# Repair Stainless Steel Pressure Tank



## Maxx62

Repair Stainless Steel Tank

I'm wondering if anyone out there has experience with repairing stainless steel pressure tanks? I have a 12 gallon pressure tank (Bestank SP-12)which has started to leak along a welded seam along the bottom of the tank. This particular tank is only two years old, so I'm a little disappointed in its performance. 

My first thought was to simply get another pressure tank, but none of the stores in my area seem to offer pressure tanks with the same exact dimensions, and if I opt to put in another style of pressure tank, then I'm going to have a bare of a time reconfiguring all of my pipes. 

Does anyone have experience with getting these things welded? If so how reliable are they afterwards? A guy around the corner said he can weld mine for 500 Pesos, but I'm worried that it will probably leak afterwards. I'm wondering if marine grade epoxy might work if I keep the pressure turned down to 20 Psi? (Probably not?)

All of my in-laws have leaky tanks, and they just live with them, but I don't think that's such a hot idea because then the pump is going to be running all the time, and the constant trickle of water coming out of the tank probably isn't sanitary. (My in-laws all seem to have moss growing under neath their tanks.) 

Any advice appreciated.


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## Datchworth

Offer the welder a deal whereby you withhold an agreed amount for a time to see if it leaks.


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## fmartin_gila

Datchworth said:


> Offer the welder a deal whereby you withhold an agreed amount for a time to see if it leaks.


And a bonus of 100 if it holds for a certain period of time. Should assure a good job.

Fred


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## Maxx62

Guess I'll give it a shot and see how it works out. He says he's busy at his regular job until Sunday, so I have to wait a few days. Well, what's 500 Pesos, anyway, like 12 US Dollars?


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## Cebu Citizen

Make sure the guy has "EXPERIENCE" with welding Stainless Steel...

Any welder will tell you there are 2 most difficult things to weld...#1 Aluminum and #2 Stainless...

The welding process itself is not that difficult but it "will" remove the process that "makes" it stainless...so expect some possible rust issues later on during its lifespan.


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## SierraMadreMe

This issue is one that I have been dealing with for several months and multiple tanks.Although I did not buy a Bestank,I did buy several Stainless tanks from the local hardware store.The first that I bought was in 2008.It was a 40gal and that worked up until it sprang a leak around the 1st of this year.I had wanted a larger tank since the beginning,so I opted to replace the 40 with an 80gal.The 80gal worked trouble free for 6 months and then started leaking.

I inquired around about a stainless welder to fix this tank,and was directed to a local "professional" who had been a welder abroad for 20yrs and was highly regarded.I had one of the local guys deliver it to him,and when it was returned,it looked like a 5yr old threw a bunch of mud on the leaking area.I partially filled the tank,but the "repaired area" leaked so bad that I couldn't fill it.That tank went back and forth 2 more times,and each time it came back worse.



I then replaced the tank,and it wasn't 2 weeks and that one started leaking.

Tomorrow we will be installing a bladder tank.

I wish you the best of luck.Maybe they have more proficient welders in your area...I'll keep my fingers crossed for you.

Cebu Citizen suggests finding a welder with experience.It has been my experience that everyone says they are experienced....and that statement isn't worth much unless you can verify it,and even then I wouldn't wager money on it.

You should hope for the best,but prepare for the worst.


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## fmartin_gila

SierraMadreMe said:


> Cebu Citizen suggests finding a welder with experience.It has been my experience that everyone says they are experienced....and that statement isn't worth much unless you can verify it,and even then I wouldn't wager money on it.
> 
> You should hope for the best,but prepare for the worst.


Found the same when building our house & fence. Everybody is an expert and knows all about it then when done the shabby and lack-of-thought workmanship show up. 

Fred


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## M.C.A.

I had this same issue, make sure that the tank is bled correctly and bleed it all the way down (mine is stainless steel also) and I used a two part epoxy, had the seem areas sanded lightly and cleaned real well and used the two part epoxy and it worked great, if that didn't work then I would have had to take it to a welder.


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## fmartin_gila

Epoxy Steel is what to use if you try this method. The stuff is amazing. I think it actually has powdered steel in the one part and when you mix the other with it it will get a bit warm as it cooks/cures. A precaution on this though - if you do spread the epoxy mixture on a seam and it doesn't seal, the chemicals present may prevent a proper weld later.

Fred


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## Maxx62

M.C.A. said:


> I had this same issue, make sure that the tank is bled correctly and bleed it all the way down (mine is stainless steel also) and I used a two part epoxy, had the seem areas sanded lightly and cleaned real well and used the two part epoxy and it worked great, if that didn't work then I would have had to take it to a welder.


I think that I'm gonna go the epoxy route instead of trying to play around with a welder. I've notice the same thing about everyone over here claiming to be an expert, but then not really taking even the slightest bit of pride in their work. (Don't get me started on the electrician I hired a few years ago.) I don't feel like dealing with the hassle of taking my tank back and forth multiple times to deal with the welders increasingly sour puss attitude, and epoxy is probably going to be just as reliable as the local welder. 

Once I used JB Weld epoxy to fix a broken Rochester Quadrajet carburetor back home, and the repair lasted for as long as I owned the car, which was about another seven or eight years. However, I can't seem to find JB Weld brand epoxy over here in the PI, and the stuff that they have in the hardware stores over here takes for ever to setup and then it doesn't seem to have nearly the same tensile strength.

I've seen something called "marine epoxy" in the store, and according to the label it is supposed to be suitable for making repairs to metal hulls. I've also noticed another type of epoxy called "Plumber's Putty" (completely different from the plumber's putty in the states) and it says that it can be used for making repairs to water pipes. Hmm...Does anyone know if one of these two products might be suitable, or should I go with an ordinary two part steel epoxy?


