Loft tank - new query; temporary repair.

[robgraham]

This relates to the previous loft tank post, but another option.

Apart from the problem of finding a tank that will fit, the easy option man y years ago was to place the CH header tank such that it will now have to b e dismantled to get the cold water tank out, so it'll be probably two days without any heating. Not a good idea at his time of year!

The rate of dripping from the corrosion area in the main tank is very low - there's only a couple of cc's of water in the container under the drip poi nt after 2 days, so I'm wondering if there's some way I could patch the are a with something just to bridge me over over till April/May. My thinking w ould be to drain the tank down, dry the area with the hot air gun and then what - car underseal ?

Any suggestions would be well appreciated.

Rob

[michael adams]

Apart from the problem of finding a tank that will fit, the easy option many years ago was to place the CH header tank such that it will now have to be dismantled to get the cold water tank out, so it'll be probably two days without any heating. Not a good idea at his time of year!

The rate of dripping from the corrosion area in the main tank is very low - there's only a couple of cc's of water in the container under the drip point after 2 days, so I'm wondering if there's some way I could patch the area with something just to bridge me over over till April/May. My thinking would be to drain the tank down, dry the area with the hot air gun and then what - car underseal ?

Any suggestions would be well appreciated.

Rob

...

Its two part putty and can be applied to a wet leak.

michael adams

...

[Martin Bonner]

Alternatively, my local builders merchant always has a video running advertising CT1

and this seems like a cheaper equivalent

I'd certainly give one of those a try, and see if it slows the leak enough.

[Nightjar]

You could line it with a sand and cement mix. That is carried by some yachts as an emergency repair material; it sets by chemical reaction and is quite happy to do so underwater.

[Roger Mills]

Providing you can get it dry on the inside, I'd coat the affected area with epoxy resin - possibly combined with a sheet of fibreglass matting

- as used for car body repairs. I successfully mended a rusting car petrol tank by this method many years ago (except that, in my case, I put the stuff on the outside).

[Brian Gaff]

Many moons ago our tank was like this in December, a drain down and a large sheet of plastic, like a heavy duty dust sheet was put into the tank and taped over the edges. Ok it looked weird, but it held till we had warmer sn weather. Take care is a very loose fit and only tape when full. Bodgers R Us. Brian

[robgraham]

Many thanks guys - some useful suggestions there, but I'm reckoning that th ere might be just enough space to get the existing tank out of its hole and under the CH header tank. I might have to cut one of the roof ties but th at's less of a hassle to sort out than fighting with the CH tank.

Interestingly enough a good web searching found that suppliers of plastic t anks don't necessarily advertise all the sizes, and I have found a 42 gallo n one from a mainstream supplier.

Rob

[Dave Baker]

If the pinhole is in a flat area then the fastest way is drill a hole through it and fit a nut and bolt with a rubber tap washer and a couple of steel washers to spread the load. Slap some silicone sealant on everything and leave to set for 24 hours to make double sure. If the leak is on a corner then not so easy.

[Tricky Dicky]

I'd go with Dave's idea the washers you need are called repair washers and are far bigger than normal washers. One of the problems with pin holes in m etal tanks is that the hole is just the point the corrosion has worked all the way through, inside the area of corrosion will larger and the area arou nd the hole can be quite fragile, so care needs to be taken.

Richard

[Nightjar]

I like the idea of lining it with a big sheet of heavy duty (DPC?) plastic. Simple, easy and unlikely to trigger a larger leak.

[Roger Mills]

Ah, there's a bit more nostalgia! When I was a kid you used to be able to buy kettle repair kits which were just like that. I think they used thin cork discs under the washers.

[Roger Mills]

Except that I'm not sure how you get the water out of the outlet pipe at the bottom of the tank.

[newshound]

I've only used the two part epoxy putty, available from many sources. Very reliable and easy to use, that would definitely be my first port of call. A similar repair lasted for many years on a copper tank, until I replaced the whole system. I guess on steel you would need to wire brush any loose rust / galvanizing.

[Nightjar]

That is the one problem with the idea. It does assume that you can undo the pipe connector and refit it through a carefully made hole in the plastic, which may not be true if it has been in place for too long.

[Roger Mills]

Yes, indeed. Not that easy to achieve! And if it's not a perfect seal onto the plastic sheet so that water can get between the sheet and the tank, it won't fix the leak!