S/S Diesel Tank

[marjepalma]

I have a large (and new) ss fuel tank with a slow leak in an inaccessible place. The tank can be moved to permit access but not removed. Does anyone know of an external patch material that will hold?? Epoxy??

 

[gtuson]

I don't know of any material which will do what you need. Doubt epoxy will bond to steel/oily steel. I had similar problem with new S/S tank - it was partly a faulty weld and partly just the resullt of of thins s/s flexing. There was similar post on this not long ago. It would be useful to have some wider discussion/expert input on this.Perhaps s/s for tanks just not a good idea. better to go for GRP or plastic...?

 

[paulstevens]

had a similar problem about 12 years ago. Applied a patch held with self tapping screws and bedded on Sikaflex. Still OK when I sold the boat 5 years later.

 

[Guest]

How new? If you mean really new then get the supplier to replace it.

Regards,

Peter
http://www.mistressofmourne.com

 

[Guest]

Use Araldite rapid. Just scuff the immediate area to provide a key and slap some Araldite on. It is water, petrol and diesel proof. I used it years ago to repair a hole in a car petrol tank without any trouble. It out-lasted the car. The basic araldite mix was developed during WW2 for making aircraft drop tanks out of plywood(Aluminium shortage). A brew called "Dope" was then poured into the tank to fuel proof the wood.

 

[PaulJ]

There is a fuel tank sealer made by a US company called POR 15 (www.por15.com). It is distributed in the UK by a company called Frost (www.frost.co.uk) or give them a ring on 01706 658 619. I think the problem for you may be that it should be applied from the inside of the tank though I believe it can be applied by sloshing it around in there however the metal has to be scupulously clean which could also be a problem. I haven't tried it in earnest yet but it was successful in sealing a badly welded test piece that I tried it on.....

 

[ccscott49]

Not true, epoxy was not developed until long after the war. The glues you are talking about were very different. Urea formadehyde resins and others.

 

[ccscott49]

You can bodge the tank with any of the below suggestions, but you should not make diesel tanks out of stainless in the first place, due to crevis crack corrosion and other problems in the welds, I would tend to think about replacement with plastic, mild steel or similar.

 

[Gaffer]

If you can get at the place where the leak is, drill a small hole in the centre of the leak and insert a self tapping screw. I have seen this done on lorry fuel tanks with absolute success. With your tank being ss and the screw being ss there will be no problem with dissimilar metals.......

 

[Sinbad1]

Aha, this one I know all about. You have to sit and be calm and think laterally. These huge ships that ply the seas carrying various products in huge stainless tanks, do you think they pull the tanks out every time there is a little hole. Nope, they use specialist adhesives to glue on either stainless patches or to fill the holes. There is a firm in the North of England who manufacture these adhesives for the food industry, ships, aircraft and oil rigs. The name is Woods or Wood and (I think) one of the products is called Copon Hycote or similar. Do a search and talk to them. They will sell you small amounts by credit card and send you the correct product for the material and the substance in the tank.

I carry a couple of small containers of their products in my spares locker...just in case!

 

[Sinbad1]

Do search on E. Wood Ltd uk

 

[ccscott49]

I don't have stainless tanks, but I will definitely contact this outfit, sounds like excellent stuff to have around. My water tanks are fibreglass and my fuel tanks steel, so it might come in useful. I can see another ten uses for stuff like that on the boat, and I'm at work!!!