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## Maxx62

SierraMadreMe said:


> This issue is one that I have been dealing with for several months and multiple tanks.Although I did not buy a Bestank,I did buy several Stainless tanks from the local hardware store.The first that I bought was in 2008.It was a 40gal and that worked up until it sprang a leak around the 1st of this year.I had wanted a larger tank since the beginning,so I opted to replace the 40 with an 80gal.The 80gal worked trouble free for 6 months and then started leaking.
> 
> I inquired around about a stainless welder to fix this tank,and was directed to a local "professional" who had been a welder abroad for 20yrs and was highly regarded.I had one of the local guys deliver it to him,and when it was returned,it looked like a 5yr old threw a bunch of mud on the leaking area.I partially filled the tank,but the "repaired area" leaked so bad that I couldn't fill it.That tank went back and forth 2 more times,and each time it came back worse.
> 
> 
> 
> I then replaced the tank,and it wasn't 2 weeks and that one started leaking.
> 
> Tomorrow we will be installing a bladder tank.
> 
> I wish you the best of luck.Maybe they have more proficient welders in your area...I'll keep my fingers crossed for you.
> 
> Cebu Citizen suggests finding a welder with experience.It has been my experience that everyone says they are experienced....and that statement isn't worth much unless you can verify it,and even then I wouldn't wager money on it.
> 
> You should hope for the best,but prepare for the worst.


Agh... I get so sick and tired of dealing with the substandard products over here! Same thing happened to my sister-in-law. She purchased the same type of tank as mine, but hers only lasted six months, while mine lasted approximately two years. The people at the hardware store said it was probably due to there being too much salt in the water. I almost started to argue with them, and to remind them that stainless steel should not corrode due to salt (I used to work in salt refinery) but then I thought better of it, because no matter what I say, they simply are not going to honor their warranty.


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## SierraMadreMe

Maxx62 said:


> The people at the hardware store said it was probably due to there being too much salt in the water. I almost started to argue with them, and to remind them that stainless steel should not corrode due to salt (I used to work in salt refinery) but then I thought better of it, because no matter what I say, they simply are not going to honor their warranty.



The folks at my local hardware store suggested to me that maybe my pump was too strong. 

It's hard to argue with logic like that.


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## M.C.A.

*Marine Epoxy for repairs*



Maxx62 said:


> .
> 
> I've seen something called "marine epoxy" in the store, and according to the label it is supposed to be suitable for making repairs to metal hulls. I've also noticed another type of epoxy called "Plumber's Putty" (completely different from the plumber's putty in the states) and it says that it can be used for making repairs to water pipes. Hmm...Does anyone know if one of these two products might be suitable, or should I go with an ordinary two part steel epoxy?


That's the stuff "Marine Epoxy"it sets up usually in a pink color, I mix it 50/50, first I'll stir it well in each can and once the area is ready, clean, dry for application, mix the two parts real well and apply it quickly this stuff sets up fast but takes 4 - 5 hours plus to set up, the longer you wait the better.


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## M.C.A.

*Tank size*



SierraMadreMe said:


> The folks at my local hardware store suggested to me that maybe my pump was too strong.
> 
> It's hard to argue with logic like that.


That could be it actually because I was told by my brother in-law that my tank was too small for my 1hp pump, we did have that very big tank but it got destroyed in the flood but lasted for a decade, not sure why but my wife bought a smaller tank and now the pump runs more often, we've been through two floods with our new smaller tank and it's been good to us but maybe it is a little small for the pump also the pump comes on more frequently.


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## Gary D

M.C.A. said:


> That could be it actually because I was told by my brother in-law that my tank was too small for my 1hp pump, we did have that very big tank but it got destroyed in the flood but lasted for a decade, not sure why but my wife bought a smaller tank and now the pump runs more often, we've been through two floods with our new smaller tank and it's been good to us but maybe it is a little small for the pump also the pump comes on more frequently.


With smaller tank the pump will come on more often because of the smaller storage capacity. As to the pump being too strong, the pressure gauge sets the pressure and as long as it's set below the max working pressure of the tank it doesn't matter if you pump is 1hp or 1000hp, more Philippines logic I'm afraid.


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## M.C.A.

*Pressure Switch*



Gary D said:


> With smaller tank the pump will come on more often because of the smaller storage capacity. As to the pump being too strong, the pressure gauge sets the pressure and as long as it's set below the max working pressure of the tank it doesn't matter if you pump is 1hp or 1000hp, more Philippines logic I'm afraid.


Good point Gary, we never had issues with the tank but the pressure switch over the years has been a pain and I wasn't aware that most Mom & Pop Hardware stores sold fake branded knock off's from China, the original pressure switch's run about 250 pesos on up and the knock off's always fail or give problems such as overpressurization, same with the gauges, they look original but aren't. 

These fake pressure switch's are nearly identical, same with the gauges, always ask for original.


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## Datchworth

Someone on another forum here has seen a US tape product on sale called Fiber Fix. He posted an impressive ad, but was not clear about where he saw it on sale. It bonds using fiber glass. However, so far today no one has said they have used it.


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## M.C.A.

*Patching the water tank*



Datchworth said:


> Someone on another forum here has seen a US tape product on sale called Fiber Fix. He posted an impressive ad, but was not clear about where he saw it on sale. It bonds using fiber glass. However, so far today no one has said they have used it.


Lol I watched the video on this product, it looks but the leaks they show are on small pipes, so you can wrap the tape around the leaks, so good for tubes but I'm not sure about outside tank seams. These leaks can be hairline and you can't see them unless you shine a flashlight on all the seam area's, lessons learned after 3 attempts two weeks ago in sealing our tank, what a pain.

