plywood tank leaked. help re-seal?

panda_zero

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Dec 14, 2010
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Wisconsin
my dyi plywood is leaking on the bottom back where the seam meet. i used epoxy resin and sweetwater on top of the wood. leaked the first time and i use dow 795 to try to seal it but it leaking again, so can someone please give me some ideas on how to stop the leak? please and thank you.
 

Grant427

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Jun 11, 2011
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Alberta, Canada
I had the exact same problem about 2 weeks ago! Filled my tank for the first time and after a day or two there two small leaks in the back corner. All I did was drain it, let it dry out and then gave the area leaking an extra 2 coats of Liquid Rubber, been up now for over a week leak free! So just do a couple coats of sweetwater in that whole area and then try it again! Good luck.
 

CJH

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Apr 21, 2007
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*Confidential*
my dyi plywood is leaking on the bottom back where the seam meet. i used epoxy resin and sweetwater on top of the wood. leaked the first time and i use dow 795 to try to seal it but it leaking again, so can someone please give me some ideas on how to stop the leak? please and thank you.
Did you use fiberglass reinforcement along the seams? Did you make a fillet along the seams with thickened epoxy?

Did the resin go down first? How many coats? Or did the Sweetwater go down first?
 

panda_zero

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Dec 14, 2010
30
0
0
Wisconsin
Did you use fiberglass reinforcement along the seams? Did you make a fillet along the seams with thickened epoxy?

Did the resin go down first? How many coats? Or did the Sweetwater go down first?
yea i use fiberglass along the seams. yea the resin went on fist and then sweetwater second. i just need ideas on how to fill in those little leaks in the back. i still got a gallon of sweetwater left but i dont need all one gallon so i just need help on how to re-seal it with a something else or just a small amount of sweetwater....:(
 

CJH

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Apr 21, 2007
531
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*Confidential*
yea i use fiberglass along the seams. yea the resin went on fist and then sweetwater second. i just need ideas on how to fill in those little leaks in the back. i still got a gallon of sweetwater left but i dont need all one gallon so i just need help on how to re-seal it with a something else or just a small amount of sweetwater....:(
I don't think I read your first post in this thread close enough. Are you saying it was sealed with 795 (after epoxy and Sweetwater) and leaked and then you added more 795 and it still leaked?

Sweetwater won't adhere to 795 but you could try to brush another coat on right up to the 795. Sweetwater is fairly thin compared to resin so some of it might wick behind the 795 if there is a poor bond anywhere.

If this fails I would resist the urge to slather on more 795. Instead I would take the time to remove all of the 795 and re-paint the inside of the tank again with the Sweetwater.

And if you do that I would also add a fillet of thickened epoxy resin along all of the interior seams and then paint over that.

Another option is to bridge over your 795 with epoxy and fiberglass cloth or maybe even with thickened epoxy if there isn't too much 795 on there. This might sound like the easier option but if it were me I'd take the time to remove all of the 795. But hopefully it won't even come to that.
 

nolapete

Jack Dempsey
MFK Member
Jun 1, 2007
2,726
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New Orleans, LA
Dow 795 is really for setting the windows, not for sealing the tank. 100% silicone would bond to the sweetwater as far as I know, but you'd be best of fixing the problem rather than patching it.

CJH pretty much spelled out what to do.
 
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