Losing money before I even start

[Justin Turco]

My 325 gallon snyder leg tank got dragged down a dirt road this season. Not by me... Need I tell you..... what it did to the bottom?! Well, it's not leaking but darn close to worn through. Pretty good size area. Not just a small "patch". I spoke to Peg at Snyder and she asked me if the guy is still my freind.. meanwhile telling me they don't have anything that I can "slather" (my word) on this area to build it back up. I am wondering if any of you have experimented with repairs like this.

Some ideas I have.

Melt some milk jug plastic on there.

clean with pvc pipe cleaner (Ie: Acetone and Methylethylketone) Then spread some pvc glue on it. The gray glue looks a little thicker than the clear.

If it was just a small hole, I believe there are plastic sticks that you can buy to melt into the hole. But this is a large area.

Yes........he's still my freind..



Any off the wall ideas?

[gmcooper]

I repaired a hole in my tank years ago with Clear Geosill caulking. It is a very strong and flexible adhesive/caulking. We use it installing standing seam roofing. I filled the hole with enough so it mushroomed thru the hole then put a patch of plastic from a plastic drum over the wet caulking. It has been there for more than 10 years. No leaks and it is near the bottom of a 435 gallon tank that does not always get handled gently.
Mark

[Homestead Maple]

I've used Shoe Goo with really good results on plastic repair of that type. You should be able to get the stuff at a hardware store. It's made by Eclectic Products in Carson, CA.

[Haynes Forest Products]

I was going to say make sure you ruff up the area near the thin spot so the patch holds but it sounds like your friend already did that. Now the next obviouse question is you didnt try and hold this tank onto the truck with twine from Home Depot? you know the kind that you see people tie down 30 sheets of 4 X 12 5/8s drywall on the top of a AMC Pacer with.
You can melt a patch on with a good heat gun or a low flame torch with. As stated good thick milk jugs are close to that type plastic. I called Snyder this year about a teck question and they were about the most enept people I ever delt with. Gave them the serial no of their tank and the dimensions and they coulnt tell me the size in gallons.

[nymapleguy607]

What about using a fiber glass patch? If it wasn't completly worn through then maybe that would hold. I'm not real sure where you might buy the patch kit at but I think a hardware store should stock them. Just A thought Jeff

[KenWP]

Automotive store is where I buy mine to fix plastic pig feeders.

[halfast tapper]

try norwesco site I believe they have a patch kit

[TapME]

any marine supply store will have the 2 part epoxy and the sheets of fiberglass that you can put on the roughened area. I have used this to fix many a boat, gas tank, and to bind 2 pieces of metal together without welding. when you are done with the patch on the tank you can put on some wooden skids so that dragging it on the ground will not damage the tank again. Just the way I would fix it.

[lpakiz]

Auto parts stores have this for body work. I have also seen it in big-box stores in their automotive parts sections. Comes in a kit with the blanket ans two containers of liquid. You must mix the resin base with hardener. A small can such as tuna or cat-food works good. I believe you can get liquid or gel style, which will stay on a verticle surface better without running. Wear rubber disposable gloves....

[Haynes Forest Products]

And go easy on the hardner for first time users. It shoulnt smoke when your mixing it.:lol:

[wkfg]

If it were mine, I would use E-6000 by Eclectic Products. It is the formulation of the original Shoe Goo from 10 years ago before it was made consumer safe, in a thinner self leveling formula.

[Justin Turco]

"Loosing money before I even start"....who's the crybaby?...Oh that was me who wrote that..

some good ideas here for tank repair. thankyou!



I've been thinking about this and I have an idea that I am going to try tomorrow.

I have cut up a bunch of milk jugs. (#2 HDPE) I am going to put them in a pan then put the pan in a bath of boiling vegetable oil. Which boils around 400+ degrees. That "should" melt the milk jug pieces. Meanwhile I'll preheat the spot that is damaged with a torch CAREFULLY. Then pour on the hot plastic and putty knife it smooth. I'll let you know how it goes.

Also, someone mentioned the folks at snyder. My impression is...they know exactly how to fix this kind of thing but really don't want to say. They were pretty tight lipped. They'd rather I just buy a new tank. Or at least buy the heat gun they also sell and the repair strips.

[PerryW]

you might want to stop at a ski shop and pick up a couple Pitex Candles (sp?, pronounced PEE-TEX).

They are about the size of a pencil. You light them and they drip molten plastic. They are used for repairing the plastic bottoms of skiis. Very easy and inexpensive.

[Haynes Forest Products]

Turko The oil will act like a seperating medium and will make a slippery mess. I would just lay the milk jug sheet and use it dry if its going to bond it will need to be pure plastic to plastic clean with brake clean first. When it starts to turn clear is when it will bond and then turn cloudy again.

[KenWP]

What would happen if you tried a heat gun to melt it into the other plastic. Trying to soften it in oil would be a disater as the oil would make a film between the two plastics. Another idea would to use contact cement and weight it down after attaching the peices.

[lpakiz]

Guys, go back and read his strategy again. He said he's gonna put the pklastic pieces in a pan and PUT THE PAN IN A PAN OF BOILING VEGATABE OIL Should work like the double boiler that you melt chocolate in...

[brookledge]

I have seen electric soldering irons that have a tip that is ment for plastic and you use a plastic stick like you would if it was solder.
Keith

[KenWP]

Duh guess we all read what we want to see. Sorry. Now if he would fix this thing and then give us a play by play feed back we could pick on somebody else instead.

[Justin Turco]

Ipakiz is right...about the double boiler...and I did try it today. The oil got hot enough to "soften" but not really melt the plastic like I had hoped it would. Also, the smoke that came off the oil tended to condense IN the double boiler. (even with a lid on the stainless container that held the plastic) (Right ON the plastic.) I didn't realize that it was making the plastic oily. As you would expect this caused it to NOT adhere.

In the end I took the torch and heated the damaged plastic then layed a layer of milk jug on the spot and melted it to the softened tank material. That worked pretty well. It bonded well and cooled hard. No problem with heating the tank with the torch, it's thick enough that the heated spot doesn't cave in. The heated spot also didn't turn black very readily, like I thought it would.

Long story made short (And this is exactly what Haynes was telling me to do) Heat the damaged spot with the torch. Lay a piece of milk jug on it and melt that with the torch. Take a putty knife and lay it on top of the spot your working on then put the torch on the back side of the putty knife while your smoothing out your work area. That works.

By the way heating the putty knife with the torch like I am describing will put a little "oil can" spot in your good putty knife. It basicly ruined my putty knife.

Finally, the ski repair plastic "Peetex" sounds like a good idea too.

And the Geocel silicone sealer would probably work too. Geocel is the same brand I use for stuff around the house. There is a difference. Geocel is the BEST. No kidding.

I'd have to say it was a good experiment. (really thought I was onto something there.) And I did learn a bit about working with a damaged spot. But the best thing to do is just be super nice to the bottom our tanks. This tank is going to get a very light duty set of skids under it to protect it..from here on out. Because it is still compromised. I appreciate the input from you all.