Plastic water tank cracking

[Glenn Dollar]

I have a small plastic water tank that is cracking in multiple places. I'm looking for a sealant that can be applied to the outside and encapsulate the entire tank. Any ideas?

The only thing I've thought of so far is fiberglass resin. Does anyone know if this will work?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

thanks in advance Glenn

[Edwin Pawlowski]

Nothing will stick to some of the plastics (polyethylene) used in tanks. What if the tank was to fail? What is the potential damage? Is an unknown repair worth the risk rather than a replacement? When plastic starts to crack, it is going to continue to weaken. Ed

[Glenn Dollar]

"Edwin Pawlowski" wrote in news:C8wTc.2996$ [e-mail]:

The tank is rather small, if it were to fail, I'd have a quart of water on my floor - no big deal. The replacement cost of the tanks is $200 - quite a rip off.

Not sure what the tank is made of - hard, clear, molded plastic of some sort. If I were to dip the whole thing into resin and make a shell, would it hold?

[Richard J Kinch]

You could use a Bondo fiberglass and epoxy resin kit to mold a new tank over the old.

[Edwin Pawlowski]

A quart is not such a big deal. Not like a 100 gallon tank where the feed water will run as the float drops.

Clear is not polyethylene. Could be polycarbonate or crystal styrene. I'd try a resin and fiberglass cloth as you originally suggested. That would in effect make a new molded secondary tank. I can't imagine any one quart tank being worth $200. Ed

[PaPaPeng]

If it is rectangular or have straight edges that you can cut from sheet plexiglas, etc. and glue it is quite easy to make your own replacement tank.

[Bob]

multiple

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damage?

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$200 - quite

of some

shell, would

If I were to do it, I'd probably use thin fiberglass cloth and epoxy resin. You can stretch plastic wrap over it as it cures to get a smooth surface.

Bob