Anyone know how to fix a leaking 5000 gallon steel water tank on a concrete pad?
One of two tanks is leaking from the bottom. Not much, but enough to keep the concrete always wet (which likely is rusting it out even more).
I can't figure out how one would go about fixing this kind of leak.
Drain it. Weld it.
Not enough information. Chances are, the tank is rusted, very thin, difficult to fix. It may be possible to weld a plate over the area, it may be possible to line the tank. If it is already lined, you cannot weld on it.
Inspection is needed to answer your question. There are companies that specialize in tank repair. Call one to look at it.
or . . Drain it. Replace it.
That was easy.
Jim
Dont put the next steel tank directly on concrete
1 - Fill the tank with some really nasty stuff...maybe even plumb your toilets into it. 2 - Call Mike Rowe over at Dirty Jobs. He's always whining about running out of Dirty Jobs for his show.
Maybe they'll come out and fix it for free.
When the well had a problem in the summer, the well guy took a look at the tank leak and said the tank was in "good shape" externally.
This steel tank is lying on very thin slats of wood (most of which are rotted out). The two tanks are about 20 years old since the home is only about 20 years old.
They're painted steel on the outside with absolutely no visible rust on the outside. Inside, there is rust on the steel and there does not seem to be a "lining" that I know of (the water inside looked yucky from the top but the well guy said that's normal).
The well guy said he never "fixes" leaking water tanks. Said it's like fixing a radiator on a car. Plug one spot and the hole opens up somewhere else. He recommended a brand new non-steel tank. Sure. It's not his money. That's twenty grand.
Of course a new tank is "better". But, does it pay to weld a plate?
Since the tanks are in great visual shape, I'm hoping there is a viable fix-it solution. Does a "normal" welder do this kind of work or is there a specialty shop somewhere out there like roto rooter or something?
Flat bottom or round? Upright/horizontal? Internal access?
Who knows from here?
As the well guy said, you can try but it's likely if it's rusted out in one spot it's terribly thin in many.
A decent welder can do the welding; question nobody can tell w/o looking is the condition overall and where the leak is, access, etc., etc., etc., ... You possibly could simply rotate it 180 and extend life; otoh, disturbing it might open it up completely if it's really thin.
If this is just a residential installation, why such a large tank or are not using a pressure pump? Could potentially go w/ a much smaller pressure tank far cheaper.
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As a Journeyman welder and pipeline welder of 30 years, and as a few other posters said, drain it and weld it. I have come across this before...putting a patch on it will just prolong the enevitable. Cut the bottom off it and weld a new one on. I used to build 35-50 thousand gallon fuel tanks for the oil industry. Normal prodedure is after having replaced a tank bottom. The outside bottom is covered in thick tar to prevent rusting...doesn't really matter what it sits on then..ie wood, concrete, soil. Hope that helps... Jim
Flat bottom and top.
Upright. About 10 or 12 feet tall and about 8 or 10 feet wide. Cylinder.
Has about a 2-foot hatch on top for access. No ladder inside so I'm not sure how you get to the bottom (or back up for that matter). I guess a thin ladder would work.
It really "looks" good on the outside. I wonder if it's not just a pipe leak somewhere on the bottom.
I don't think something that big can be moved.
Large? I asked the well guy why everyone had 3 or 4 tanks and I only had 2 and he said anything over 10,000 gallons needs special earthquake foundations so everyone just puts in a set of small 5,000 gallon tanks. So,
5,000 gallons, out here, is small since I can see on google clusters of 3, 4, and 5 tanks all around.There is a 3-foot tall blue pressure tank in the well housing that has a motor that pressurizes the water to about 80 psi (said the well guy). That pressure tank is about 2 feet wide. Dunno exactly what it's for but it seems to hold the pressureized water (all the water except the water to the fire hydrant).
That's an interesting idea since it's the bottom that must be leaking.
One question is how to "move" the tank. It's on quarter-inch thick wood slats (most of which are eaten away by now). The other tank is on good quarter inch slats so I assume the rot from the water ate away the wood.
Can something like this be tipped over? It's on a hill so I'd worry about it rolling down the hill. Can the "bottom" be welded in place?
I guess straps can be used to hold it from rolling down the hill?
Plastic water tanks are not that expensive.
OK, so the only way you could do anything about it anyway is either thru the top hatch anyway unless there's an access underneath somewhere.
How is/was the connection made; where's the line?
The fact that what is visible looks good doesn't mean much (like anything) in comparison to the bottom that isn't. You've got one dry side every where except there; that side has been corroding from both sides for a long time now so it is likely quite thin in many places. It isn't uniformly thin, it'll have pitted locations and they'll be scattered all around if that is the failure.
Well, it got there, didn't it? I doubt it grew from seed... :)
If it were horizontal round, that's a doable thing. Cylindrical upright not so much which is why asked...
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OK, you have your own fire protection supply, too. A 80/100 gal pressure tank is typically sufficient for simply a residential water supply.
I'd wager a new tank is in your future; you may be able to put it off but likely not repairable.
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Sounds to me like he is incompetent. The only radiator I ever fixed, stayed fixed.
I would think the first step would be to inspect the tank to asses the condition. While it could be that the tank is rusted so thin that repair is not a viable option, it could also be that the damaged area is small and easily repaired.
Also, even if the tank is almost rusted out, a repair might be able to be made by using the steel skin as something to fiber glass on the inside. A smelly job, but if it saves you 20 grand for a new tank then go for it.
I'd guess maybe that it would cost as much or more for a 5000 gal tank to do that as a new one by time paid rigging costs, etc. Certainly for
10X that but in a residential (apparently?) installation it'll be a major hassle getting it done an all likelihood as compared to the industrial setting where it was "just bidness"...$0.02, etc., ... altho I suppose in an area that has requirement for residential fire water storage there may be some folks around that specialize so wouldn't be as big a deal as in most areas that don't have such needs/installations at all commonly.
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I'm guessing he has no well and is collecting rainwater. I almost bought a place that had all the rain from the roofs of the house and the
2000sq ft garage go into tanks. It wasn't being used anymore because they now had city water. The "well guy" could be the guy who pipes that water to a pump and a normal pressure tank. Just a guess because I've seen it before.
Consider replacing the tank. There is a huge stock of surplus food and chemical processing tankage your can find with internet searches, and Yellow Pages in some areas. With a bit of luck you may wind up with a stainless steel vessel of the right size complete with pipe fittings. Transportation is not a problem as the size you need fits easily on a flat bed trailer or roll-off. If more than one tank from the surplus company is available, consider buying two if the $$ look good, and installing both, keeping the non leaker. When the last steel one fails, you still will have an adequate storage system.
Joe
That a pretty small sample.
Since it's a flat bottom it may be possible to replace the entire bottom if the rest of the tank is viable. Empty, even a tank that size isn't that difficult to lift.
If these large tanks are common in the area, there might be some place that specializes in installing a plastic bladder liner in them to extend their useable lifespan.
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