Help! - gash in black tank

[mondotiki]

I bought a used toy hauler trailer and noticed about a month in that the black tank is leaking due to a one and a half to two foot slit across the width of the tank.

Can this be repaired by me or do I need to take it to a service center? Or should the tank be replaced instead of a repair attempted with a gash that long?

We are back to using a port-a-chem toilet in the tub for now. Wife is not happy.

[wintersun]

There is no reason you cannot apply a patch to the bottom of the tank. You can either find an adhesive that will work or for a "temporary" patch that might hold up for years there is Eternabond tape.

Plastic welds require a plastic rod that is the same composition as the tank itself and I would expect that to be very difficult to find for an RV tank of this type.

[Fredzo]

Paul1944 wrote:

mondotiki wrote:
Thanks for all the great tips folks. Hey, how is that Eternabond tape?

This stuff is GREAT! A little expensive but worth every penny IMO.

The problem I had, when I tried to use it on an old MoHo we had, was that I couldn't get enough pressure on the tape to properly activate it.

The tank just bent when I applied pressure.

[Paul1944]

mondotiki wrote:
Thanks for all the great tips folks. Hey, how is that Eternabond tape?

This stuff is GREAT! A little expensive but worth every penny IMO.

[Gene_Ginny]

smkettner wrote:
Black ABS plastic? If so use Plasti-mend for a permanent repair.

White polypropylene? Could weld but that big probably says new tank.

Good advice. Plasti-mend is an ABS cement and it will melt and weld the ABS as good as new. ABS cement actually softens the ABS and becomes part of the tank or pipe. When it dries it is one solid piece.

I don't think Eternabond will stick to ABS, at least not over the long term.

[Fredzo]

And you want to stop-drill the ends of the gash to keep it from growing.

[pkunk]

I'd use the Eternabond.

[Pogoil]

You never want to have to remove it. I did have what they called a bad batch that came apart easily. The new stuff they sent is there forever.

Pogoil.

[mondotiki]

Thanks for all the great tips folks. Hey, how is that Eternabond tape?

[dpgllg]

You have got several good responses on how to possibly repair the tank. I'd pick the one that you are most comfortable with and attempt it as none are very expensive. Then fill it up with clean water and see if it holds. If it does great if not then you are out only a minimal amount of money and your time.

By the way I purchased a roll of the Eternabond tape that is 8 inches wide from a local roofing company very cheap. I would try a patching compound like the JB Weld and then cover it with the Eternabond.

[remdog_1]

JB Weld

[time2roll]

Black ABS plastic? If so use Plasti-mend for a permanent repair.

White polypropylene? Could weld but that big probably says new tank.

[Pogoil]

Use a piece of 4inch wide x 2 feet roof seam tape Eternabond or Dicor.

They say you can seal an aquarium with the stuff. Cheap to try.

Pogoil.

[John_Wayne]

There is a You Tube video of a Airstream restorer patching a tank with a propane torch. Look it up and see if you want to try it. If it doesn't work what are you out? I think it's Airstream Planet

[darsben]

Having gone trough similar with a fresh water tank I can tell you from my efforts that;
You will be hard pressed to find a plastic welder willing to warranty the work.
The older the tank the less likely that the welding will work.

You could probably find a replacement tank by calling the manufacturer of your rig otherwise EBAY has a lot of RV tanks for sale