plastic fuel tank repair

Sep 22, 2018
1,869
Hunter 216 Kingston
I guess the more important question - decision is if the tank has cracked in one area, perhaps it will crack somewhere else so how big is the problem and what should you do about it ;)
 
Last edited:
Jan 4, 2006
6,608
Hunter 310 West Vancouver, B.C.
if the tank has cracked in one area, perhaps it will crack somewhere else so how big is the problem and what should you do about it ;)
If the cause is obvious, remove if possible and proceed with the repairs. If not obvious or impossible to remove, get ready for a lot of sleepless nights :yikes: !
 
Dec 2, 1997
8,756
- - LIttle Rock
If it's polyethylene, it's not repairable....the USCG has some pretty strict regs when it comes to fuel tanks. For one thing, they're made of a different type of PE than water and waste tanks They're made using LDPE (low density LINEAR PE)...petroleum products will saturate it. So plastic fuel tanks must be made of CROSS LINKED PE...I don't know of any water/waste tank mfrs who also make fuel tanks.. They must also meet USCG standards for fuel tanks..minimum wall thicknesses, fittings locations, no surface on which liquids can pool (I think there are more, but that's all I can remember). If you search for "marine fuel tank manufacturers" you'll turn up a bunch

I"ve now exhausted everything I know about fuel tanks.

--Peggie
 
Jan 22, 2008
8,050
Beneteau 323 Annapolis MD
...I"ve now exhausted everything I know about fuel tanks...
How about fuel cans, since you're spouting plastic knowledge;) ?:beer: A bit different, but would you know if diesel fuel can be transported in some other color can? I'm getting tired of toting 5 gallons for backup. I see one-gallon gas all the time, but never anything smaller the diesel 5s. Is it a difference in the plastics, does anyone know?
 
Last edited:
Dec 2, 1997
8,756
- - LIttle Rock
I only posted to explain why you can't use a water or waste tank to hold fuel--gas OR diesel. I'd bet you can find the answer if you search the net for "portable diesel fuel tanks".

--Peggie
 
  • Like
Likes: LloydB
Mar 10, 2022
1
escape xls mississippi
Has anyone had experience using a sealant or adhesive to repair a crack in a "poly" gas tank? I have tried 5200 and J/B weld. Sanded surface and cleaned with acetone prior to application, but neither would stick to plastic surface
i dont have a boat but i do have experience with a leaking plastic gas tank.On my 20 year old SUV the fuel tank straps rusted through. the tank dropped down enough that the driveshaft wore through the metal protective skin and then through the plastic tank far enough that you can see a white layer through the black layers of plastic. there was no hole but gas actively seeped through this wearspot. ive tryed everything that i know of to patch/seal the leak from seal-all to jb weld plastic tank repair to blue steel plastic bonder and they all would fail within a few days. i work at a big box hardware store so i see a lot of sealants and adhesives. This leak persisted for the past 6 months so i would have to limit how much gas i could put in the tank or end up with a gas puddle underneath my SUV. I was willing to try anything and read as much as i could on the subject and then i saw a product that has nothing to do with plastic tanks or gasoline leaks. i bought this stuff and decided to try an experiment so i pierced a hole into the bottom of an empty ibuprofen bottle with a knife and applied this sealant over the hole and let it dry overnight. The next morning i filled the bottle with gasoline and set it on a folded up papertowel so i could easily see if it leaked. i left it on my desk for three weeks and it is currently still there and not leaking. 8 days ago on march 2nd i cleaned the leaking area on the tank and made sure there was very little fuel in the tank and applied the sealant to the wearspot while on my lunch hour. i waited until the next day, approx 24 hours and put in enough gas that i knew was over the spot that had been leaking and have continued to do that for the past 8 days and still no leak or seepage. The sealant that finally did the trick ?? loctite pl marine sealant that i bought at lowes.
1646948547091.png