i have pulled my water tank so i could clean out the compartment it is fitted into and also replace the feed line to the sink . i can see on the tank where it has a small crack where the hose barb was probably overtightend, i this repairable? as it is located at the lowest point of the tank i am hoping that i do not have to replace it. t.i.a.
plastic water tank
- Thread starter markv15343
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Polyethylene ?
If the tank is polyethylene (likely), there’s nothing (I know of) that will really stick to it. You could try thermal welding the crack. Use a soldering iron with a flat tip, and melt the plastic around and over the crack. If the access hatch permits, weld the crack from the inside as well as the outside.
If the tank is polyethylene (likely), there’s nothing (I know of) that will really stick to it. You could try thermal welding the crack. Use a soldering iron with a flat tip, and melt the plastic around and over the crack. If the access hatch permits, weld the crack from the inside as well as the outside.
Is only the female threaded "collar" cracked?
Or the tank wall? If only the collar, a new one can be spinwelded in by any plastics fabricator in your area for under $10...and you already have the tank out to take it to one. But if the tank wall is cracked, it's unlikely that it can be successfully DIY mended, but a plastics fabricator with the right tools MIGHT be able to...it depends on the size and location of the crack and how much stress the weight of the water in the tank will put on the mend. If repairable, it won't cost much. Either way it's worth a try. Be thankful it's your water tank...'cuz NObody will work on a used waste tank.
Or the tank wall? If only the collar, a new one can be spinwelded in by any plastics fabricator in your area for under $10...and you already have the tank out to take it to one. But if the tank wall is cracked, it's unlikely that it can be successfully DIY mended, but a plastics fabricator with the right tools MIGHT be able to...it depends on the size and location of the crack and how much stress the weight of the water in the tank will put on the mend. If repairable, it won't cost much. Either way it's worth a try. Be thankful it's your water tank...'cuz NObody will work on a used waste tank.
thanx!
yes, the crack is on the collar and the collar is on the wall. thanx for the idea of welding it on. that sounds like my best answere. any recomendations for a fabricator in the seattle area?
yes, the crack is on the collar and the collar is on the wall. thanx for the idea of welding it on. that sounds like my best answere. any recomendations for a fabricator in the seattle area?
Check the Yellow Pages under "plastics"
In a metro area the size of Seattle, there have to be whole bunch of industrial plastics fabricators/molders. Any who can spin weld in polyethyelene--which is how fittings are installed in tanks when they're made--should be able to repair your tank. DIY isn't as simple as it appears...'cuz just melting new material into a crack won't work...the edges of the crack have to be melted too, so the that new and old poly blend together to become a single mass. If too little of the tank wall is melted, the new material won't "stick" to it, the crack will just pull apart again...too much can weaken the tank wall, resulting in a new crack.
In a metro area the size of Seattle, there have to be whole bunch of industrial plastics fabricators/molders. Any who can spin weld in polyethyelene--which is how fittings are installed in tanks when they're made--should be able to repair your tank. DIY isn't as simple as it appears...'cuz just melting new material into a crack won't work...the edges of the crack have to be melted too, so the that new and old poly blend together to become a single mass. If too little of the tank wall is melted, the new material won't "stick" to it, the crack will just pull apart again...too much can weaken the tank wall, resulting in a new crack.
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