Marine Epoxy kit, the small one is about 95 pesos the larger under 200 pesos and it sets up quick and gets into area's harder to reach especially under the tank where the legs are attached, another positive is that the epoxy is sold at any hardware store even the small ones.


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## Datchworth

Yes, ad somewhat OTT. Agree with you, it's probably easier to use with pipes. They're always springing leaks so it may be worth getting a roll just for bathrooms. I just wonder that if there's an area of the tank with a number of hairline cracks it would serve as additional sealing and support.


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## M.C.A.

*Water tank leaks*



Datchworth said:


> Yes, ad somewhat OTT. Agree with you, it's probably easier to use with pipes. They're always springing leaks so it may be worth getting a roll just for bathrooms. I just wonder that if there's an area of the tank with a number of hairline cracks it would serve as additional sealing and support.


Interesting I belt it would be a quick fix, I know this Marine epoxy is easy to work with though and when it fully hardens, with a day or two depends on the humidity and temperature it's rock hard but can be sanded and reapplied, another learning lesson I got from my brother in-law he had the epoxy spread on evenly so you can find the cracks or missing spots if not you have to sand it down again so actually this tape might be difficult to work with especially if it won't seal the crack. :fingerscrossed:


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## Maxx62

M.C.A. said:


> That's the stuff "Marine Epoxy"it sets up usually in a pink color, I mix it 50/50, first I'll stir it well in each can and once the area is ready, clean, dry for application, mix the two parts real well and apply it quickly this stuff sets up fast but takes 4 - 5 hours plus to set up, the longer you wait the better.


Thanks, I unusually bleed my tank around the first of the month, so I guess I'll give it a try then. 

If that doesn't work my plan is to just by a larger tank, maybe around 25 gallons or so, and stand it up next to my existing tank which is mounted on a concrete platform, about 18" high. My plan is to leave my pressure tank mounted on the old 12 gallon tank, and then route the output from my pump over to the new 25 gallon tank, and that should be that. Of course I'll have to swap the pressure gauge, pressure switch, and line going into my house over to the new tank, but that's better than living with a constant trickle of water underneath my pressure tank (who knows what kind of damage that will cause if left unchecked?).

Anyway, hopefully the epoxy will work, and I won't have to worry about buying a new tank.


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## Maxx62

SierraMadreMe said:


> The folks at my local hardware store suggested to me that maybe my pump was too strong.
> 
> It's hard to argue with logic like that.


But if the pressure inside your tank were actually that high, wouldn't it be blowing apart all of your PVC / PPR connection joints before it caused a lead in your pressure tank? Well, as you said you can't argue with logic like that.


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## M.C.A.

*Bottom tank leak*



Maxx62 said:


> Thanks, I unusually bleed my tank around the first of the month, so I guess I'll give it a try then.
> 
> If that doesn't work my plan is to just by a larger tank, maybe around 25 gallons or so, and stand it up next to my existing tank which is mounted on a concrete platform, about 18" high. My plan is to leave my pressure tank mounted on the old 12 gallon tank, and then route the output from my pump over to the new 25 gallon tank, and that should be that. Of course I'll have to swap the pressure gauge, pressure switch, and line going into my house over to the new tank, but that's better than living with a constant trickle of water underneath my pressure tank (who knows what kind of damage that will cause if left unchecked?).
> 
> Anyway, hopefully the epoxy will work, and I won't have to worry about buying a new tank.


I had the leak also on the bottom of the tank where one of the 3 legs attached, what a pain it took me three tries to get it but it was such a small hairline opening that I couldn't see it, I had to use reading glasses and a flashlight, finally got it after 3 tries, I also had a leak on the seam that runs up and down the tank the Marine Epoxy is effective though if you can find the right spot and wait at least 4 hrs plus, the longer the wait the better, our tank is the 25 gallon but we had an even larger tank before.


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## Maxx62

I don't know what happened, maybe the leak got filled in with sediments or something, but right now the leak is virtually gone without me doing anything. I believe in not fixing things if they ain't broken, so for the time being I'm just going to keep a close eye on it. If it gets bad again I have some epoxy in my tool shed waiting for it.


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## fmartin_gila

If it's dry might be good to sand it a bit to create some roughness for the epoxy to grab onto and then smear a layer on it just as a preventative measure. Just food for thought & might make it last a bit longer. In the apt. we rented for awhile, the tank & pump would occasionally develop a terrible vibration when it reached the shutdown pressure and shut off the pump.

Fred


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## Maxx62

Problem is that in order to sand the bottom of the thank I'll have to undo a couple of pipes and the electrical line in order to remove it from its concrete base. There's no way I can really get to the bottom of if it while it is in use. Most of these tanks have a pipe plug in the bottom to drain them, but I put a street-elbow a short section of pipe, and a ball valve to drain it. This works out well for a few years until the mysterious leak started a few weeks ago. Well, after I fix the broken light switch in the kitchen, and then put a new battery in my car, then I guess I'll get around to turning my tank upside down and putting some epoxy on it. Unless of course it suddenly starts leaking like crazy again. I thought I would be done fixing broken trash when I came here, boy was I wrong.


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## fmartin_gila

Quality Control seems to be very much lacking here nothing seems to hold up as long as we expect it to. I've had to fix more things here in my new house than I had to fix in my nearly 100 year old house I left in the states. Quite a bit of it comes from a complete lack of craftsmanship or any pride in workmanship or maybe just not thinking things through. It just seems "slap it together and thats good enough". 

Fred


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## M.C.A.

