When i had a leak in my 180 gallon it was impossible to find the leak, i did what you did, made my way, but it seemed that the preasure was more the cause of the leak, then actually the area it all happened in. Hope you make it through this, it would for sertan have killed me!
My new 2600 gallon plywood tank project
- Thread starter VLDesign
- Start date
Pond armor is on.
But just like all the other times, I went over the entire tank and nothing stood out as a potential leak or pinhole. But then again I am obviously missing something.
If this fails I will be looking at basically 2 options.
Option 1 - Another 2 gallons of pond armor and coat the entire tank yet again.
Option 2 - Consider switching to a diffent sealant like Liquid Rubber or something useable indoors w/o too much hassle.
But just like all the other times, I went over the entire tank and nothing stood out as a potential leak or pinhole. But then again I am obviously missing something.
If this fails I will be looking at basically 2 options.
Option 1 - Another 2 gallons of pond armor and coat the entire tank yet again.
Option 2 - Consider switching to a diffent sealant like Liquid Rubber or something useable indoors w/o too much hassle.
Great job on the tank so far.
I am a GRP specialist and I have some concerns regarding the application of pond armour.
I think what's happening is that you have hairline cracks (you wouldn't be able to see them without dye testing) along the seams that are opening up when under preasure. The problem with adding more pond armour is that the more you put on the more brittle it becomes. Without re-enforcement the pond armour is never going to have the flexural strength to withstand what is probably a tiny amount of flex in the tank, but still enough to crack it. If I was in you're situation I would be tempted to go over the whole tank with 'glass cloth and epoxy before 1 final coat of pond armour, that will allow the top coat to flex slightly without cracking and greatly increase the strength and longevity of the tank. It' s not difficult to work with as long as you're organized and think ahead.
Just thaught I would let you know my thaughts on the mater and whatever you decide to do I really hope you can get it water tight. Can't wait to see it up and running.
Good luck and well done on a truly inspiring monster build.
I am a GRP specialist and I have some concerns regarding the application of pond armour.
I think what's happening is that you have hairline cracks (you wouldn't be able to see them without dye testing) along the seams that are opening up when under preasure. The problem with adding more pond armour is that the more you put on the more brittle it becomes. Without re-enforcement the pond armour is never going to have the flexural strength to withstand what is probably a tiny amount of flex in the tank, but still enough to crack it. If I was in you're situation I would be tempted to go over the whole tank with 'glass cloth and epoxy before 1 final coat of pond armour, that will allow the top coat to flex slightly without cracking and greatly increase the strength and longevity of the tank. It' s not difficult to work with as long as you're organized and think ahead.
Just thaught I would let you know my thaughts on the mater and whatever you decide to do I really hope you can get it water tight. Can't wait to see it up and running.
Good luck and well done on a truly inspiring monster build.
Yeah it leaked again this morning at 13".
There is no way in hell the tank is flexing at 13". I could build a box w/ 1/2 ply with no other support and not have it flex at that height.
And it was a 5" area from a depth of 13" up to 18" at the leaking was present.
Leaked more at 17" which suggest multiple leaks.
Going to have to cosider my options at this point. The liquid rubber is going to actually cost me the same as pond armor so I might as well stick with what I have been using.
I think it's safe to assume the floor of the tank isn't the leak since it holds water up to 12" without issue so I won't bother recoating that. And the leak is in the back of the tank 10' in from the left side of the tank. So I think it's also safe to assume that it's not the side walls as well.
There is no way in hell the tank is flexing at 13". I could build a box w/ 1/2 ply with no other support and not have it flex at that height.
And it was a 5" area from a depth of 13" up to 18" at the leaking was present.
Leaked more at 17" which suggest multiple leaks.
Going to have to cosider my options at this point. The liquid rubber is going to actually cost me the same as pond armor so I might as well stick with what I have been using.
I think it's safe to assume the floor of the tank isn't the leak since it holds water up to 12" without issue so I won't bother recoating that. And the leak is in the back of the tank 10' in from the left side of the tank. So I think it's also safe to assume that it's not the side walls as well.
I was considering diy'ing the new tank, I was put off from the fails on this site, this is 10 times the size of my new tank You must be (so p****) after the first success. wish you the best of luck with the leak plugging.
The liquid rubber might cost you the same as the pond armor that you are using but what you are using right now isn't working. I would get 5Gs of Zavlar and coat the inside of the tank as many times as you can until the bucket is empty. The stuff is great to work with and I am confident it will take care of your leaks. Whichever you decide, good luck!
