I recently fabricated my own holding tank and installed it. Now that we are using it we have found that we have a good bit of odor coming from the tank. All the fittings are welded into the tank. With only four 90 degree elbows screwed into them(in, out, and two vents). I used Teflon tape on all the treads and made sure that they were good and tight. The only other openings are two deck plates that were added for access. I believe that the deck plates are the source of the odor. Do you have any recommendation on a way to seal these? I thought of slathering up the covers with bearing grease and putting them back in. Do you think odor will penetrate through the grease. Also, anything that I might have missed?
New welded Polyethylene tank odors?
- Thread starter tiger37373
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Use rubber o-rings to seal the covers
As for anything else you might have missed... I suggest you pressure test the tank to make sure your welds are sound. Easiest way to do that: fill it with water to which you've added enough food coloring to show up if there's a leak...block the vent...flush the toilet in the dry mode till you feel some real backpressure (don't overdo it...you only want to pressurize the tank, not burst it!). Go away overnight...then check ALL your welds for any leaks. This will also be a good test of the condition of your toilet's joker valve...'cuz if your tank has completely de-pressurized by the time you get back, it's time to replace it. Heat welding poly is a learned skill--to know just how much new poly and tank wall to melt together to turn them into a single strong mass that doesn't have any gaps in it. If you'd never done it before, you're a brave soul to make a sewage tank your first project.
As for anything else you might have missed... I suggest you pressure test the tank to make sure your welds are sound. Easiest way to do that: fill it with water to which you've added enough food coloring to show up if there's a leak...block the vent...flush the toilet in the dry mode till you feel some real backpressure (don't overdo it...you only want to pressurize the tank, not burst it!). Go away overnight...then check ALL your welds for any leaks. This will also be a good test of the condition of your toilet's joker valve...'cuz if your tank has completely de-pressurized by the time you get back, it's time to replace it. Heat welding poly is a learned skill--to know just how much new poly and tank wall to melt together to turn them into a single strong mass that doesn't have any gaps in it. If you'd never done it before, you're a brave soul to make a sewage tank your first project.
How did you weld your tank?
I was considering doing this but was discouraged by all I read on the web about the process.
I was considering doing this but was discouraged by all I read on the web about the process.
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