# Poly tank repair



## endrow (Dec 15, 2011)

I have a 600 gallon poly tank that i previously used for starter fertilizer. It has A 6 inch crack in the top of it. If it were repaired I could use it for water.. the tank is bluish-green in color. And I am wondering if anyone has ever had any success in repairing these poly tanks??


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## glasswrongsize (Sep 15, 2015)

I tried the flexseal stuff on a poly water tank that had a crack in it (chopping ice and went too deep with the axe). The flex seal would not stick to the warm,dry and roughed-up plastic. It may not be the same composition as this was food grade poly and had a "slick" feel kinda like Delrin or the like.

It looks like a botch-job, but I took two pieces of flashing (thin metal) and clamped them together to pre-drill a whole mess of holes around the periphery. Then I used one piece on the inside and the other on the outside to sandwich a piece of inner tube (after drilling holes in the tank using the flashing as a template). Could probably use a room-temp-vulcanizing gasket sealer instead of inner tube. Also, I drilled a small hole at each end of the crack to keep the crack from traveling any more.

That's what I would do if it were mine...but I don't care how something looks; so long at it works (ain't nuttin wrong with bein' poor, but it sure is inconvenient at times.)

Mark.

Mark


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

Depends on how old it is and why it cracked. If it cracked from old age forget it.

I have welded saddle tanks before, not an overly difficult if your proficient at brazing, use a piece of the same plastic as filler rod, you'll also want the tiniest torch tip you can get, the guy that showed me how actually used a jewelers torch.

We had one 2500 gallon that split right above the fitting at the bottom, on that one I roughed it up good, used a fiberglass repair kit then placed an old ratchet strap on it to suck it back together, left the ratchet strap on it, only thing we use it for is storing spray water.


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## PaMike (Dec 7, 2013)

There were some guys in lancaster farming that advertised plastic welding. I had a plastic fuel tank on a NH LS170 welded. I also had some of the poly "lick tanks" welded. Both worked out fine.


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## Kasey (Jun 24, 2015)

I have used the handle off an ice cream pail as a brazing rod. It actually works pretty good


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## DLN (Mar 8, 2017)

It can be done with the proper techniques and products. Not overly complicated but not exactly a job to just slap together and wing it either. There is a line of products under the Lord Fusor name work well for the job, they are real big in the auto body repair world. Might even be able to get a local body shop to do it relatively cheap.

Having said that, most of the time your money ahead to just replace the tank in my experiences.


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

DLN said:


> Having said that, most of the time your money ahead to just replace the tank in my experiences.


That's what I found, if it cracked because it's old and brittle, you're usually just wasting your time trying to repair it. If it cracked from a physical blow thats a different story.


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