Fuel Tank Problems

[Jeffdeg84]

I'm looking for some help/recommendations from you guys...

Long story short - My 150 gallon aluminum fuel tank has a leak which I found immediately after I pumped $250 of non-ethanol fuel in it. Now I have about 60 gallons of fuel sitting in 5 gallon buckets(I know) and a fuel tank that needs work.

Does anyone know someone who will either work on my tank or build a new one here locally? I have found a few places online but would prefer to keep it local.

Thanks!
-Jeff

[Hammy]

Can you remove it from the boat? Most any welding shop who can weld aluminum can fix it. You will need to fill it with water first and then drain it.

There are 2 in my area who will do it.

Hammy

Originally Posted by Jeffdeg84

I'm looking for some help/recommendations from you guys...

Long story short - My 150 gallon aluminum fuel tank has a leak which I found immediately after I pumped $250 of non-ethanol fuel in it. Now I have about 60 gallons of fuel sitting in 5 gallon buckets(I know) and a fuel tank that needs work.

Does anyone know someone who will either work on my tank or build a new one here locally? I have found a few places online but would prefer to keep it local.

Thanks!
-Jeff

[tkwalker]

Contact Larry Hagan. He is right off the interstate in Lebanon ... 615-289-8620 also Kirby's right off the same exit in Lebanon ..615-556-0607. Tell them I sent you if interested <'TK><

[agelesssone]

You'd better hope they fill the tank with either nitrogen or argon before (and all through the welding process) they weld it. Otherwise the tank will explode when the gas fumes are released by the heated metal. Water will not wash away the fuel trapped in the pores of the aluminum.

I used to weld gas tanks from motorcycles and after my first "poooofer" learned real quick.

And as a disclaimer, I welded for a living all my working life, anything from carbon steel up to titanium. Got quite a few thousand hours of experience (38 years) under my belt. Any place from a dirty steel mill to nuclear powerhouses to oil refineries.

[Jeffdeg84]

Thanks for the reply's... I'm debating on whether or not I want to fix it or get a new one made. It's a ~150 gallon tank that will come out, but it won't be an easy task. I will call the guys TK suggested once I get the tank out. Thanks for the recommendations.

Any idea on pricing to repair/replace a 150/gal tank would be? Its a V-Hull type tank? I would think a new one would cost about $1000-$1500 but that's just me guessing.

Give me the physical dimensions and I'll see what I can come up with in a Plastic tank give or take a few gallons ... <'TK><

[agelesssone]

If somebody charges you more than $100.00, they are gouging you.

Once the tank is out and purged, welding it should be a minor task. It is not a problem to insert a hose into the tank, from the same argon bottle they use for the heliarc setup needed to make the weld, flood the interior of the tank with argon, and first, grind out the crack until they have clean metal, then second, check for lack of oxygen in the tank, then third, weld up the crack.

It really isn't a complicated or dangerous job and the weld SHOULD be better than the original.

[wormdunker]

If the leaking area is accessible you might try a fuel tank repair epoxy (I used NAPA brand) I used it on a pinhole leak in an old trucks' tank, held for years, still holding as far as I know, and also used it on a hairline seam leak on a motorcycle tank. That one is still holding after about 8 years. It might at least buy you enough time to run that fuel out. Good luck with it.

[tkwalker]

Originally Posted by wormdunker

If the leaking area is accessible you might try a fuel tank repair epoxy (I used NAPA brand) I used it on a pinhole leak in an old trucks' tank, held for years, still holding as far as I know, and also used it on a hairline seam leak on a motorcycle tank. That one is still holding after about 8 years. It might at least buy you enough time to run that fuel out. Good luck with it.

I buy a fuel tank coating that is used in sealing old rusty fuel tanks ... It is in a liquid form ... Just pour it in and work it around the tank ./.. In your case one particular spot ... It will seal up to 1/16 hole ... <'TK><