Drain assembly for Triton 3

[Triton2]

Hi

The plug on the drain assembly on my Triton ll sand filter broke due overtightening and I had the bright idea to remove the drain assembly. Now I put a new plug in but the drain assembly won't screw all the way into the filter due to sand in the threads. However the filter is not leaking and it is filtering. Is the pump safe to run with the assembly in 3/4 of the way in? Thanks.