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Leaks in tank, any advice?

WildeEngineer

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 25, 2022
Total Posts
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Location
Pasadena, CA, USA
While cleaning out my tank it exposed some leaks at seams in the tank. Anyone have advice on the best way to go about fixing the leaks?

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The best repair is to have a radiator shop pressure test the tank and solder/weld up any holes, they follow up with boiling out the tank which rids it of rust. Most will offer to do a liner at the same times which should be a commercial product and better than what we typically can buy.
The boiling of of the tank will destroy the paint.
 
The best repair is to have a radiator shop pressure test the tank and solder/weld up any holes, they follow up with boiling out the tank which rids it of rust. Most will offer to do a liner at the same times which should be a commercial product and better than what we typically can buy.
The boiling of of the tank will destroy the paint.

Problem is finding one of those shops anymore. Nothing gets fixed these days, just thrown in the ocean/landfill and replaced with new chinesium


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I think I'd try a tank liner like Kreem first. I didn't use it on my current tank because the rust was very superficial and no leaks. I'd also listen to the folks here. Lots of historical/practical knowledge here
 
I think I'd try a tank liner like Kreem first. I didn't use it on my current tank because the rust was very superficial and no leaks. I'd also listen to the folks here. Lots of historical/practical knowledge here

No offense, but my opinion is Kreem is the absolute worst. The only good thing about it is that you can remove it (not necessarily easily though) with acetone once it fails. I’ve seen more failed Kreem liners than any of the others, one of which I actually did myself long ago.
The best results I have had are with Caswells if you have to go the liner route. As with any of them, you must take your time and follow ALL of the instructions to the letter.
 
No problem. I've not pro or con on Kreem but I've seen good results from someone that used it with issues with small pin hole leaks that only presented when the tank was full. Several were along the seam. It did well but I made sure to mention to use the vast knowledge here on the subject. I'm just a DIY'er and learning curve here sit's high so He should take the consensus here rather than I.
Very cool that people help.
I'm sure I'll have tons of questions on my projects and thanks to folks like you, I'll do well on all of them
 
I found a shop that pressure tested and repaired for $160 but the place I found that would boil out and line is asking $175. So now that it's repaired Ill probably just try to clean it out myself and see how well it goes with no liner

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I found a shop that pressure tested and repaired for $160 but the place I found that would boil out and line is asking $175. So now that it's repaired Ill probably just try to clean it out myself and see how well it goes with no liner

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I first thought '$15 difference?' But I concluded you mean $160 for repair + $175 for lining? That is pretty pricey. OTOH, how much is a replacement? Every time I've tried to cut costs, I regret it.
 
I first thought '$15 difference?' But I concluded you mean $160 for repair + $175 for lining? That is pretty pricey. OTOH, how much is a replacement? Every time I've tried to cut costs, I regret it.
Yea, I'm going to take it to the palace that'll boil and line it, the other quote I got for a boil and liner was $275 so there's just no getting around the costs, but better a safe tank than not

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Sounds like you've already solved the problem the best way. For anyone who may reference this post in the future though I have to agree that Caswell's is a good product. The most critical things are getting your tank as clean as possible then mixing the proper proportions. Really not a difficult job IF your tank is not FULL of flaky rust. Follow the directions and if you have any issues contact them! Caswell's is used by some pretty esteemed fiberglass tank makers. That was what made me choose them. No regrets!

That said, I believe their smallest kit (more than enough for one tank) is currently about $75-$80 shipped. So figure $100 for labor. It is a several hour job not counting cure time. $175 for clean and seal I'd say isn't so bad a deal. Not to mention IF something does unexpectedly go wrong, it's on the shop instead of you to do it over!
 
Sounds like you've already solved the problem the best way. For anyone who may reference this post in the future though I have to agree that Caswell's is a good product. The most critical things are getting your tank as clean as possible then mixing the proper proportions. Really not a difficult job IF your tank is not FULL of flaky rust. Follow the directions and if you have any issues contact them! Caswell's is used by some pretty esteemed fiberglass tank makers. That was what made me choose them. No regrets!

That said, I believe their smallest kit (more than enough for one tank) is currently about $75-$80 shipped. So figure $100 for labor. It is a several hour job not counting cure time. $175 for clean and seal I'd say isn't so bad a deal. Not to mention IF something does unexpectedly go wrong, it's on the shop instead of you to do it over!
And I was looking to paint the tank in it's original candy sapphire blue anyways so that's less work for me to get the paint off

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Umm... yeah, I just re-read your post. :confused:

I thought you said $175, but see now that is ONLY for the lining. Still not bad I suppose considering what's involved and current costs (including labor costs!) The prep work is what's really time consuming so $160 there is probably a fair estimate.
 
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