Water tank leak

[paulwitney]

I think I have a very slow leak in my forward water tank. Looks like crevice corrosion may have got to it. Probably leaks about 250ml a week. Tank is stainless and is glassed in along edges but would not be too hard to remove. Question is ... would wire brushing and then some type of flexible epoxy work, possibly with a stainless screw or rivet into the hole? Other ideas?

 

[FAITIRA]

Once cured a leak in a diesel tank with araldite, may be worth a try, not ideal but?

 

[john_morris_uk]

I don't like to be the carrier of bad news, but when we had a leak in a water tank I removed it and took it into one of the local stainless steel workshops for repair. They took one look at it and said it would be cheaper to buy a new tank. The seams had gone due to crevice corrosion and they explained hat they could try and weld it up but would probably end up chasing the weld all round the tank. It had been made for Westerly in A4 not 316 (to mix my standards!) and I coughed up for a new one.

Twas only a couple of hundred quid - honest.

When I was in Brazil with a leaking tank, the local boatyard acheived a splendid (temporary) job by painting the leaking top with Sika-flex. It never leaked again and it crossed the Atlantic with the tank in that state.

 

[ms1]

I would be surprised if you didnt get quite an effective repair with a 2 inch fibreglass ribbon impregnated with epoxy resin (and hardener) and laid around your seams.
Sticky finger job also needs to be completely dry and cleaned with acetate.

 

[jcmmarine]

Having had a number of older boats I would advise that you are wasting your time and money trying to repair steel water tanks once they start leaking. Bite the bullet and replace with a plastic tank.