*Fixing substandard overpriced junk*



Maxx62 said:


> Problem is that in order to sand the bottom of the thank I'll have to undo a couple of pipes and the electrical line in order to remove it from its concrete base. There's no way I can really get to the bottom of if it while it is in use. Most of these tanks have a pipe plug in the bottom to drain them, but I put a street-elbow a short section of pipe, and a ball valve to drain it. This works out well for a few years until the mysterious leak started a few weeks ago. Well, after I fix the broken light switch in the kitchen, and then put a new battery in my car, then I guess I'll get around to turning my tank upside down and putting some epoxy on it. Unless of course it suddenly starts leaking like crazy again. I thought I would be done fixing broken trash when I came here, boy was I wrong.


I live that life, fixing substandard overpriced junk. Must have fixed nearly every fan in the home more than once, nearly everything that we have purchased and at times it gets real frustrating but the other option is to by brand new again, I can't afford to do that anymore.

Wish I could fix my 32"HD TV, grandson got angry and punched it dead center and now it's cloudy or hard to see , I was told that it or the layers in between the TV had become unbonded but that no one can fix it and was warned not to let anyone try to they'll only make it worse, I do have another TV though and may just buy a smaller screened more reasonably priced TV as a fix. Here's the kicker the repair man took the TV apart and cleaned it (wasn't dirty) and then after he was done gave me all the information on how to get it repaired, I had to turn it in for another refurbished TV but the price was a little high, so he got his 500 pesos and I got my information.


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## Maxx62

M.C.A. said:


> I live that life, fixing substandard overpriced junk. Must have fixed nearly every fan in the home more than once, nearly everything that we have purchased and at times it gets real frustrating but the other option is to by brand new again, I can't afford to do that anymore.
> 
> Wish I could fix my 32"HD TV, grandson got angry and punched it dead center and now it's cloudy or hard to see , I was told that it or the layers in between the TV had become unbonded but that no one can fix it and was warned not to let anyone try to they'll only make it worse, I do have another TV though and may just buy a smaller screened more reasonably priced TV as a fix. Here's the kicker the repair man took the TV apart and cleaned it (wasn't dirty) and then after he was done gave me all the information on how to get it repaired, I had to turn it in for another refurbished TV but the price was a little high, so he got his 500 pesos and I got my information.


I remember that during my very first trip over, back in the lat 1980s, my mother-in-law asked me to take a leak at a leaking toilet in her house. Deep down inside I really didn't want to get involved with it, but since it was my own mother-in-law asking I decided to take a look. 

Turned out that the leak was coming from the handle of the angle stop valve and not actually from the toilet itself. My wife and I picked up a new valve at some small hardware store located near Fort San Pedro in Cebu City. I remember this because the valve was solid brass, and the writing on the package said that it was made in Ohio. After I installed the valve I put the empty package and receipt on the top closet shelf in the spare bedroom where we were staying. Every year when we came back I'd look to see the valve I installed was still there, and wouldn't you know it, the empty package and receipt I left in the closet were still there last time I checked in 2013. 

Anyway, its almost impossible to get good quality fixtures over here these days, and someone is sure making a huge racket off of selling Chinese pot metal plumbing fixtures to the local consumers over here. It's funny how no one seems to question any of it?


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## fmartin_gila

Plain & simply it just comes down to price. The general populace seems to be conditioned to be concerned about price not quality. I have such a hard time to explain to my wife about the advantage of paying twice the price for something that will last four times as long. The concept of buying quality doesn't seem to be part of their mindset, and the Chinese are only happy to oblige.

Fred


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## Maxx62

I just wanted to give everyone a quick update on the issue of my leaking pressure tank tank. 

I tried using two different types of epoxies, but neither one of them were able to stop the leak permanently. At first I tried using the marine grade epoxy, but the first time I applied it began to sag away from the bottom of tank after a few hours of usage. 

I used a wire wheel to remove all of the sagging marine grade epoxy, and I reapplied a second coating of the same type of epoxy to the bare metal. This time I let the tank set upside down for about 36 hours before I tried hooking it back up. This time the leak stopped for four or five days, but eventually the water worked its way under the epoxy, and the water began dripping trough a tiny bubble hole in the epoxy near the edge. 

I cleaned off all the epoxy again, and this time I used Devcon steel epoxy on the bottom of the tank. The Devcon brand epoxy set up much quicker than the marine grade epoxy, but after a few days it also started leaking. 

Fortunately I happened to be shopping at a Ace hardware at one of the less busy malls in my area, and they just happened to have two tanks in stock that were exactly the same size and type as the one I have at home. (Thank God! Now I don't have to redo all of my pipes!)

Looks like it really isn't possible to repair these things, and when they're gone they are really gone.


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## M.C.A.

*Tank Repairs*



Maxx62 said:


> I just wanted to give everyone a quick update on the issue of my leaking pressure tank tank.
> 
> I tried using two different types of epoxies, but neither one of them were able to stop the leak permanently. At first I tried using the marine grade epoxy, but the first time I applied it began to sag away from the bottom of tank after a few hours of usage.
> 
> Looks like it really isn't possible to repair these things, and when they're gone they are really gone.


Good thing you were able to find the right tank size, hopefully not to costly. I had similar issues with my tank but I am familiar with using these compounds and especially the Marine Epoxy on Helicopter repairs or similar, 20 years of use and it's the way you mix it that will make it harden faster ... it's somewhat touchy because if you mix in too much hardener the repair could end up becoming brittle, what I do is mix (for the tank only) 40% compound to 60% hardener and it won't drop down if spread real even and smooth but the key is you have less than 5 minutes to get it on there so the tank area surface that requires patching must be cleaned and dry in advance, it will set up in about 4 hrs plus, my repairs were on the bottom of the tank and also the side seam area, my brother in-law has done this several times, I had troubles and he helped me on the 3rd try. Actually this would have been a job for a local plumber if you are not too sure how to do it, sometimes the tank just need to be replaced though.

