Is this a good idea for fixing a leaky recovery tank?

[gimmeagig]

Hi,
I have Dodge Ram Van with a 8 year old Hydramaster CDS 3.8 in it.I bought it used from DA Burns in Seattle.
About 1 1/2 years ago the recovery tank developed a pinhole leak on the bottom of the tank. It's located on the passenger side about 2 inches from the front edge of the tank. I patched it from the bottom with a product called Aluminox Epoxy Stick. That's two component putty made for marine applications. It held up until yesterday when the patch pretty much just fell of. The waste water must have gotten behind the patch and loosened the bond to the tank.
So I was going to patch it with the putty again but my girlfriend had what I think is a much better idea, which I want to run by you guys.
So here it is.
She suggested that I drill the pinhole out large enough to get a bolt through. I can actually reach the hole with my powerdrill (I have long arms) Then I could put two metal washers on either side of the tank and in between that, to create the seal I would sandwich couple of soft washers. I want to make the washers as large as possible because the surrounding area might be weak as well and that would give a larger area more strength.
So my question is: Could I use regular rubber washers for that or will they disintegrate from the waste water and the chemicals?
Is there a better gasket material that I could use as washers?
By the way I completely cleaned out the tank and checked it with a shop light to see how the rest of the bottom is holding up and it seems OK . Even if it does the same thing somewhere else, as long as I can reach it I could do it again.
The machine and the truck are still going strong but I don't have the money for a new tank and welding it without taking it out of the truck is impossible.
But this fix really seems like it would be my best bet.
What do you guys think?
Do you have any other suggestions how I could make the tank last a few more years?

 

[Goomer]

Before you applied the first epoxy, did you sand the surface down? Usually when they "fall off", they did not adhere well. I would try sanding it down and JB welding it. JB weld has never failed me when applied right.

 

[Shawn Forsythe]

Other areas of the tank likely range in condition from pretty thin, to not leaking because the paint is still there. Whether your idea has any hope at staving off a cascade of leaks is dependent on the condition of the surrounding metal. Some people patch sections of tank with welded in panels that last for a while. But for how long yours will endure, can't be said with the available information from your post.

 

[Larry Cobb]

While not a repair our service dept. would use, I think the idea would work.

Use stainless fender washers, bolt, and Goop for the inside washer.

Usually, corrosion is noticed more on the outside of recovery tanks.

Larry

 

[Chads]

or just drill the hole and tap it and put teflon tape on it use stailnless of course. I think i would just have welded myself.

 

[gimmeagig]

I know, it's kind of hard to tell how thick the bottom of the tanks still is, but after really cleaning it I don't see any other questionable spots. I think ( really I'm hoping)the tank is held together by more than just the paint.
Putting new panels in would probably require taking the tank out. I want to wait on that one.Welding seems also not doable with the tank in place.
So using Goop as a washer material might be good? Or should I use it in addition to a rubber type of washer? Will rubber hold up to the chemicals and the heat or should I use nylon for example?
I was thinking I might have to assemble the bolt and the outer metal washer followed by the rubber washer.Then I would apply a little goop to hold it together . I will also have to probably glue the whole thing temporarily into a socket so that I can get the whole assembly into the hole from the inside without having everything fall off and land in the bottom of the tank.

 

[gimmeagig]

Oh yeah, I did really sand and clean the area before I applied the epoxy putty. It is possible that I made the patch to thick.I didn't use JB weld because it is kind of messy and where the pinhole is it's kind of difficult to get to.I can't see the hole from the bottom, only feel it.So that's why the epoxy putty is easier to apply.

 

[Gnu]

sand the whole thing down remove all the paint, inside and out, use jb weld quik weld scuff up the areas with pinholes. fill em up and use the roll on truck bed liner inside and out. and stop using acid based defoamers. they eat through paint and aluminium. prochem defoamer is silica based and has no acid.

 

[gimmeagig]

Thanks for your responses.
JB Weld seems to be the magic potion, but still only temporary.Right now the bottom of the tank where the pinhole is is nice and flat and so a big washer with some type of sealing gasket would have a nice even surface to sit on.I'm afraid that once i put the JB Weld on and it fails that I can't get the surface flat anymore.At that point the washer method would be out.The hole is really impossible to reach with my hands from the inside.My arms would have to be an extra 6 inches longer.I can try to get some JB weld on once I have the bolt and the washers in place as an added protection.
As far as the bedliner paint goes, I could wire brush ithe bottom of the tank and get it pretty clean but again, some areas are really hard to reach and the tank is old and the bottom is not really smooth. I'm worried that I won't get it so clean and get all the gunk out of the little pits in the bottom that the truck bed liner paint will stick perfectly.
I don't want to get that stuff into the bottom only to have it come off in sheets. At that point I would have a huge mess and possibly clog up components.
Also I got to get the truck going again quick. I'm only a part time cleaner at this point but I do have a few jobs coming up.So taking out the tank on my CDS is way beyond what I would dare to tackle and taking it into a shop for that is too much money for me right now.
I'm just thinking out loud here. I really do appreciate all of your input.
Thanks

 

[Larry Cobb]

Roxy;

If you can't use the bolt and washer ...,

then I would sand the bottom,

find an thin-based industrial 2-part epoxy ...

and use fiberglass cloth for reinforcement.

Larry

 

[rhino1]

I would be way more concerned about the possibility that the bolt and washer that you are using will cause the tank to corrode than I would be about the JB weld causing problems.

Also, the bolt/nut/washer combo is going to be a big hunk of rust in about a month, good luck getting it out from that spot when it starts leaking again.

