2 Meter (Height) X 1 Meter (Width) Water Tank With Leak...is This A Big Repair Project?

[webworldly]

Greetings!

I was at a charity animal shelter today in Bangkok and they have a water tank on the 5th level that has a leak. This creates a ridiculous amount of work for the staff (or the volunteers) each day as they have to mop the floor to clean up the water (they have placed several containers under it to capture the leaked water, but they are understaffed and inevitably the water spills all over the floor).

I would love to donate the repair (I would make arrangements with a handy - fixit person directly and pay them with my own money so the women at the shelter do not have to worry about the process), but I am not sure I can afford to do it. Is such a repair likely, or even possibly, going to turn into a huge (in terms of time or money) repair job? Aside from the money, is this the type of repair that could somehow go really wrong and end up with the owner of the shelter being mad?

Here is all I know:

1. the tank is approximately 2 meters (height) x 1 meter (width)
2. the outside of the water tank feels like ceramic (?)
3. I don't know if it is a water "heater" tank or just a tank with unheated water but when I was emptying the containers underneath the tank (they capture the leaked water), the water in the containers was not heated at all
4. the leak is from the bottom of the tank, and there may be more than one hole causing the leak
5. there is a balcony (outdoors) that is about 4 meters from the tank that could be used to empty the tank before the repair
6. sometimes there are animals that must be in the room with the tank so the repair can not leave any dangerous chemicals exposed (e.g. glue for the holes, etc.)

I wish I could tell you more....but that's all I know based on what I saw while I was cleaning that room and emptying the containers full of leaked water. Based on such limited information, is there anything you can advise regarding the repair process and / or the kind of repair person I need to find?

For what it's worth, the owner of the shelter and the volunteers there work their asses off caring for their animals. I would love it if somehow I could help them in this tiny way.

CHEERS!

D

[Mrjlh]

Once the crack starts (if that is the problem), the crack will continue to grow. You can drain the water and completely dry the area that leaks and patch it with a silicon adhesive (on the inside) but it will not last long under the sun and weather elements. It would be cheaper just to replace the tank. My suggestion. And you score more merit points.

[Ackybang]

Hello webworldly,

Hard to say without a photo (how about one ?) - have a good look at the tank first, and determine exactly what material it's made out of, and where the leak(s) are coming from. Have a close up look as water is entering / exiting the tank - work from top to bottom. Drain it after, as it's leaking / causing headaches anyway, and then have a good look in and outside the tank, on all axis - It might be something as simple as a drain plug / out / inpipe leaking, which could be remedied by some ptfe tape, or strategically placed pipe cement.. Check to see if it has a ball cock valve not closing properly.. Sound unlikely, given the size, that it's a heater of any sort.

If it's a poly / hdpe tank - try these :-

If there is a 'crack' on the underside, drill a small hole either end of it to stop the crack spreading, and then use a heat gun and some strips of poly to plug the hole, once pliable ease it in to and over the crack with a knife - test for fastness.

If you have no access to a heat gun / welder - glue a thick plastic / rubber sheet over the area (a lot larger than the area) with a tube of polycarbonate (like silicone - but a lot more durable) - squeeze it into the crack also before patching, wait for it to dry thoroughly and test for fastness - the weight of the water should help to keep it sealed after.

Before you repair - clean the whole area with washing up liquid, and rinse / dry thoroughly - surface must be clean, and free from grime / oil. If your gluing a patch - perhaps rough the two surfaces to be glued with some sand paper. Make sure if the tank base is directly on the ground that the area is completely clean and smooth - no stones, etc.

A tube of poly might cost you a couple of hundred baht. Ptfe 10-15 baht. Sandpaper 5-10 baht. Silicone gun - borrow one. Plastic / rubber sheet - improvise (old truck inner tube, etc).

Try and fix it yourself, before considering buying a new one - not hard atall (depends on tank material, and scale of repair)

The patching method should pretty much work for any material, especially for cold water only, and should be quite a long term fix..

If it's a tank that's been made from block, cement and then tiled (ceramic reference), regrouting might solve your problem.

Good luck.

Edited April 23, 2013 by Ackybang

[webworldly]

Hey Mrjlh & Ackybang......both of your recommendations are helpful to me, since the question of "fix or replace" is the first step that will determine all that follow. Ackybang's detailed instruction addresses my original question as to the likely scope of repairing the leaky tank, whereas if the direction ends up being more in line with Mrjlh's suggestion to replace it, then I suppose I will be considering something like this:

500 liter tank, 3990 baht From HomePro in Bangkok:

http://www.directtoshop.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?urlRequestType=Base&catalogId=10051&categoryId=&productId=94311&errorViewName=ProductDisplayErrorView&urlLangId=&langId=-1&top_category=&parent_category_rn=&storeId=10001

Whatever the outcome, the help from both of you is greatly appreciated. I'll let you know how it turns out (if I am involved in the resolution).

CHEERS!

D

[Ackybang]

Hello, webwordly - fancy tank, that - very nice. Probably silver lined as is becoming increasingly fashionable these days.

Your dough - your decision obviously, but for less money than that, you could probably get twice the capacity in a normal builder's merchants - doesn't need to be anything fancy, or have a posh brand name for water storage, and 500 litres doesn't last long usually, in everyday use..

Last thousand liter tank I bought was in a small, normal Thai merchants - slim, upright - 2,900 baht. No fancy brand, but uv rated and good quality - good for at least ten Years in the Sun, easy. I moved and sold it on for 2,000 baht, after using it for 3 Years. I once bought a Cotto 1,500 liter tank Years ago , from a very well known building suppliers - double skinned, 10 Year guarantee for around 14,000 baht, because I didn't know any better.. Pays to shop around.

Are they using it as a backup, or as a buffer between them and the water supply cutting out ? Use this to judge the size needed, if you have to replace - the existing tank you described is at least 1,000 liters.

Again, good luck - good of you to help another in such a way.

Edited April 23, 2013 by Ackybang