Tough jobs we call our plumber and over the years I've learned from him, he's a very skilled worker first time we met was when we called him in 2003 fixing the water system his transportation was his bike and a few tools, he couldn't afford a hammer though, so I gave him my old spare and 6 years ago he came over to repair our tank and he had a used motorcycle, many tools and earlier this year he came over with a brand new trike, he confessed to me that his family stole all his tools, he's a religious man and I shared with him that the same thing happened to me twice ... he just shook his head, he still has the hammer I gave him in 2003 but his other tools are gone, he makes due with very little.


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## Maxx62

M.C.A. said:


> Good thing you were able to find the right tank size, hopefully not to costly. I had similar issues with my tank but I am familiar with using these compounds and especially the Marine Epoxy on Helicopter repairs or similar, 20 years of use and it's the way you mix it that will make it harden faster ... it's somewhat touchy because if you mix in too much hardener the repair could end up becoming brittle, what I do is mix (for the tank only) 40% compound to 60% hardener and it won't drop down if spread real even and smooth but the key is you have less than 5 minutes to get it on there so the tank area surface that requires patching must be cleaned and dry in advance, it will set up in about 4 hrs plus, my repairs were on the bottom of the tank and also the side seam area, my brother in-law has done this several times, I had troubles and he helped me on the 3rd try. Actually this would have been a job for a local plumber if you are not too sure how to do it, sometimes the tank just need to be replaced though.
> 
> Tough jobs we call our plumber and over the years I've learned from him, he's a very skilled worker first time we met was when we called him in 2003 fixing the water system his transportation was his bike and a few tools, he couldn't afford a hammer though, so I gave him my old spare and 6 years ago he came over to repair our tank and he had a used motorcycle, many tools and earlier this year he came over with a brand new trike, he confessed to me that his family stole all his tools, he's a religious man and I shared with him that the same thing happened to me twice ... he just shook his head, he still has the hammer I gave him in 2003 but his other tools are gone, he makes due with very little.


Well, I always had good luck with using JB Weld brand epoxy back in the states to fix things, but over here things just don't seem to work out the same. Actually, I kinda wonder if I don't have more than just one leak in the same area on the bottom of the tank, and maybe there's just too much water wanting to flow through that area for the epoxy to maintain a good seal? Also, maybe I got a little too aggressive with the wire wheel brush and my drill when I tried to rough up the surface for the very first application of epoxy? Also, I'm kinda wondering if maybe the recent extremely damp weather may have impacted the epoxy to cure correctly?

At any rate, I put the old leaky tank to the side for right now, and later on when I have a chance I'll take it to one of my wife's relatives in Talisay to see if I can get him to weld it up for me, if it can be welded. Now that I've got the new tank it place it isn't a huge emergency, and I probably have a few years before the new tank springs a leak.

One of the reasons I don't like hiring any of the local handymen / plumbers, is that most of the guys in my area seem to have bad shabu addiction problems, so they tend to want to do the job as quickly as possible so that they can get in and out with their money. Also, I kinda felt uncomfortable one time when I hired someone to swap out my kitchen faucet, and I couldn't help but notice that he kept eyeballing everything inside our house every time he went in and out the door. After that I kinda decided that it would probably be better if we limited the number of strangers that we allowed in and out our front door.

Also, when we first built our house back in 2013 I asked the plumber to have two separate pipes going into our concrete storage tank, one line from the municipal water supply, and the other line as a suction line for the pressure pump. That way we could add water to the large concrete storage tank, at the same time we were using the pressure pump to draw water out of the concrete tank. 

When I got back from California I took a look at his work, and I found that he had done the exact opposite of what I asked him to do. Instead of putting two PVC lines going into the tank, he put only one, and then he created a crazy configuration of pipes and plastic ball valves on the sidewalk in front of the tank. The way he had it set up you had to bend down to the ground and rotate two plastic valves to add water to the tank, and then if you wanted to use the pressure pump to bring water into the house, you'd have to go outside and swap the plastic valves back in the other direction. Completely stupid! When I asked him about it he said that setting it up this way used less pipe and saved money. (How much money did we save but not adding one extra PVC pipe, 200 Pesos?)

My wife got a sore back from constantly having to switch the PVC ball valves, so I redid everything in what I consider to be a more sensible configuration. Now the pipes are now longer running across the ground, where people can trip on them, and I now have one separate pipe that can supply water into the storage tank, while a separate is used to draw water for the pressure pump. Also, I added unions to all of the pipes, so that way I can simply undo the unions if repairs are needed, and I don't have to cut and re glue any connections. The way it was set up before was just silly, but I notice that all of my in-laws have their water storage set up the same way. 

If you look at the below pictures, you can see why I really wanted to find the same exact size tank.


