Repair suggestions for cracked fresh water tank drain?

[sportbob]

I noticed this crack today, see image. It's not leaking yet but I'd like to proactively repair it myself if possible.

[SeaDog]

welcome to the forum its a great place to get your questions answered. It cracked from being overtightened if its not leaking you might try to seal around the crack with silicone and just keep an eye on it. JMHO

[Thomas ho]

j b underwater weld . walmart ,,auto parts store. its is 2 part - like clay. works great .

[Bama Rambler]

Those tanks are usually Polyethylene or HDPE and almost nothing will stick to them.
Those nozzles are spun welded into place.

You may be able to get a blind bulkhead fitting to repair it once it starts leaking.

[Thomas ho]

j b underwater weld will stick to a wet radiator and seal it .it will stick to plastic.

[rlocicero]

Mine just disintegrated. The last time we used the fresh water tank was August 2012. 829fkss Flagstaff.

[RussPastuch]

I feel so much better knowing that when the handle snapped off mine this fall, I am not alone.

[gla]

Originally Posted by sportbob

I noticed this crack today, see image. It's not leaking yet but I'd like to proactively repair it myself if possible. Attachment 242856

I had almost the exact problem. The easy way is to find a dealer that can "spin weld" a new fitting. Our dealers were quoting a very high price and 4 weeks or more for repair.
I found a repair kit from Inca Plastics that you use on an angle grinder......it is tricky and it took 2 tries for me to get it right. A hint is to have a helper turn the grinder on when you get it in position and then off after 3 or 4 seconds and YOU must hold the grinder still for about 6 seconds . Done. Good luck.
I did try JB Water Weld first, 3 coats and still had small leak.

[jimmoore13]

If it's not leaking, don't mess with it if you can avoid it. I tried a wide variety of bonding agents to fix a crack in my fresh tank, and NOTHING stuck. The "welding" technique may work, but the time and cost may not be worthwhile.

As a kluge to get more miles out of this one, you could look for another "bung" in the tank and add a second tank drain there. It may not work as well, but it would enable you to leave this one alone.

Last thought...I haven't seen this kind of fitting in my tanks. Is there a chance that there is a bung in the tank, and that what you are looking at is an adapter of some sort? Is it possible you could grab it with some channel locks and back it out? That's just a hunch based on the fact that I don't recognize that protruding fitting based on my experience. It also looks like PVC or ABS...not the material from which your tank is made. But those are a whole bunch of assumptions based on one small photo. Look very carefully before you start twisting. With the condition that thing is in, it won't withstand any abuse.

If that fitting is not a replaceable adapter, I'd start planning to replace the tank. You probably don't have much time.

[Tundra 2014]

I have had very good results w/ standard JB weld or marine catalyst epoxy. the trick w/ either is getting the surface clean and dry. Get as much loose material off as you can and wipe w/ acetone before applying. I once sanded down a rust spot (leak) on a 300 gallon home propane tank and patched w/ JB weld. It held for 20 years. The marine epoxy I used to glue a nose cone on my 200 HP outboard was still on the drive way when we sold the house- over 10 years. The marine epoxy is more vibration resistant.
Worth a try.

[Larry-NC]

Originally Posted by gla

I had almost the exact problem. The easy way is to find a dealer that can "spin weld" a new fitting. Our dealers were quoting a very high price and 4 weeks or more for repair.
I found a repair kit from Inca Plastics that you use on an angle grinder......it is tricky and it took 2 tries for me to get it right. A hint is to have a helper turn the grinder on when you get it in position and then off after 3 or 4 seconds and YOU must hold the grinder still for about 6 seconds . Done. Good luck.
I did try JB Water Weld first, 3 coats and still had small leak.

Maybe even easier if the helper plug/unplugs the grinder so he isn't wiggling it while you are trying to hold it steady. Or plug in through an outlet strip and use the switch there.

Thanks for the info about spin-weld kits. That might be useful someday.

[bowler]

Had a similar problem on a holding tank on my hot tub. Also uses spin weld fittings. The broken part was not the spin weld fitting itself, they are just used for the thread access. Usually just a pvc or abs fitting is threaded into the spin weld fitting to allow the valve to be installed. Broken part on mine was a threaded pvc pipe fitting. It was also hard to see at first. Good luck!

[sportbob]

Wow, you're all a wealth of information! Thank you all so much for your thoughtful advice, I appreciate it!

[dalford]

Confidence, the feeling you have before you know all the issues..lol.

Welcome to the forum. I’ve been here for a while and learn new stuff from the members here all the time. Spin welds is a good example.

Here is a short video on spin welding... https://youtu.be/fMdLWAYr7Ck

[walleyewizard]

Originally Posted by sportbob

I noticed this crack today, see image. It's not leaking yet but I'd like to proactively repair it myself if possible. Attachment 242856

I put a hose clamp around a fitting like that years ago and never did have to replace it. I did remove the bung, push the pieces into place lining up the threads and teflon tape the bung and hose clamp. Good luck

[TitanMike]

The crack i see in the picture is what happens when someone screws an NPT type fitting in too far. If it's not leaking I'd put a hose clamp around the tank fitting to stabilize it and leave it alone. It may never leak.