Someone else suggested welding a new bottom on. Do they lift it up with a crane and then cut the bottom off and fabricate a new bottom?
Or do they tip it over on its side and weld the bottom on from the side?
I wouldn't want it rolling down the hill!
I agree. The original estimate was wrong. The "poly" tanks appear to be about $2,000 (plus California 10% sales tax).
From this link, there appear to be only 3 manufacturers (Norwesco, Inc. of St. Bonifacius, Minnesota, Snyder Industries of Lincoln, Nebraska and RMI in Gardena, California).
The tanks I have are welded painted steel, not corrogated or galvanized. Looking that up, it appears the major players are "All State Tanks" of Grove, Oklahoma, and "Columbia TecTank" of Kansas City, Kansas, both of whom mostly erect the tanks in the field.
The web site above says "A 5,000 gallon steel tank may cost $3 per gallon" so that's what the well guy must be talking about when he told me it would be $20,000 to replace my 5,000 gallon steel tank.
Do you think they can get to it from the inside or that they will have to get to it from the outside?
Hi Jim,
I'm gonna take some pics in the daylight and send them off to you (and maybe post them somehow) but that's a GREAT idea to see if I can put a bladder in!
You can see the tanks from Google maps so I'll give you the coordinates but they are too tiny on google to discern much other than they are there.
That's an interesting idea! I hadn't thought of putting a bladder in. Seems to me that just might work. If they exist.
I'm gonna call some of these suppliers of water tanks tomorrow and ask about bladders.
That's yet another potentially viable solution.
So far the solution might be:
Check local codes, especially fire protection codes, to see if it's legal to add a bladder which could melt in a fire and which would have to have openings for the valves.
Either of those methods would probably work. A simpler method would probably be to just gradually jack it up a couple feet on cribbing and then work on replacing a section at a time, moving the cribbing as needed, since the replacement metal will be likely be in 4x8 sheets.
OP-
I cannot take credit for being the first one to suggest cutting off the bottom.
Jim (the professional welder) suggested it & in a subsequent post he offered to coach you on the repair.
Please find a photo positing site & post some photos (a couple overall installation views & some detailed ones) so everyone in this NG can see what's up.
Approximateing where is this property? San Diego county or NorCal?
I'm no well expert but dropping 15' in an hour to supply 360 gallons seems like a lot BUT you probably need 400 less than that per DAY.
If oyu want to struggle by for now...get someone to re-pipe (or do it yourself) the pump output so you can fill either or both tanks at your choice (valves in the pump line at ground level that feed each tank)
Isolate the leaker and only fill it in fire season for the next year or so while you save money for the repalcement.
cheers Bob
I think most of the guys in this NG participate as much learn as to help...see new & different problems and their solutions help us all.
cheers Bob
I'd guess there are a number of other suppliers as well; there are several more in this area than those because of the demand for ag use tanks; depending on where in CA you are I'd expect the same for that purpose or for the specific purposes/needs you outline.
As for the various other options --
I'd still say odds are quite high that the cost of either the bladder if available or rigging and welding a new bottom will approach or exceed the cost of new poly tank.
It's always worth a shot to see if can use the temporary patch that could extend the life somewhat. My luck in welding on thin bottom of the smaller round tanks we use (for hauling water for cattle on pasture) has been mixed--some have turned out so thin burned thru and was given up on and others still had sufficient overall material w/ just a few pinholes. It'll all depend on what actually find if go in.
One thing wrt the longevity of the poly tanks -- I presuming you're in warm weather country otherwise you would have icing problems w/ them just outside w/ above ground piping. If so, the primary problem is likely UV even w/ the black poly; since these are stationary application you could undoubtedly extend lifetime by putting under roof and sun shade on south/west sides to minimize that cause for deterioration.
--
Ok, how about this? I've had HUNDREDS of radiators repaired over the last 30+ years and not a one of them ever developed a leak in another spot.
Depends on what caused the leak. MOST radiator leaks that respond well to repairs are mechanical damage or joint failure. Repairing the mechanical damage or resoldering the split joint USUALLY make the rad virtually as good as new.
If a rad has corroded through from both sides and the fins have fallen off, soldering up the resulting leak is a stopgap repair at best.
Same with a water tank. A pourous weld? - fix it and it will LIOKELY last a long time. A stray bullet went through it? Fix it and it will last a long time. A rust blister due to damaged anti-corrosion coating on the outside (like paint)? Good chance a repaior will last. If the tank has corroded badly from the inside out, patching one hole may well be the first of a LONG string of repairs, few if any of which will be "successfull"
I haven't seen any mention of products like JB Weld so far.
Ok, how about this? If they sprang the leaks you repaired at an advanced age, due to corrosion rather than physical damage from something hitting them, you are either mistaken or lying.
if the 'advanced age' or corrosion were a problem, then any *GOOD* radiator man would not repair it. And mine doesn't. He'll recommend a new core at about half the price of a new radiator.
Try and keep up, will ya?
If the leakage is from different places at the bottom, then the best way to stop the leakage is either to get fix one steel plate as of the same size at the bottom or change the bottom with new one and this will certainly sol ve your problem.
No idea on stopping your leak, but I'm curious about your water quality.
Water goes bad when it sits around. It grows bacteria, slime, all sorts of nasty stuff.
In your setup the bottom third of at least one tank never drains. Sounds like a recipe for a fungus amongus.
Do you disinfect anywhere? I wouldn't have any qualms about drinking well water direct from the well, provided there's no local contamination. Water that sits in a storage tank is a different story.
find and weld the leak if you cant try to put self leveling cement on the bottom about 4 inches ,this is not a lifetime fix
It doesn't matter. In the *SEVEN YEARS* since "Godspeed" wrote his message, the tank rusted out and leaked dry. No fix is necessary now.
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