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## a.la.mood.cravings

Maxx62 said:


> Repair Stainless Steel Tank I'm wondering if anyone out there has experience with repairing stainless steel pressure tanks? I have a 12 gallon pressure tank (Bestank SP-12)which has started to leak along a welded seam along the bottom of the tank. This particular tank is only two years old, so I'm a little disappointed in its performance. My first thought was to simply get another pressure tank, but none of the stores in my area seem to offer pressure tanks with the same exact dimensions, and if I opt to put in another style of pressure tank, then I'm going to have a bare of a time reconfiguring all of my pipes. Does anyone have experience with getting these things welded? If so how reliable are they afterwards? A guy around the corner said he can weld mine for 500 Pesos, but I'm worried that it will probably leak afterwards. I'm wondering if marine grade epoxy might work if I keep the pressure turned down to 20 Psi? (Probably not?) All of my in-laws have leaky tanks, and they just live with them, but I don't think that's such a hot idea because then the pump is going to be running all the time, and the constant trickle of water coming out of the tank probably isn't sanitary. (My in-laws all seem to have moss growing under neath their tanks.) Any advice appreciated.
> View attachment 68521


 I'm curious, did you finally get to have it welded ? And what was the end result? Or did you buy a new one? I'm experiencing the same and wanted to ask you or anyone regarding repairing stainless steel pressure tanks. I have a 42 gallon pressure tank (Bestank SP-42) and similar to yours, it started to leak on the same exact area, along a welded seam along the bottom of the tank! And this tank is only two years old too! I was informed that if I bothered to have it welded, it just might explode! How so? I was advised to buy a fiberglass on but what a waste! Any advise?


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## Gary D

a.la.mood.cravings said:


> I'm curious, did you finally get to have it welded ? And what was the end result? Or did you buy a new one? I'm experiencing the same and wanted to ask you or anyone regarding repairing stainless steel pressure tanks. I have a 42 gallon pressure tank (Bestank SP-42) and similar to yours, it started to leak on the same exact area, along a welded seam along the bottom of the tank! And this tank is only two years old too! I was informed that if I bothered to have it welded, it just might explode! How so? I was advised to buy a fiberglass on but what a waste! Any advise?


I guess if it was a local it probably would explode because they would try and weld it in place without draining it. If the tank was drained down and removed before welding it's worth a chance.


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## Maxx62

a.la.mood.cravings said:


> I'm curious, did you finally get to have it welded ? And what was the end result? Or did you buy a new one? I'm experiencing the same and wanted to ask you or anyone regarding repairing stainless steel pressure tanks. I have a 42 gallon pressure tank (Bestank SP-42) and similar to yours, it started to leak on the same exact area, along a welded seam along the bottom of the tank! And this tank is only two years old too! I was informed that if I bothered to have it welded, it just might explode! How so? I was advised to buy a fiberglass on but what a waste! Any advise?


All of the local handymen wanted too much money to weld my pressure tank, so I just let it continue to leak until I eventually reconfigured the pipes in the pipes in that area. Also, I adjusted the regulator so that it cuts off at 35 psi, and it starts up at around 15 psi or so. My reasoning was that less variation in pressure would cause less flexing in the pressure tank. 

Also, I think that newer style of that particular tank (Bestank SP-42) has a little bit better quality than the older style ones of the same model number. 

However, even with the newer style tanks, they are still prone to leaking after about 18 - 24 months. I just learned to not stress out over a tiny leak, and I would try and guide water somewhere else with bricks. 

I'm not a welder, but someone told me that the sheet metal used to make those tanks is too thin to weld on, and if you're not an expert welder, you're probably going to end up burning more holes in it.


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## Maxx62

Gary D said:


> I guess if it was a local it probably would explode because they would try and weld it in place without draining it. If the tank was drained down and removed before welding it's worth a chance.


Hahaha! Now that would make a good video for You Tube.


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## bigpearl

a.la.mood.cravings said:


> I'm curious, did you finally get to have it welded ? And what was the end result? Or did you buy a new one? I'm experiencing the same and wanted to ask you or anyone regarding repairing stainless steel pressure tanks. I have a 42 gallon pressure tank (Bestank SP-42) and similar to yours, it started to leak on the same exact area, along a welded seam along the bottom of the tank! And this tank is only two years old too! I was informed that if I bothered to have it welded, it just might explode! How so? I was advised to buy a fiberglass on but what a waste! Any advise?


Hi and welcome to the forum.

I suppose it depends on water quality, my water here is hard and salinity right on the acceptable grade by the WHO.
Less than 6 months after moving in here the S/S pressure tank sprouted multiple leaks, it had already been patched up by the previous owner multiple times by the look of it, I think the same size as you mentioned, stood about 4 and a half to 5 foot tall, no problem, purchased another one at around 4,500 pesos and as an old retired plumber did the C/O and yes, 2 years later it also started leaking.

The problem as I see it is they are sold as 304 S/S but who knows what the quality is. 308 S/S is marine grade but no one here sells them, simple answer for me was to purchase an auto pump controller online for like 1,300 pesos, a couple of hours work to modify the plumbing and wiring and fingers crossed still going a year or more without a hitch and near a third of the price, the down side is if the power goes down so does the water whereas the old receiver tank gave enough back up for a quick shower and many toilet flushes.
I have a generator if needed so no major drama. Bonus is a much higher pressure with the pump controller and surprisingly no leaks in any of the pipework.

The workers here sold the 2 old receivers and some roof iron offcuts and that purchase 2 crates of San Mig light that they enjoyed.

Good luck.

Cheers, Steve.


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## Gary D

Maxx62 said:


> Hahaha! Now that would make a good video for You Tube.


Thinking about it a local wouldn't weld it they would try and seal it with half a tin of vulca seal then let it drip.


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## bigpearl

Thing is that the supposed S/S tanks they make here are [email protected] as evidenced by myself and other members over the years.
In the end it's much cheaper to move to a modern system, pressure tanks/receivers are a thing of the past even the rubber diaphragm units used in many countries.

OMO.

Cheers, Steve.


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## Gary D

bigpearl said:


> Thing is that the supposed S/S tanks they make here are [email protected] as evidenced by myself and other members over the years.
> In the end it's much cheaper to move to a modern system, pressure tanks/receivers are a thing of the past even the rubber diaphragm units used in many countries.
> 
> OMO.
> 
> Cheers, Steve.


