3/8 of an inch. I put a lock nut onto that little stub and tightened it, so that the new handle will not unscrew from the rod.
Here are two views of the finished product. This is a three-quarter end view:
Click For Full-Size Image.
And this is a side view:
Click For Full-Size Image.
(I know what you are thinking -- why not just buy a new plastic handle? I could, but I no longer trust those handles not to break at a crucial moment. I wanted a heavy duty handle.)
I took a piece of half-inch thick aluminum scrap and used a hacksaw to cut a replacement handle. I then shaped it with a flat file and then cleaned up all of the rough edges with a belt sander.
Next, I drilled a 15/64 inch hole in the center of the piece, starting with an eighth inch bit, then a 3/16, and finally a 15/64 bit. (Don't use a quarter inch bit -- the cutting threads on the tap will have nothing to cut if the hole is too big.) I then used a quarter-inch 20 pitch tap in order to create internal threads in that hole, to match the threads on the end of the rod.
I screwed the replacement handle onto the rod, holding back on the rod with a vice grips so I could get it very tight. The end of the threaded part of the rod projected out from the backside of the replacement handle by about 3/8 of an inch. I put a lock nut onto that little stub and tightened it, so that the new handle will not unscrew from the rod.
Here are two views of the finished product. This is a three-quarter end view:
Click For Full-Size Image.And this is a side view:
Click For Full-Size Image.
