Patching a fresh water tank puncture?

[memobug]

I have to repair a puncture in my Escape's water tank and I ran across a suggestion on another RV forum of using hot glue. The reasoning was that he tank is polyethelene, and the glue sticks are also poly, so theystuydk well together. The post also suggested, I believe, flame polishing the torn edge with a small butane torch. I guess that melts the edge a little and provides a smoother attachment point. I did not make notes or links because this wasn't a problem I had at the time I read the post!

Anyone tried this? The 10 gallon tank I took out of the U-haul also appeared to be patched at least two different ways. One way did look like it was done with a hot glue gun. The other method looked like it involved RTV and some kind of (maybe) rubber patch.

If I had the clearance I could just drill and tap it and install a plug, but the plumbing that actually created the hole is too close by to make that practical.

Regards,

Matt

[gbaglo]

Any time I've tried to use heat to effect a repair, it appears that I'm just about there and then the material being heated suddenly pulls back and makes an even bigger hole.

Check out marinetex.com

They make all sorts of fillers etc. for the marine industry.

Marine Tex® epoxy systems repair, bond and fill fiberglass, aluminum, plastics such as PVC, ABS, polyethylene (Starboard® Marine Building Sheet), inflatables, glass, masonry, ceramics, wood, dissimilar materials and more! Dependable high-strength epoxy products, coupled with a knowledgeable technical staff provide the confidence to tackle almost any project.

I owned a boat before I came to my senses.

baglo

[Donna D.]

I replied over on FiberglassRV"

"Since it's for the fresh water tank and I would imagine you will use the water for drinking/cooking, may I suggest you just make certain the solution you use for the repair is also for "food grade." Don't want to ingest a bunch of bad-for-you chemicals! The gray water tank would obviously be less of a problem."

[shanngord]

Originally Posted by gbaglo

Any time I've tried to use heat to effect a repair, it appears that I'm just about there and then the material being heated suddenly pulls back and makes an even bigger hole.

Check out marinetex.com

They make all sorts of fillers etc. for the marine industry.

I owned a boat before I came to my senses.

baglo

ditto to what baglo says!!! Heat and any other material has the habit of unintended consequences.

I still own the boat though (and have to figure out how to tow it with the escape or


Gord (less than 4 months to go)

[memobug]

I'm afraid epoxy doesn't stick well to polyethelene. I checked the Marinetex website and they suggest the flame polish, so I don't think I can get away from heat:

Return to Top

How to bond or seal polyethylene plastic joints:

-Product: Marine-Tex FlexSet

-Materials: Propane torch with flame spreader, small cup of water.

-Conditions: Minimum 65?F temperature, 48 hours to fully cure

-Read instructions on packaging. Prep polyethylene by using the 'flame-treatment' method. There is a one hour window to bond the materials after flame treating the polyethylene. Apply epoxy to the bonding surface, leaving minimum of 1/16" of material between joint. Use mechanical means to support contact between the joints while the epoxy cures. Let the application sit for the full cure time.

Apparently, polyethylene is used as a mold release for epoxy, and the little cups and mixing tools are typically poly because most adhesives don't stick well to poly. I may have to go heat weld or hot glue. Apparently it sticks very well to itself. I will keep you posted.

Regards,

Matt

[Vermilye]

Although it takes some time to learn the necessary skill, plastic welding is one of the best repair techniques. The welder consists of a heater hooked up to an air supply - blows a stream of hot air through a fine nozzle. You use fillers just as you would with brazing or welding.
Example.

I have also seen versions that work like a soldering gun without an air supply, but have only used the air supplied version.

[Garand]

That's a very interesting tool. I don't have an application for it, but I want one! I assume you have to buy "welding rods" of the same amterial you are attempting to weld?

Dave

[Geo]

This is a very interesting thread.
I have not yet have had to deal with water tank problems.
I did fix the bottom of my skies, with poly filler and a old Iron
Geo

[Vermilye]

That's a very interesting tool. I don't have an application for it, but I want one! I assume you have to buy "welding rods" of the same amterial you are attempting to weld?

Yes. Sticks of filler "rod" are available for most plastics. If you have acceptable gas welding skills, moving to the plastic welder is fairly easy. If not, you will have to spend some time practicing before you try something as expensive as a tank. In some ways it is like welding aluminum - you don't get the color clues as to temperature like you do welding steel. Too much heat & the entire weld site turns to liquid!

[Yukon Escape]

Contact someone who lays vinyl flooring, the tool and plastic filler are used to make water tight seams

Doug

[hippo]

Plastic Welder find a mobile tool truck like,Snap-on, Mac, Matco, Cornwell, or SK they all sell plastic welders.

[TC]

Kayak dealers specializing on Polyethylene yaks
may have a Poly welding kit for minor repairs.

Good luck.

[blugene]

How do you repair a water tank if it's covered with insulation foam?

[hotfishtacos]

I drilled holes in my water tank by accident and successfully repaired them so I did all the research and know exactly what you should do. You are going to weld the holes shut using material from the same tank. Nothing will stick to PE plastic except melted PE so using some shavings from the same tank is preferred. There are different grades and blends of PE so don't take a chance with the bond strength and use plastic from the same tank.

1. If the tank is covered with insulation then chip away what you need to to gain access to the leak location.
2. Remove thin shavings of plastic from the tank corner(s) or edges with a sharp wood plane. The plastic in these areas is very thick and taking off a little bit won't compromise the tank at all. I got this idea from the tank manufacturer.
3. With a plastic welder (hand-held soldering iron with a flat tip-available at some hardware stores or Harbor Freight) melt and work the melted material down into the hole and then flatten the hole area with the flat tip.

I removed my tank to fix the holes because they were on top. It was really easy to do. This repair is very easy to do and requires very little skill...I did it! Good luck!



Steve