You are not going to make many friends by sucking the water out of an insufficient main. We have a 350 lt header tank that fills at its own pace then pressure pump to the internal plumbing.


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## bigpearl

LOL, I don't need friends nor enemies. Maybe for you and those on a poor system/water supply supplied by your annual rates? A shared well? I'm sure you and others have read my posts over the years and we have our own deep well that only we draw from and no free loaders. Same as power supply.

Having higher pressure doesn't mean using more water, old system was 30/35 psi and if I was in the shower and Ben put the washing machine on or washed the dishes or a guest was using the other bathroom the water flow dropped off probably because this house was plumbed with half inch lines, replaced so far to the house with 1 inch lines (32mm) but still the old system around the house and a 60psi pressure, now we don't see a water flow drop if one or 3 taps are turned on.

Friction losses based on distance and pipe size. All here have their own deep wells and the smart thinker sizes that to support the needs of the house.

350 litre back up? Australia I had 15k gallons for the house 5K gallons gravity fed, some 22k litres, 6k gallons back up for garden and house and 5k gallons pumped from the dam for the garden also gravity fed. Obviously different scenarios as my house in Oz was rain and dam water, here it's my well and with all its foibles? I'm in control. Soon in control of my power supply.

Try and buy a 22,500 litre water tank here.

Cheers, Steve.


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## Gary D

bigpearl said:


> LOL, I don't need friends nor enemies. Maybe for you and those on a poor system/water supply supplied by your annual rates? A shared well? I'm sure you and others have read my posts over the years and we have our own deep well that only we draw from and no free loaders. Same as power supply.
> 
> Having higher pressure doesn't mean using more water, old system was 30/35 psi and if I was in the shower and Ben put the washing machine on or washed the dishes or a guest was using the other bathroom the water flow dropped off probably because this house was plumbed with half inch lines, replaced so far to the house with 1 inch lines (32mm) but still the old system around the house and a 60psi pressure, now we don't see a water flow drop if one or 3 taps are turned on.
> 
> Friction losses based on distance and pipe size. All here have their own deep wells and the smart thinker sizes that to support the needs of the house.
> 
> 350 litre back up? Australia I had 15k gallons for the house 5K gallons gravity fed, some 22k litres, 6k gallons back up for garden and house and 5k gallons pumped from the dam for the garden also gravity fed. Obviously different scenarios as my house in Oz was rain and dam water, here it's my well and with all its foibles? I'm in control. Soon in control of my power supply.
> 
> Try and buy a 22,500 litre water tank here.
> 
> Cheers, Steve.


If you go to Besta direct you can have any size you want, 22.5k would be a bolt together panel tank.


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## bigpearl

At what cost? I don't need here as my water comes underground from the mountains. 
I have purchased 10kl tanks here for my work when here and they had to be shipped from Singapore, the biggest they could supply and my company purchased 6 of them at 5 times the cost in Australia, that was a long time ago so maybe things have changed here with mono roll off polly water tanks, not bolt together. One piece.

Cheers, Steve.


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## M.C.A.

a.la.mood.cravings said:


> I'm curious, did you finally get to have it welded ? And what was the end result? Or did you buy a new one? I'm experiencing the same and wanted to ask you or anyone regarding repairing stainless steel pressure tanks. I have a 42 gallon pressure tank (Bestank SP-42) and similar to yours, it started to leak on the same exact area, along a welded seam along the bottom of the tank! And this tank is only two years old too! I was informed that if I bothered to have it welded, it just might explode! How so? I was advised to buy a fiberglass on but what a waste! Any advise?


I changed our tank also and only to find out the new one has a slow leak also, I just let it leak it's not enough to worry about but I guess you could drain the tank and use the two part Marine sealant found in any hardware store here, when mixed you have just 10 minutes to apply to a clean surface, I'd clean it with alcohol, make sure to sand it lightly and then you'll have to wait several hours before refilling the tank the longer the better, so if you do this at night then in the morning refill the tank, it'll stop the leaks. But if you can't wait that long without water the two part Marine Sealant would be hard enough (add extra hardener) in a 2 - 4 hrs depends on the weather if it's cool and rainy it won't be such a good fix, I'd use a blow dryer to warm up the area first if a hot day it'll set up real nice.

We also installed a drain on the bottom so once a month you're supposed to purge your tank, that reminds me I need to do this soon. So the bottom line is that if it's not a real noticeable leak, like a bucket worth of lost water a day then I'd leave it alone.


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## Quezon Expat

Hard water is tough on the cheap stainless tanks here. Even Besttank warns of this.


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## art1946

maxx62

I am a class "C" contractor. The most important part is to rough up the area you are going to seal. Never seal a slick or smooth surface. You can use heavy grit paper to rough the surface up. this way it will bond together and hold. marine epoxy is a good choice to use. 

art


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## bigpearl

Agree art a good product like fiberglass and resin/catalyst but on the outside of a pressure vessel? Only a short term repair. The stainless steel they sell here is supposed to be 304 grade,,,,,, who knows and as said before the old receiver had been patched up multiple times with little success and a new 304 S/S receiver lasted only 2 years.

I suppose its a lot like glass lined steel cased hot water units, 10 years on and the expansion/contraction eventually fractures the glass lining and then the mild steel pressure vessel is subject to oxidization then replacement.

Pressure vessels/receivers are old school and not needed with automatic pump controllers at a third of the cost.

BTW art, glad you came out unscathed in Florida with the last hurricane aside from the inconvenience.

OMO.

Cheers, Steve.


