On Wed, 25 Aug 2004 03:48:33 -0400, KenCo wrote:

===Mike wrote:
=== I have a small preformed pond that has split. I sealed it with
=== silicone but the leak is back and the split a little larger. Is there
=== an easy way to seal the tear?
===
=== thanks
===
===
===scuff it a bit and use clear hot glue

You can get a cheap plastic welding kit from Harbor freight. Its not
all that hard to use. Most tubs are a PP or PE type plastic, and
readily repairable by usiing the plastic welder. You will need a
compressed air source to use it, so that in and of itself may not be
feasible if you do not have a compressor. Not much sticks to PE or PP
type plastics other than the same type material melted into the hole.
Hot glues, epoxie and silicones will all eventually start leaking
again if used solely by themself, due to the nature of the material
the preform is made of. Its naturally slick and most solvents do not
dissolve it, and its slickness even if scuffed up still fails to hold
most sealers sufficiently. Besides water pressure will flex the seal
and probably cause it to reopen, so it really requires a patch over
the split to constrain the split.. You could get a like material (lots
of items are made of these type materials, plastic buckets, kiddie
pools, basins, etc etc ) and make a patch for it, and use silicone
between the patch and the preform for a sealer, and use blind rivets
or small stainless steel fasteners or even nylon fasteners to secure
patch to preform, but its going to require removing the preform if you
use fasteners other than blind rivets (pop rivets) which are available
in stainless steel. Just be sure to coat the blind rivet with silicone
before inserting in hole and give it a dollap or silicone after its
installed so it does not weep water out of the hole the pulling stem
swells up into.
If you decide to try and patch it, drill a small hole of approximately
1/16" or 5/32" inch in diameter directly at the both ends of the
crack. This will stop any stresses from making the crack grow any
longer. Overlap your split by a minimum of 3/4" on all sides.
I have 55 gal PP & PE drums sealed with pop rivet patches that have
been leak free for years.

(PP=Polypropelyene, PE= Polyethylene

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