The Tools That Are Needed To Fix A Leaking Water Tank
When trying to patch a small leak in a water tank, trough, or any other large metal container there are many ways you can go about it. To be honest this is one method that comes recommended by the US Department of Agriculture and has the advantage of being cold. Here you don’t have to weld, solder or do anything else with heated materials. What you just need is a drill, a toggle fastener and bolt, a rubber gasket and a brass washer.
Usually something like this will not usually work on a seam. This is also not a permanent repair system. Having just a small hole in the tank means that the whole tank wall is weakening and you’ll probably have to replace the tank soon.
Keep in mind the first step is to drain the tank. The next step is to remove any rust around the offending hole, either with a chemical rust remover or with sandpaper. After all that, be sure to consult with a good hardware man.
Looking for all the things you need in a large store by yourself can be tricky. Get a small toggle fastener, the smaller the better. The type of fastener you want is a winged affair with a hinged joint in the middle that allows you to fold it together.
You put the fastener on the end of a bolt, fold the wings of the fastener, then shove the bolt end and the folded fastener through the hole in the side of the tank, where the fastener wings expand and give the bolt gripping power. The smaller the fastener, the smaller the hole you have to drill and cover. Finding a brass bolt to go with the toggle fastener is better because brass doesn’t rust.
One other thing you need is a rubber washer or gasket two or three times as wide as the hole of the tank, plus a brass washer about the same size or slightly smaller. With the two they should have holes in the middle not much bigger around than the bolt that will go through them. Not getting it to fit well will create more leaks.
Alternatively in case you find nothing, you may be able to use solid pieces of rubber and metal and drill your own boles in the middle. Keep in mind that you need to enlarge the leaking hole in the side of the tank with your drill, just large enough to slip the folded toggle fastener through to the other side. Another thing you can do is to smear the area around the drilled hole with rubber cement and let the glue dry. Make sure you are able to assemble your bolt with the brass washer outermost, then the rubber gasket, then the toggle fastener. It is important that you use a square or hexagonal nut when your bolt does not have a head.
Ideally, you will have to Smear the back side of the rubber gasket with rubber glue and let dry. Once the glue at the back of the gasket meets the glue on the side of the tank, the two faces will bond to a certain extent. After that you can now Slip the folded toggle fastener through the hole in the tank and tighten the bold head or nut with a wrench. In this case you will have an usable tank.
Visit rain water tank to learn more about water tanks.More resources on water tanks can be found here at water tanks.
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