Attic water tank repair.

punchthedog

I woke up this morning to a waterfall coming through the a light fitting in the ceiling. The attic water tank had sprung a leak during the night. Luckily, the exact point of leakage was immediately obvious when I went up to check.

There was a small crack about 1 - 1.5 cm near the bottom. I manage to stop it by tying up the ballcock and draining the tank to below the level of the leak using the hot water taps. It is a 50 gallon, galvanized steel tank about 30 - 35 years old.

My question is: What is the absolute cheapest way to fix it? I know the right thing to do would be to replace the whole thing with a modern tank, but I am super-broke. I'm not working at the moment and all my dole goes on food and bills, and I have no money in the bank. Unfortunately, my house insurance ran out before Christmas and I haven't been able to afford to renew it.

Is there some sort of liner that can put in or silicone to be applied to the leak?

Any advice is greatly appreciated, as I have no hot water until this is sorted.

P.S. Is there any thing in particular I should be doing with the light fitting the water flowed over. I'm afraid to turn it on.

Billy Bunting

The light fitting will dry out it may trip the mcb but no harm.

The tank is a problem, galvanised tanks rot from the inside you could put a patch over the crack but drilling holes for bolts could make matters worse.

If i was in your shoes i would look for a tube of CT1, its a Polyurethane sealant, make sure the area is dry (hairdryer) and cover with sealant and place a patch of some type over it.

Hope thats a help.

650gs

well a lot of people are on the dole and finding it hard to make ends meet a new tank and fittings would cost about 50 euro a lot if you cant afford it i was going to say I would pick you up a tank and fit it for free but I see last week you were working from home and asking about the Nct on your four year old car.
So come on give us a break there is a lot of people out there finding it hard so sell the four year old car and get in a plumber

stoneill

It is possible to drill out a small crack - 1-1.5cm - drill out to a 2cm hole (in stages, start with a small pilot hole) and use a galvanised bolt and washers of suitable size with additional rubber washers to seal the new hole.

It may work - depends on location and size of crack, the condition of the tank, etc. etc.

punchthedog

650gs wrote: »

well a lot of people are on the dole and finding it hard to make ends meet a new tank and fittings would cost about 50 euro a lot if you cant afford it i was going to say I would pick you up a tank and fit it for free but I see last week you were working from home and asking about the Nct on your four year old car.
So come on give us a break there is a lot of people out there finding it hard so sell the four year old car and get in a plumber

I said I was working from home because I didn't want to say I was unemployed. My complaining about the NCT for my car, stems from the fact I will struggle to afford the 50 euro the NCT costs, and the price of the service it will need to pass the test as I haven't had it serviced in a long time. Again mostly due to financial reasons. But that won't really matter now as I have little option but to sell the car. It's just a shame that it has come to the point where I have to sell a car to pay for a plastic water tank. I just was hoping someone would suggest a quick and cheap, dependable fix.

Thank you all the same for your generous thought, but you are right, there are people out there that are on the dole that don't have an asset like an 2008 car sitting mostly idle in the driveway. I can downgrade to an older car an hopefully free up a few of grand in the process. It's not as if I use it much anyway.

You did say an new tank and fittings would cost about 50 euro. I've been looking online today and found nothing that cheap. Where would be the best place to get a cheap tank?

norris

if its only a cm crack would you not look at getting a putty that bonds to metal or even weld it.

DublinDilbert

How high up is the crack? if its near the top, can you "adjust" the ball cock so it only fills to a lower level?

If your short on cash, but have some time on your hands, I would suggest replacing it yourself. Haven't bought one of these in along time, but i would guess they haven't shot up in price. All you need then is a new ball cock, 2 x 3/4 inch outlets and you should be grand.

I wouldn't attempt to repair your existing tank as its likely to give way and do even more damage if your not there...

growlands1

Hi,
I noticed water coming from the attic tank overflow pipe at the rear of the house and when I went to investigate I noticed that the water coming into the tank does not stop filling even when I lift the ballcock.What do I need to do to resolve the matter.
Many Thanks

brightspark

growlands1 wrote: »

Hi,
I noticed water coming from the attic tank overflow pipe at the rear of the house and when I went to investigate I noticed that the water coming into the tank does not stop filling even when I lift the ballcock.What do I need to do to resolve the matter.
Many Thanks

You need to replace the ballcock.

craic34

if u are not confident about repairing it by yourself, just buy a new one