I am installing a Todd polyethylene holding tank in my Vega. The tank comes with installed threaded fittings which of course are in the wrong locations. They also supply a "relocation kit" for putting the inlet, outlet etc anywhere you desire. They are basically plastic thru hulls and the manufacturer specifies to use silicone sealant to seal the joints. What are the thoughts here on this? The silicone doesn't seem to adhere that well to the plastic. Colin... V-703
Sealing holding tank
- Thread starter o2n7dcolin
- Start date
Polyethelene is a wonderful material for holding tanks and lots of other things because pretty much nothing reacts with it. This very same property also makes it impossible to use glue successfully. You just use the same techniques. as in plumbing. Mostly compression fits.Roy
Some plastics can be welded just like metal. They take plastic strips
and a torch and weld seams and plastic fittings in. Might check with a
welding shop. They may be able to put a fitting anyplace you want
it????? Doug
Douglas Pollard Albin Vega Sealegs 2225
groundhog wrote:
and a torch and weld seams and plastic fittings in. Might check with a
welding shop. They may be able to put a fitting anyplace you want
it????? Doug
Douglas Pollard Albin Vega Sealegs 2225
groundhog wrote:
When they attach fittings to these tanks they spin them in and the friction
heats it up enough to weld them in. Compression would be a second choice.
heats it up enough to weld them in. Compression would be a second choice.
Check with a company that makes poly tanks. Or a good retailer of
them. Installing fittings is easy. My local retailer spins fittings into
poly tanks and it only took a minute the last time I had one put in. A metal
welder won't be able to help. Anything they use will melt a lot more than
you want them to.
them. Installing fittings is easy. My local retailer spins fittings into
poly tanks and it only took a minute the last time I had one put in. A metal
welder won't be able to help. Anything they use will melt a lot more than
you want them to.
Brian, Many Job shops now have the proper tools for welding plastics.
Spin welding as you suggested is I'm sure the bestway to do it if a shop
has the equipment. If it can be spin welded it can also be torch
welded, the torch being low temp. In either case you have to have the
right equipment. The equipment is pretty cheap. Doug
Douglas Pollard Albin Vega Sealegs 2225
Brian Stannard wrote:
Douglas Pollard Albin Vega Sealegs 2225
Spin welding as you suggested is I'm sure the bestway to do it if a shop
has the equipment. If it can be spin welded it can also be torch
welded, the torch being low temp. In either case you have to have the
right equipment. The equipment is pretty cheap. Doug
Douglas Pollard Albin Vega Sealegs 2225
Brian Stannard wrote:
Douglas Pollard Albin Vega Sealegs 2225
Welding works. I know some guys that make driftboats out of PE sheets by welding them. They use what looks like a hot air gun and have long rods of PE as a fill rod. I used a regular heat gun that I made a nozzle for to weld a crack in a whitewater kayak. It's held for years of pounding.
He is also a regular contributor to Professional Boatbuilder and very
respected throughout the industry.
respected throughout the industry.