Fiberglass water tank leak.

[Kerry13709]

I have a leak on the top seam of a built in water tank. I removed the berth above it to determine where it was leaking. I searched the archive for information on repairing, but found nothing on a water tank specifically. I have read as much as I could find onthe different systems of repair, and find some are good for above waterline repairs on hulls mostly. Found some information on epoxy for below waterline hull repairs. I am looking for enough information on fiberglass repair on a water tank to determine if I should attempt the repair, or look for someone to do the job. Any suggestions, links, or help appreciated.

 

[John]

Had leak on plastic tank

Hi. I have a 1977 Catalina 30, with an 18 Gal water tank. It has a fill connection on the upper left hand corner of the rectangular tank. Apparently the PO had for some reason, stressed the fill fitting and it cracked in the corner. I emptied the tank and took it home. After inspection, it appeard that the tank was made from a polyehtelyne type plastic. Sort of soft in that you can scrape material with a knife or sharp object. I took rough sandpaper and roughed up the area hoping for better contact area for the patch. So, I was not sure how fiberglass resin would adhere to this poly material. I took West system epoxy resin with slo hardner and wetted the area and then applied fiberglass cloth to the corner and more resin. That was first of last season. So far, the patch has held, adhered well, and is leak free. I do not fill the tank more than 3/4 full, but with heeling and bouncing around, it has not leaked. I hope this information is of some help for you. Best of luck.John

 

[Peggie Hall HeadMistress]

What's the tank made of?

Is it an integral fiberglas tank or a plastic tank?If it's an integral fiberglass tank, and it's only leaking at the top, I suspect it has a lid...so all you should need to do to fix the leak is recalk the lid.

 

[Steve Dion]

what boat?

Kerry:What boat do you have?If it is a H'31, we ended up having the lid glassed in place. This is a very dirtly and messy job. We ended up having the lid glassed in place to the tune of about $500.It required that the gel coat is removed from the lid and the liner. Then they cut two access ports into the lid for future cleaning (one on each side of the baffle). Then the lid was glassed in place an gel coated to finish it off.

 

[Kerry13709]

Leaky tank

Peggy, it is a beneteau oceanis, 1993. The tank looks like it is built into the structure of the boat. It is possible that it has a lid. I cannot see any fastners arount the edges as it looks like it is glassed in. Could have been repaired as the color is different than the rest of the top of the tank. As far as I can tell, it is leaking from one of the corners where abrasion has occured. Tank is 104 gal.