School Me About Drain Plugs

So I am at that stage ... deciding what to use to plug the drain holes in the XJ. Carpet is out, but not staying out. I have some OEM drain plugs, but I'm looking for something I can remove easily if the unthinkable should happen again. I will be using a closed cell foam padding (not bought yet) under the carpet, something that won't absorb water and will allow moisture to dissipate. I have a lot of questions because I want to do this "right".

- What is everyone using for drain plugs, and how do I decide what size to buy? I have holes that measure 1", but I bought some 1" plugs & they don't seem to fit.

- What is the best type to use for ease of removal?
- Are there plugs I can install with a type of "release" that comes up through the padding (or carpet) so I can get to it easily? Maybe be able to remove it without a tool?
- Are marine type plugs best? I looked at "bailing plugs" and I like the design, just not sure about the practicality for this purpose.

Any advice, tips, cautions? Pics would be great. Please ... don't tell me to forget the carpet & bedline the interior. That's not an option.
Will post pics in a few minutes of the 2 types of plugs I bought to try.
Thank in advance!

Lots of choices here. If you want to be fancy, the one for $25 would be pretty cool and low profile.

http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wc...toreNum=10106&subdeptNum=10464&classNum=10467

Just go to West Marine and search "drain plug". They have chices down to a couple of bucks too.

Hey thanx for the link. Gonna check it out now ...

Edit:
Well, I have looked, but we're back to square 1, because I'm not sure how some of those work, and their suitability for my purpose. I like the "T-H Marine plug", but it looks like plastic, and I don't necessarily want the ring sticking up. The "Deck and Baitwell Drain Plug, Flip Lock" looks promising, but if it's only 3/4inch, it's out.

I need to see what you guys have used and hear pros & cons. I guess it's late for this. I'll bump in the morning.

There are a lot of drain holes in the floorboard. For the 1" holes in the cargo area and under the back seat I used body plugs from ZJ a-pillar, and for the 1.5" holes under the front seats I used body plugs from the Durango a-pillar (?). Those are all rubber and they are easy to work, but eventually I would like to get some kind of marine plug. I ran a punch through the center so water could drip out.



For the big holes in the front footwell, I found some universal garbage disposal plugs at True Value that fit perfectly. Long term I plan to use some pop-up "deck fill" plugs from a marine store.



So far I'm down about $10 maybe. Marine plugs are going to top $100 easily

...and a bilge pump.

ehall said:

For the big holes in the front footwell, I found some universal garbage disposal plugs at True Value that fit perfectly. Long term I plan to use some pop-up "deck fill" plugs from a marine store.



So far I'm down about $10 maybe. Marine plugs are going to top $100 easily

Click to expand...

I like the small rubber plugs, but there's no ZJs around for me to pillage. They fit real tight?

About the disposal plug, I won't need one that big. My large drain holes are still intact & the area is rust free. Does anyone know where to get those "ZJ" ones - or something similar? These are what I bought at NAPA (large) & the marine place (small) - Pics below: Not too keen on the smaller one, so it's going back. The only holes I have opened up are the ones under the seats & in the passenger area. I haven't got to the cargo area yet.

The little "tail" I just put there to keep it from rolling around.





Should I dissassemble the large plug before putting it in the hole? I kinda like it, but I'm thinking a wing nut instead of a regular nut would be better.

fwiw, the larger one you have is a "test plug" that's used to temporarily cap a pipe

I'm less concerned with it's intended purpose, and more in whether it would work for my purpose ... you know, pretty much like people use sewage pipes to make snorkels: not what they were made for, but they work fine.

Would this type of plug work for floor plugs?

Looks like it'd work great to me - I might install a piece of pipe or a flange of some sort in the hole before using it to give it a bit wider edge to hold onto, because the edge of the sheetmetal may cut into the rubber over time.

I also agree on the wing nut... get stainless steel ones! Home Depot does stock them somewhere or other.

Drainage plugs:shocked: Maybe that's how mice get into my Jeep:dunno: