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Old 22-03-2013, 04:49   #16
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Re: Fixing Stainless Water Tank

JB Weld “WaterWeld” is suitable for use on potable water tanks.

J-B WaterWeld | Specially Formulated Epoxy Putty

Standard JB Weld is "non-toxic".
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Old 22-03-2013, 04:52   #17
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Re: Fixing Stainless Water Tank

Quote:
Originally Posted by GordMay View Post
JB Weld “WaterWeld” is suitable for use on potable water tanks.

J-B WaterWeld | Specially Formulated Epoxy Putty

Standard JB Weld is "non-toxic".
Thanks,
I was getting a bit frustrated with the run around I was getting this morning and hadn't a chance to look very far.

Cheers,
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Old 22-03-2013, 06:13   #18
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Re: Fixing Stainless Water Tank

As an alternative, have a look at Minaret's refit thread, where he rebuilds a holding tank. Same method could be used. http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...fit-95666.html
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Old 26-03-2013, 02:26   #19
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I am not familiar with welding stainless steel. My water tanks are 28 years old and are seeping at the spot welds where the baffles are tabbed to the tank wall as well as along some of the welded seams. I am in a location without a marine industry and dealing with workers in a language a second language for both of us. They did some re-welding along the seams and the tank is leaking around their repairs, perhaps at an even faster rate than it was before.

The company here now says that my tanks are too old to fix! They say will have to fabricate new tanks for me. From the look of the tank that I managed to remove, it had not been previously repaired. They re-welded the area where the seam was leaking and not the whole length of the seam.

I have some questions.
[*]Is this true about stainless steel? Will it become to thin to work with? Is it possible that the re-welding that leaked was poor workmanship or material failure?[*]Is there a specific method or equipment that should be used to make this sort of repair?[*]If I have to have a tank fabricated, what thickness steel should a 45 gal/200 l tank be? The shop here says 2mm!
For those who have used JB - weld. Is safe for drinking water tanks? do you apply to the outside or inside?


Any advice or pointers will be greatly appreciated.
Our tank was leaking through pinholes where the baffles were spot welded to the sides.
We ended up having those leaks spot welded & the tank pressure checked. Tank 27 years old & will likely go another 10-20 now, so I suggest spot fixing e.g with the potable JBWeld & getting it fixed properly when you're back in a place that does good work...and NOT having one fabricated by people who don't even know how to fix pinhole leaks! Our 200L tank looks about 3mm thick.
Anyone out there know if HDPE has any BPA in it?
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Old 26-03-2013, 02:30   #20
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Oh, don't forget to allow air flow ALL AROUND the tank...stainless hates a de-oxygenated environment ( or is that the other way round? ). It's a particular issue if it's sitting on a solid floor or flush against a bulkhead... we ended up ensuring the supporting frames are not directly under the welds for the baffles....but close enough to minimise flex, I hope!
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Old 26-03-2013, 02:33   #21
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Re: Fixing Stainless Water Tank

Quote:
Originally Posted by seashine View Post
Our tank was leaking through pinholes where the baffles were spot welded to the sides.
We ended up having those leaks spot welded & the tank pressure checked. Tank 27 years old & will likely go another 10-20 now, so I suggest spot fixing e.g with the potable JBWeld & getting it fixed properly when you're back in a place that does good work...and NOT having one fabricated by people who don't even know how to fix pinhole leaks! Our 200L tank looks about 3mm thick.
Anyone out there know if HDPE has any BPA in it?
seashine,

Thanks for the info about your tank. I have found two companies who can do the job properly in about a month at our next stop along the way.
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Old 26-03-2013, 02:36   #22
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Re: Fixing Stainless Water Tank

Quote:
Originally Posted by seashine View Post
Oh, don't forget to allow air flow ALL AROUND the tank...stainless hates a de-oxygenated environment ( or is that the other way round? ). It's a particular issue if it's sitting on a solid floor or flush against a bulkhead... we ended up ensuring the supporting frames are not directly under the welds for the baffles....but close enough to minimise flex, I hope!
The tank is mounted by brackets and there is at least an inch of airspace around the tank. I was going to add a couple of supports between the baffles to reduce the strain on the tank.
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Old 26-03-2013, 05:33   #23
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Re: Fixing Stainless Water Tank

Quote:
Originally Posted by seashine View Post
... Anyone out there know if HDPE has any BPA in it?
High density (#2) and Low density (#4) Polyethylene (HDPE & LDPE) and Polypropylene (#5) (PP) are safe (BPA-Free).
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Old 18-07-2018, 17:46   #24
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Re: Fixing Stainless Water Tank

Quote:
Originally Posted by LJH View Post
[*]If I have to have a tank fabricated, what thickness steel should a 45 gal/200 l tank be? The shop here says 2mm!
I had my two 45 gal water tanks made with 2mm stainless. They are beautiful but the panels flex while filling (oil canning badly). This caused some of the long welds to break. I had to take one out twice for repairs, not fun.

3mm makes the tanks 50% heavier and they are already much heavier than my previous aluminum tanks which corroded.

If you go with 2mm make sure they are heavily baffled and the baffles placed to prevent oil canning.
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