Black Tank Repair - GOOD NEWS !!!

2012Coleman wrote:

Bill/Diana wrote:


Good News!!! Next week we are spending a few days in the Lancaster, PA area. I found a fella that does plastic welding. Called him and he said he can easily handle the job. Told him there is a 1 inch crack. He said the repair would be about $45. The business is Plastic Welding in New Holland, PA 717445-7031.

I'll update this posting once the work is completed.

I'b be interested in seeing his work - can you post a pic when complete? Good find!

At last today I was able to schedule an appointment with Plastic Welding, New Holland, PA. The job was a real challenge since access to the tank was extremely limited. To do the job right they had to remove most of the piping and plumbing in the basement. The 2 fellas were very good at what they do. They worked tirelessly for 4 hours. Both the gray & black tanks had very small cracks. Right now I'm delighted with what they accomplished. If I would have taken this to an RV shop they would have refused to take on the project and if they did they would have charged an outrageous price.

I highly recommend Plastic Welding in New Holland, PA. I should mention they have a busy business. While I was there customers were dropping off motorcycle tanks, front end of cars, lawnmower parts, boats, etc. They have a 5 star reputation for doing quality work at a fair price.

Bill/Diana wrote:


Good News!!! Next week we are spending a few days in the Lancaster, PA area. I found a fella that does plastic welding. Called him and he said he can easily handle the job. Told him there is a 1 inch crack. He said the repair would be about $45. The business is Plastic Welding in New Holland, PA 717445-7031.

I'll update this posting once the work is completed.

I'b be interested in seeing his work - can you post a pic when complete? Good find!

I used Plasti-Mend to repair my black water tank.

For $45 dollars, go with the weld job. Mine had a pinhole and had it welded and has held up well for over 4 years. Weld will probably be stronger than original

I am not sure where your crack is but if it is on the top of the tank or not under pressure I have had good luck with Shoe Goo and proper surface preparation. There are two types of bonds, chemical bond and a mechanical bond. Plastics that are not affected by solvents can't be chemically bonded so the surface needs to be rough sanded thoroughly to prepare the surface so you can get a good mechanical bond. Once you sand and wipe the surface with alcohol or acetone you can "water break" the surface just to be sure the surface is properly prepared. If the water beads up the glue won't stick if the water breaks and goes into the rough surface the glue will adhere. Wipe off the excess water and solvent wipe again, the solvent will flash of quickly and the surface will be dry. I would spread the glue over the crack then add a layer of FG cloth and work more glue into it to thoroughly wet it out. I have tried plastic welding but did not have any luck with it holding. Good Luck on which ever method you use.

Thanks everyone. I'm appreciating your feedback & knowledge. Hoping to receive more input.

Both the Grey & Black Water tanks on my motorhome are HDPE (high density polyethylene). I know this for a fact from speaking with the motorhome manufacturer and then also speaking directing to the tank manufacturer.

Apparently the only way to repair HDPE is plastic welding. But Tap Poly claims their product will work on HDPE. I'm wondering if anyone has used Tap Poly on HDPE.

Twomed wrote:
Black is not poly. The secret to plastic weld is proper stick. There is also a nasty black stick that sticks to anything, but the best weld is proper material rod. Stop drill as Bob suggested too.

Not true. Plastic Mart sells polyethylene RV waste tanks that are black in color. In their literature they state they only sell polyethylene tanks and do not sell ABS tanks, but sell replacements for ABS tanks. I have a 2007 Northwood trailer that has all abs tanks. The both the black and grey water tanks are black polyethylene.

There are others that sell black polyethylene. They've been around for a while.

Moved to Tech Issues forum from DIY.

Black is not poly. The secret to plastic weld is proper stick. There is also a nasty black stick that sticks to anything, but the best weld is proper material rod. Stop drill as Bob suggested too.

I have a friend that used the Tap Poly Weld. You need room to get a heat gun on it but he said it worked great and is still holding. His was on the fresh water tank but I'm assuming the material is similar.