plastic tank repair

[JAmos]

I need to fix one of the top corners on a 300 gallon plastic tank. Any suggestions? What comes to mind is a fiberglass repair kit with the cloth and glue/resin. Am I even close?



Jordan

 

[Philip]

Fiberglass normaly doesn't like plastic. Very few products like to hold onto plastic. The best thing I have found is aircraft fuel cell sealer.



I have repaired many steel gas tanks that had rust holes. I have repaired a couple of plastic fuel tanks with cracks.



If the corner is just cracked it would work. If it has pieces missing that would be a problem.

 

[WVanHemert]

There are two types of adhesion, mechanical, and chemical, mechanical is when you have a rough surface or a hole that glue or material can go through, chemical is when there is a chemical reaction that bonds the two elements.

The best situation is when you have both, there are many different plastics and many different glues, find out who made the tank or a tank like it and ask them. They often have repair kits that you can buy for cheap that will provide proper adhesion.

 

[JAmos]

I work in the oilfield and one of my coworkers gave me a patch stick used to cover dings and chips in the pipe coating. It uses a hand held torch to melt the stick and then kinda smear it on. Are there any pvc glues that work with all kinds of plastics? Maybe 3m makes something.



Jordan

 

[Hoefler]

Most likely you have a ABS plastic tank. They are strong and flexible to a point. You can find a holding tank repair kit at a RV dealer that will work. You can use it to seal small holes or leaks. If it is a larger hole or a crack, use a reinforcing overlay with it. If it is a crack, make sure you drill the ends.

 

[Moving Violation]

I need to fix one of the top corners on a 300 gallon plastic tank. Any suggestions? What comes to mind is a fiberglass repair kit with the cloth and glue/resin. Am I even close?



Jordan

LORD Corp. makes a product called Fusor 100EZ, I by it at a local Federated Auto Parts Store. It's a 2 part product that will require you purchase their "gun" to apply it. It is a "heat set" product meaning use a heat gun & in 10 minutes "walla". The gun is a 2 plunger "calking type" of gun. PM me if you can't find it locally.

 

[WaltHess]

You need to know what the tank is made of first. Plastics like HDPE cannot be glued, but they can be welded. If it is a thermoplastic I would look into welding it. The plastic welders I have are basically small heat guns with built in compressors. The plastic , and filler rod, is heated up until they get glossy then you just push them together.

 

[LMcCary]

Some hardware stores sell plastic glue kits for a specfic type of plastic, except as WaltHess states you must weld HDPE. Find a radiator shop or a air condition repair shop and ask them about welding the tank. Some shops carry plastic welders and different kinds of glue sticks to repair the various dash components.

 

[DBush]

I work at a radiator repair shop,and we use acutech epoxy for cracked plastic tanks on radiators. This stuff really works well. You might want to check a radiator shop in your area. Hope this helps.