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## art1946

hey Steve,

Nicole did little damaged here where I live. Thanks for caring. 

Stainless steel is one material that is hard to seal. the best thing to do is weld the area that is bad and leaking. the weld also will need to be painted with rust inhibitor. I don't know if liquid sealer will hold up under extreme pressure like epoxy. 

art


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## M.C.A.

art1946 said:


> hey Steve,
> 
> Nicole did little damaged here where I live. Thanks for caring.
> 
> Stainless steel is one material that is hard to seal. the best thing to do is weld the area that is bad and leaking. the weld also will need to be painted with rust inhibitor. I don't know if liquid sealer will hold up under extreme pressure like epoxy.
> 
> art


Art the water tank pressure is from 35 to 45 psi and I've used the two part marine epoxy sealant, it'll stop the leaks.


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## bigpearl

M.C.A. said:


> Art the water tank pressure is from 35 to 45 psi and I've used the two part marine epoxy sealant, it'll stop the leaks.


But for how long Mark?

Cheers, Steve.


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## Gary D

bigpearl said:


> But for how long Mark?
> 
> Cheers, Steve.


If you used it in conjunction with some type of bandage it should last indefinitely.


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## bigpearl

Indefinitely? Doubt it Gary, that will help but a pressure vessel needs to be repaired on the inside for longevity. Aside if there's a leak and it's repaired? Another one will follow in a different area. This was evidenced with all the different patches on the pressure tank when we first came here, as said after 2 Years? Another one bites the dust and purchased an auto controller for a third of the price and as it's plastic brass and rubber should be fine for many years to come.

What they sell here marketed as 304 grade but is probably 301 grade and cheaper to purchase and flog it off as 304.
Never going back to a pressure vessel and didn't have one in Oz for over 20 years, my bad to buy another one a couple of years ago.

Cheers, Steve.


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## M.C.A.

bigpearl said:


> But for how long Mark?
> 
> Cheers, Steve.


It will last but these tanks are all crap (steel or cheaper all the same) and so you'll start seeing over the years other leaks but it will hold the leak, I used this two part marine epoxy sealant while in the military also for certain applications it's powerful it'll hold.


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## art1946

mark,

glad the epoxy is working. hope it will stay working. How long will the epoxy hold up before the pressure gets to it?

art


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## M.C.A.

art1946 said:


> mark,
> 
> glad the epoxy is working. hope it will stay working. How long will the epoxy hold up before the pressure gets to it?
> 
> art


I bought a new much larger tank about two years ago, a cheaper grade and it has a leak on the seam but very minimal so I haven't patched it.

My previous stainless steel tank over a span of 10 year's began sprouting seam leak's on the bottom after 5 year's but it was difficult to patch because these were bottom leaks.

The main reason I had to replace the tank was that the bottom drain hole fitting connection point had busted, I made the mistake of allowing the installation of a solid steel pipe for drainage, should have used the PPR plastic but at the time we had a mediocre plumber, this was a smaller tank, I'm gonna have this tank eventually converted into a BBQ grill.


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## Gary D

M.C.A. said:


> I bought a new much larger tank about two years ago, a cheaper grade and it has a leak on the seam but very minimal so I haven't patched it.
> 
> My previous stainless steel tank over a span of 10 year's began sprouting seam leak's on the bottom after 5 year's but it was difficult to patch because these were bottom leaks.
> 
> The main reason I had to replace the tank was that the bottom drain hole fitting connection point had busted, I made the mistake of allowing the installation of a solid steel pipe for drainage, should have used the PPR plastic but at the time we had a mediocre plumber, this was a smaller tank, I'm gonna have this tank eventually converted into a BBQ grill.


Mediocre plumber, you found one that good.


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## M.C.A.

Gary D said:


> Mediocre plumber, you found one that good.


We stopped using this plumber 2 years ago just two days before Christmas, we called him because the water kept draining back to the well and his fix was to install some sort of boot way below but he needed 7,000 pesos cash and he'd fix it after New Year's... my sister-in-law happened to be visiting and she said that his prices sounded extremely high and my wife wanted this taken care of that day or the next so she told him to forget it and the sister-in-law introduced us to another plumber and he installed a one-way check valve and new PPR plastic piping, fixed the problem for I think 1,400 pesos.

Another note on this shady plumber, my wife didn't make it completely clear that we canceled the job so I biked over to his house his wife was extremely upset waiting in the trike but she went into their home because they were supposed to go shopping at the mall, so I figured out he wanted to boost his Christmas shopping with my money. 

The same shady plumber pulled something like this on a long steel tube running from the manual pump to the electric water pump and charged us 14,000 pesos, he took a week to perform this task and didn't bother to get the parts or elbows that I requested which ended up delaying the repair because the elbows turned out to be cracked and rusted, he had his son and another man, so he claimed he has to pay them, but we'd used this plumber for at least a decade but his excuses and the way he had to keep leaving the job site to get items repaired at a machine shop and he always needed money, he's a born again Christian we talked several times while he worked lol.


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## bigpearl

All the fun of the fair mate, [email protected] happens here all the time.

Cheers, Steve.


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## Scott E

You need a TIG welder, anything else on Thin stainless or Aluminum won't work ,, hard to find a guy setup for this in PH ,, They don't like investing in buying the Argon needed for the process.


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## Gary D

Scott E said:


> You need a TIG welder, anything else on Thin stainless or Aluminum won't work ,, hard to find a guy setup for this in PH ,, They don't like investing in buying the Argon needed for the process.


There are stainless welding shops all over that make up stainless railings and window bars, yes they use tig.


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## art1946

Tig welding will leave a smooth weld on aluminum and stainless. Look much better.

art


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