Leaking Grey Water Tank on Boler

[KevinDR]

Does anyone have any suggestions on fixing a crack near the tank drain on the grey water tank? It looks like the last fellow who owned the 17' boler I bought made a weak attempt at a repair. So now I got a slow drip from my grey water sewage system. I got what looks like a stress crack off the joint, and I am unsure whether I can do a do-it yourself fix on the polyethelene tank. Has anyone tried to before? And how?

[Lew King]

Try epoxy-putty
you mix it and coat it on and it dries rock hard

read the directions on the tub!!!

I used it on copper and ABS pipes and it has been on for 20 years and not leaked at all
real good stuff!!!!!!!

in fact it dries so hard hou can drill it and sand it and even plane it not that you will be doing that

Lew

[Brian B-P]

I had a significant crack in the front side of my B1700 greywater tank, presumably from road debris (gravel) hits. It had been poorly patched with some material, possibly expoxy, and a scrap piece of thin and hard plastic sheet was jammed between the tank and supporting crossmember to cover it. It leaked.

I did some experimentation, and in the end used fiberglass tape (2" wide strip of fiberglass cloth) bedded in solvent cement to fix it. There is solvent cement for ABS and PVC piping - I got the two or three types I found in the plumbing section of a hardware store and I think I ended up with the PVC stuff (although I agree that the tank is likely polyethylene rather than PVC). These solvents seem to be loaded with some solids (they are not just volatile solvent and do build up some material) and work by partially dissolving the base material (the tank plastic). I knew I had the right stuff when I found the one which became bonded to the tank as it dried, rather than just forming an easily peeled off layer.

I built up about four layers in total, brushing on a coat of cement, laying on the cloth, then brushing it in with more cement. The solvent cement takes some time to dry, which lets you get out from under the trailer and breathe fresh air for a while (or until the next day, in my case).

The more obvious way to go is with an epoxy-based repair kit for RV tanks, as I later found in stores (such as Canadian Tire). The kits which I have seen come with the fiberglass cloth tape, too. If I didn't already have the materials, and needed to do another repair, I would probably get one of those kits.

The fiberglass cloth was important in my case, because the old crack had opened up as the edges curled inward. Mechanical strength, not just plugging a hole, was important, and just expoxy would have likely not worked. I think that this would apply to a stress crack near a fitting, as well.


By the way, Kevin, I had not noticed before that you're from my part of the world. Welcome, and get that Boler fixed up - it's spring out there!

[KevinDR]

Thanks Brian.

Yes, it's spring time and between coaching soccer for the kids and other commitments, I am stressed out trying to get all the renovations done with every other spare moment I've got. My first project is to recover all the cupboards at the moment. In my wanderings, I came across the leaky tank.

I like your PVC cement idea, because it acts as a solvent and perhaps welds the crack I have. I will give it a try because I have some cement already. The concern I have with Epoxy putty is that I have read, perhaps it's bond with the tank may fade away. How has your patch using PVC solvent been holding up?

[Brian B-P]

My trailer (and therefore the tank) has had very little use (unfortunately), and I haven't checked it yet this spring, but it did survive a trip of about 3000 km last fall, and was holding fine when parked it. I crawled underneath to check and the patch was not separating or cracking at all.

If I remember, I'll report my findings when I de-winterize the plumbing system and check the current condition of the patch.

This is what it looked like while I still had the front support removed. It looks like just a single layer of fiberglass cloth, but I made successive layers larger, so the last one covers the first ones and extends further out on the tank surface. The cement dries nearly clear, so it is not clearly visible in the photos - it's not even obvious in person. The stands are holding up the tank, not the trailer!




On my first attempt it leaked, because I had not removed the support (which is an angle iron that fits into the step in the tank) and did not realize how far up the damage extended. After removing the support and extending the patch (didn't remove the original material, which had bonded fine but just not covered enough) everything is fine.

Any yes, everything steel under the trailer is at least superficially rusty. Previous owners were not concerned with details like maintaining paint coverage, and frankly I'm not sure that I will be either. I haven't mustered the energy to tackle improvements in that area yet.

[Dan Meyer]

I had a drip from my Scamp's gray water tank as well. It turned out to be the outlet to the tank was attached with silicone, not the usual solvent cement. This is a good thing, as it allows easier repairs to the tank and outlet assembly.

Read all about it on my web site. Click on "modifications and repairs", then scroll down about half way.

-- Dan Meyer

[Rob S.]

My gray tank has a crack on the atachment collar. I talked with the local RV repair shop and they said they could cut the old one off, sand it smooth and spinweld on a new one. Alternatively you can order some plastic welding rods to fix the crack.

http://www.eastwoodco.com/shopping/search/...ng,plastic,rods

They make kits that range from $50-200 but all you need is the rods some fiberglass window screen and a 40 watt soldering iron. If you go to the link above and click each rod type they tell you how to do a burn test to identify the type of plastic material you need to weld.

[Brian B-P]

If I remember, I'll report my findings when I de-winterize the plumbing system and check the current condition of the patch.

Well, I didn't remember, but I did find this topic while searching for tank information.

We have been on only one trailer trip this year - and are about to leave on another - and as of the last trip the tank repair is holding up fine.

[Borden]

Great information will drop the tank out and do the repairs on the picnic table this week.

Going to use A/B marine epoxy in crack, line it up and then use the PVC cement with cloth as above.

Have fiberglass cloth, PVC cement and A/B marine epoxy already in the tool shed. May get an extra can of PVC cement though.

Will grind back some of the prior poor patches and lightly sand the new crack first. Then will do the patching. prior patching is very rough.

Thanks

[Borden]

Old silicone, bondo, fiberglass frankenstein patches just fell off and most of the broken out missing material was inside the tank, so that was great. several long cracks across the bottom as well. The tank will not last long term, tank material is too deteriorated. Will work for now when patched get us though our next camping trip. Have a replacement steel tank from JoyCalgary but it needs a few changes first to be able to install it.

To keep original tank would have to glass entire tank.

Just finished grinding out the drain tube; used Dremel with hobby cutter what a mess worked very well. Lots of hollow spots full of water. down to original tank rubber washer at connection done. Pipe connection has cracks from impact but all there so good news. They had thick coating so silicone at most of the base. just enough to have some connection. Leaking patch layers very rough work they just did patch over patch over patch.

They used a material that is very strong one time but did not bond with tank. the new patch is bonding well. Area done yesterday "7th" has some strength today.

Again thanks for all the help, especially to Joy

[Borden]

Used the A B epoxy and the pvc glue with glass cloth in different areas for repairs. Depends on how stiff the area needs to be. Used 3 cans of A B epoxy and 4 cans of pvc
glue with cloth so far. Will have tank ready to reinstall soon.
Got all the drain pipe parts now as well. The abs pipes are so brittal, did not know abs had a shelf life.