H30 Holding Tank Leaks.....i think...

[malyea]

The holding tank on my '82 H30 may be leaking and my next step is to figure out for sure if it's a crack in the tank or a hose fitting.

Background - couple weeks ago the bilge water smelled really bad and looked dirty and there was a slight trickle into the front of the bilge from somewhere forward. I pumped out, flushed the tank, cleaned the bilge and haven't used the head since.

At the time of the leak, I looked with flashlight in the tank compartment, port side under forward V-berth and couldn't see any sign of any leak. I assumed the tank leak was out of sight, behind the tank and running down between the hull and hull liner and ending up in the bilge.

The tank is now dry so of course no leak.

Before I proceed, I think I need to verify exactly where the leak is - don't want to replace more than I need to...

So, how about if I fill the tank (one gallon at a time) with maybe non-toxic anti-freeze (wait a couple days between gallons) and inspect it well to identify the leak location (maybe get lucky and be a hose fitting after all)?

Is non-toxic anti-freeze a good, safe liquid for this application? Am I on the right track?

Thanks

 

[Steve Dion]

Why not use water with food coloring! Water is sort of cheap! I like green food color!

 

[Peggie Hall HeadMistress]

Welll...maybe

Red food coloring in water is the easiest, non toxic way to find a leak in the fresh water or sanitations system.

What's your tank made of? If your answer is metal of ANY kind, don't even look for a leak...replace it..'cuz if it's not leaking, it will...if it is, the first leak in any metal tank is always only the FIRST leak...it's turning into a colander.

Your best source for a new tank is Ronco Plastics (no relation to Ron Popeil and his VegoPocketWhatever)...they make TOP quality water and waste tanks for a VERY reasonable price I that's even more reasonable if you order it from the online store at this site), and have more than 400 shapes/sizes available, over 100 of which are non-rectangular. And they install fittings in the sizes and locations specified by the customer when they make the tank.

If you need help, I'm glad to to do it.

 

[malyea]

Thanks for the info.

The holding tank appears to be original and seems to be made of fiberglass. If I determine it is a tank leak - given its not metal, how best to attempt repair of the leak?

It is built in and located against the forward port hull under the port V-berth. At its top, it is roughly 14"x24" and about 19" deep tapering to a very narrow base (triangularly trapazoidal?).

The base area seems glassed directly to the hull but half way up the tank backside is positioned away from the hull by a couple inches (no shift, that's how its installed).

I can't reach the forward or outboard exterior sides of the tank - if the leak is so located, I'll have to repair from the inside. The good news, there is an original design access panel held over the tank top with 26 screws and caulk so interior tank access is easy.

Thanks!

 

[Peggie Hall HeadMistress]

Fiberglass is repairable

If you can find the leak, I'd use one of the JB Weld products...here's a list of 'em: http://jbweld.net/products/index.php Read the descriptions and pick the right one for the job.

JB Weld is good stuff... A guy on one of the houseboat sites has used JB Weld to repair so many holes in an aluminum waste tank, one at a time, that I think he's just about replaced the whole tank with it..none of his patches has failed even after a couple of years.

 

[malyea]

Found the leak...sort of...

If you can find the leak, I'd use one of the JB Weld products...here's a list of 'em: http://jbweld.net/products/index.php Read the descriptions and pick the right one for the job.

I poured two gallons of clean water into the fiberglass tank and within a few minutes had a trickle leaking into the bilge from the area of the holding tank.

The tank seems tabbed/molded to the inside port hull under the port side of the V-berth. When on my knees I can view thru an access door and inspect all hoses, fittings and the drain stem at the base of the tank. I can't see any evidence of the leak and I can't spot the point where the leak exits the tank.

The tank is definitely leaking and running into the bilge, but the crack must be on the outboard or forward side of the tank and therefore I can't reach it to ID the exact spot....sooo...

I think I need to scrub out the inside of the tank, and if I still can't ID the exact leak spot, then spread either a layer of JB Weld or fiberglass cloth/resin over the entire interior wall of the tank - a bit of a shotgun repair but maybe required....

Thoughts???

 

[Ed Schenck]

Can you spread out some baby powder or paper towels to find where the trickle originates? I like those blue paper shop towels for that purpose. It is really hard to see clean, even dirty, water on the hull.

 

[malyea]

Nope, don't think so. It seems very clear that that the leak is located on a tank wall out of sight on the "backside" and then running down between a "liner wall" and the hull and then trickling under the sole until it reaches the bilge....

....kind of like the lost desert river of the Huacheewatie tribe that disappears underground and then reappears miles away.... ;-)


Editors note: I made up that tribe to illustrate the situation.

 

[Bill Roosa]

So how are you going to get access to the inside of the tank to preform such a feat?
I suspect you will be pulling the tank so why not just repair it with a soldering iron once it is out? Also, I'm pretty sure nothing sticks to poly so how do you insure your epoxy sticks to the inside and does not "leak around to the existing crack" near the tank hose connections?

 

[malyea]

Repairing tank leak

So how are you going to get access to the inside of the tank to preform such a feat?

Fortunately, there is a "lid" held on with 26 screws and caulk that I can r/r to give unrestricted access to the inside of the tank.

[/quote]I suspect you will be pulling the tank so why not just repair it with a soldering iron once it is out?[/quote]

Repair a fiberglass tank with soldering iron...how do I do that?

[/quote]Also, I'm pretty sure nothing sticks to poly so how do you insure your epoxy sticks to the inside and does not "leak around to the existing crack" near the tank hose connections?[/quote]

I think it's fiberglass, not poly. Won't fiberglass cloth with resin adhere to it in a permanent way?