High temp patch for instahot tank

[Joy]

My 3 1/2 year old Insinkerator insta-hot water dispenser (model H770) sprang a leak in the plastic case. I can't even see the crack but a soap water bubble test while pressurizing the tank shows it is there. It seems to be near or along a 'rib' of the plastic tank.

Can anyone suggest an easily available high temp, waterproof glue or patch material to try a repair? It's hard plastic and obviously stays quite hot all the time with 190+ degree water in it.

I see the newer models have a stainless steel tank. The company says it is to stay competitive. I wonder if that's the real reason.

Thanks for any repair suggestions before having to purchase a new one.

Joy

[charlie]

replace it.

1: it's an unknown plastic, and without knowing the composition, any patching material is just a guess. there are plastics that nothing sticks to

2: what would be the cost to you if it splits and continues running in your house whilst you're out?

regards, charlie cave creek, az

[Joe]

You could repair it with a fiberglass epoxy composite patch, but the materials and techniques are far beyond the average DIY capabilities. The common sense recourse is to eliminate your stress by replacing the failed unit. Almost a no-brainer considering the new design is better suited to the job. HTH

Joe

[Jeff Wisnia]

I'd say you'd be miles ahead replacing it.

If one crack developed over time, who's to say another one won't occur a couple of months after you spend all sorts of time patching the present one.

I just replaced our kithen sink's Insinkerator Insta-Hot when I noticed a wet spot on the cabinet floor beneath it. That bugger had served us faithfully for at least 21 years.

I couldn't resist opening the old one up before I chucked it to see how badly shot it was. It had a copper tank in it, so they must have switched to plastic at some time after ours was made and then went over to stainless steel, maybe because of too many problems with the plastic ones.

Jeff

[Joy]

Thanks, everyone. All good advice. Especially the comment about springing more leaks after the first one was repaired.

Also interesting (VERY interesting) about the copper tank then the plastic then the steel one. They will never admit to a problem but I'm wondering...

I ordered a new one. At least they gave me a better price than I could find anywhere else. (After all, it was under four years old!) I was hoping to fix and reuse the old one somewhere, some how, but you are all wiser than I so I am going to listen to your good advice and toss it.

Thanks

Joy

[Bubba]

Joy, It seems that you too are wiser now. If not, you can always keep this in mind............. "Joy patches her "insta-blah-blah water heater" with the newest possible space age polymer bonding material. She stands back in amazement and pats herself on the back at how wonderful of a job she has done all on her own. She brags about it to her co-workers the next day at work. On Sunday she tells all of her church members how well she did. She even tells her friends and relatives how easily it was and how proud she was of herself. One month later she leaves for a 2 week vacation to (California, Florida, Bahamahs, Europe, etc). Ater 2 weeks she returns home to find her entire basement flooded, her kitchen sprayed with water, drywall falling off the studs, ceilings caved in and water running out the doors and window sills. NOW, how much did you save on that epoxy repair? Bubba