 

[ronbeatty]

Just a thought, ask if anyone is parting out a CDS :?:

 

[Ryan]

Ron has a good idea. Or a Mytee waste tank?

 

[Fred Homan]

Just a thought....If you took the tank out, sanded it/rough it up a bit and take it in to a place that does very durable spray on bed liners. Do this to the outside. I had this put on my Jeep Wrangler custom front bumper. It is a very hard durable finish.

 

[idreadnought]

I bought a product called coal tar epoxy and treated my whole tank. I also have a hydramaster with a pitted and thin tank in it. It also had a place where the corrosion had eaten through the tank. I painted the stuff over the entire inside of the tank after I scraped the corrosion off of it. The process was a real pia but the result was awesome. Not only did I stop any more corrosion but the tank is a lot easier to clean out now. The reason I went with the specialty coal tar epoxy was because it is more flexible than most other epoxy type paints. Application was straight forward. Mix equal parts and roll it on with rollers that don't release their fibers and are resistant to solvent (same rollers that fiberglass people use). Been on there for about a year with not cracking or peeling problems. Here is a link to the company I bought the product from www.epoxyproducts.com/coaltar.html

 

[bob vawter]

OK...measure the footprint of the tank...and cut a flat piece two inches larger....take it to a fab shop and have thern break the extra two inches up.....set the wastetank into the "cup" and TIG all around the edges...

 

[gimmeagig]

Hi, It's been a while but I just want to post this for anyone else with a similar problem.This is the repair I made. I drilled the hole out and put a bolt and a washer in from the top added some silicone onto both and then a washer and a nut from the bottom also with silicone.It was tricky to get it all in there because even with my long reach I could not get the bolt in from the top. Fially I enden up having my girlfriend hold the wrench from the bottom while I tightened it from the top with an extension.The bolts and washers are stainless steel so it should hold up OK. It's been a few months and no problem( knock on wood) Fortunately the hole was closer to the edge of the tank where i could reach it.
In addition to that I went to a marine supply place and bought a sacrificial anode ( just a block of zinc I think) which I dropped into the tank. It's hooked up to a wire which I connected with a screw to the top of the tank.
I'm not a 100% sure that this will do anything but I guess it can't hurt.

Here's a picture of the bolt fix

 

[Burtz]

hate to tell you this but a Zinc anode wont work

you need a magnesium anode because it's fresh water not salt

 

[gimmeagig]

Too bad, I think I paid 18 bucks for this thing and I can't take it back. I live in Coeur D'Alene and I wonder why they sold me a zink anode when there is no saltwater closeby.Maybe it is Magensium, i'll have to check.But if it isn't, that can easily be changed out to a magnesium one..Would that help keeping the tank from deteriorating? Is the wire from the anode to the tank enough?

 

[Jim Martin]

although your girl has a smart idea...before you get to drastic with it....try.....Waterproof JB Weld every vortex owner with a square tank has this laying around somewhere ...just make sure the area is really clean and dry...and mix it right.....plan to put it on when the truck can sit for about 24 hours...it is better to let it cure really good......

 

[floorguy]

UHHHHHH as someone that had a waste tank START to go....1st thing 1st..

START BUDGETING FOR A NEW TANK NOW!!!!!! or machine if you can swing it...


my tank, had a few little leaks...took it out to see if they could weld it...as they started cleaning it up, there were oh i would say 18 or more "bubbles" of corroision that they cleaned up and they were just holes, only the build up and corrosion were keep them plugged....When this shit goes, it goes EVERYWHERE...

so get it in the budget, for a new tank and/or machine.....Mytees tank is DAMN NICE

 

[GeneMiller]

John at http://hotheatexchangers.com/ also makes tanks out of 1/2" welded poly. He makes custom sizes with any fitting you want. BUy right once and you'll never need to replace it.

gene

 

[rhino1]

UHHHHHH as someone that had a waste tank START to go....1st thing 1st..

START BUDGETING FOR A NEW TANK NOW!!!!!! or machine if you can swing it...


my tank, had a few little leaks...took it out to see if they could weld it...as they started cleaning it up, there were oh i would say 18 or more "bubbles" of corroision that they cleaned up and they were just holes, only the build up and corrosion were keep them plugged....When this shit goes, it goes EVERYWHERE...

so get it in the budget, for a new tank and/or machine.....Mytees tank is DAMN NICE

Where can you get a mytee tank? I looked for a while and gave up, figured they ended up not working....

 

[The Great Oz]

Since it seems that failures always occur on the bottom or bottom corners, it's become a fairly common practice to find a waste tank lid and have it welded on the bottom. That or Bob's idea of folding/fabricating a new "skin" is probably the cheapest long-term fix.

 

[floorguy]

UHHHHHH as someone that had a waste tank START to go....1st thing 1st..

START BUDGETING FOR A NEW TANK NOW!!!!!! or machine if you can swing it...


my tank, had a few little leaks...took it out to see if they could weld it...as they started cleaning it up, there were oh i would say 18 or more "bubbles" of corroision that they cleaned up and they were just holes, only the build up and corrosion were keep them plugged....When this shit goes, it goes EVERYWHERE...

so get it in the budget, for a new tank and/or machine.....Mytees tank is DAMN NICE

Where can you get a mytee tank? I looked for a while and gave up, figured they ended up not working....

does your local disty carry mytee???

if not call John, and superior...i am sure he can ship it out to ya


I wanna know if John will straight swap me a prochem tank for 2 mytee tanks