Leaking grey water tank drain

[RichardD]

During winterization of my 2014 5.0TA, I noticed a leak at the drain on the grey water tank. This spin welded bushing has separated a bit from the tank. I believe this bushing is installed during tank manufacture & so may be difficult to replace afterwards. That leaves replacing the tank & all pipes connections, a more difficult & expensive procedure. I noted in Archives that rjreeves had a similar issue in Sep 2020; I believe he replaced tank & valve assemblies.
I was thinking I could use JB Weld to the leaking area on the bushing.
Wondering what members might think of this solution?

[tdf-texas]

Originally Posted by RichardD

I was thinking I could use JB Weld to the leaking area on the bushing.
Wondering what members might think of this solution?

JB weld will not adhere to LDPE plastic (stuff the tank is made of). From jbweld.com - "PlasticBonder will work on most plastics, save for polyethylene and polypropylene".

You will need to have a new fitting spin welded onto the tank.

If you have access to a 3hp router, you could do it yourself with the proper fittings / parts. Go with a 2" fitting - the old fitting will have to come off, a hole cut with a hole saw, and the new spin fitting installed. 2" will also help with drain times vs the 1 1/2".
https://www.spinwelding.com/spin-welding.html

Otherwise, I would ask around for a place that does LDPE tank spin welding.

[RichardD]

Thanks TDF-TEXAS for the reply. Spin welding? Learned something new! I’m looking for a local shop that can help me with this repair - not many available . Is there any product that adheres to ldpe plastic?

[Vermilye]

I made a repair on my gray tank (a crack & hole from road debris) using a plastic welder. I used a soldering iron type (prefer the type that uses hot air) and the welding held. Just to be sure, I covered the weld with Eternabond tape. The repair has held for 2 years...

[RichardD]

Thanks for your idea Jon; I’ll look into plastic welding.
Permabond sells adhesives they claim will bond LDPE plastics - anyone tried them?

[marant]

We had a leak at the grey tank inlet. Ended up cutting the inlet fitting out of the tank itself and installing a short length of radiator hose from the auto shop. Secured it to the tank with fiberglass and epoxy and slipped the other end over the drain pipe, secured with a pipe clamp. Kind of messy and awkward, but it worked well. The important thing is to use the radiator hose to put a vibration damper in the system to prevent future breakage.

I am not sure, but ETI may be installing a similar vibration damper in the system in new trailers.