repairing cracked water butt

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Rampant_Weasel

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repairing cracked water butt
« on: March 08, 2012, 19:50 »
ive heard of these being repaired by fibreglass for cars (older post).the one ive seen comes in a kit form which consists of paper, resin and hardener.
is this the best thing to use or is there another product which is better?
i`d also be grateful on some general advice on applying it all

thx

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arugula

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Re: repairing cracked water butt
« Reply #1 on: March 08, 2012, 20:27 »
I think the integrity of the structure, even after repair, will be spoilt. I'd buy a new one or obtain another suitable intact container.

:)
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Auntiemogs

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Re: repairing cracked water butt
« Reply #2 on: March 08, 2012, 20:33 »
It depends on where the crack is Weasel.  If you do have a go, drilling a small hole at each end of the crack may stop it from propagating any further...
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Rampant_Weasel

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Re: repairing cracked water butt
« Reply #3 on: March 08, 2012, 21:09 »
its at the top of the barrel - it fell over while full and its a 55 gallon one.

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JohnB47

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Re: repairing cracked water butt
« Reply #4 on: March 08, 2012, 21:13 »
I fixed a short crack at the bottom of a butt at my house - I think it may have frozen down there and thats whats caused it. I fixed it using that silicone bath sealant stuff and a small square of cloth. I emptied the butt and dried it off. Then i smeared the sealant over the crack and surrounding area, inside the butt, having cleaned the area first. Then i applied the cloth and smeared more sealant over it. That was over a year ago now and its still ok. I got a tube of the sealant for a pound at, guess where?

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smud6ie

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Re: repairing cracked water butt
« Reply #5 on: March 08, 2012, 21:24 »
Some types of plastic will weld with a soldering iron.
smud6ie

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Amilo

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Re: repairing cracked water butt
« Reply #6 on: March 09, 2012, 08:26 »
It is notoriously difficult to get anything to stick to "Polypropylene" which is probably what your but is made from.

I suggest you use  "Sikaflex 291i Marine Adhesive Sealant"

And use a mechanical patch of some kind over the joint. But you may find its cheaper to renew the but as this product is not cheap and once opened has a very short shelf life.

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Rampant_Weasel

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Re: repairing cracked water butt
« Reply #7 on: March 09, 2012, 09:37 »
its one of these

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sankey-250-Litre-Super-Space-Saver-Water/dp/B003V1XLZ6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1331285806&sr=8-1

the plastic is quite thick and very sturdy.
not sure what kind of plastic it is.

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GejyTigger

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Re: repairing cracked water butt
« Reply #8 on: March 16, 2012, 19:58 »
Find someone who does plastic welding it is possable and not expencive look in your local yellow pages some car body shops might be able to do it for you as some weld plastic bumpers also do an internet search fot it you'll find somne in your area
There is someone always worse off than you

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nuzuki

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Re: repairing cracked water butt
« Reply #9 on: March 18, 2012, 12:39 »
I would use a soldering iron to zig zag across the crack. Then a good splodge of epoxy glue. If the crack is still looking a bit suspect after that id put some fibreglass on it. I have lots of fibre glass matting left over from a project which id be happy to give you if you were nearby. If you want to save some money use a piece of cloth instead of the fibreglass matting then you just need to buy the resin and the hardner. Do this all on the inside of the water butt then maybe a bit of epoxy glue on the outside.

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finetilth

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Re: repairing cracked water butt
« Reply #10 on: April 14, 2012, 12:29 »
I've had some success repairing several water butts with fibreglass but it's a tricky business. As other contributors have suggested, getting the fibreglass to stick to the plastic is a challenge and, with a full butt containing 200kg of water, there is a lot of pressure to test repairs plus the butt flexes, which tends to loosen a patch. However, it can be done, so if you are interested read on...

I wear disposable gloves and safety specs, as things can get messy with fibreglass. Thoroughly clean around the crack inside and out- I use alcohol to degrease; detergent and water would probably work but it must be completely dry before fibreglassing. Next rough up the surface- I do a couple of quick passes with a wire brush in an angle grinder.  Cut a fibreglass sheet patch (using scissors) with plenty of overlap. Make up the resin with hardener, paint on area around the crack, stick on the patch and liberally apply resin on top, making sure it is well soaked and there are no air bubbles. The resin sets in just a few minutes so needs applying quickly and with confidence- maybe a test piece beforehand would be a good idea if you are not familiar with it. I aim to put a patch on both inside and out. Recently I've also painted a flexible roof repair paint on to the outside of the butt, I don't know how much it adds to the repair but it looks good and I have a spare tin in the shed. Leave to dry and wait for the next bit of heavy rain to see how successful it has all been.

Just getting a new butt is an easier and more reliable option, though personally I like to keep plastic items in use as long as possible. Round here damaged butts end up in landfill (or get picked up by hopeful gardeners!). Hope this is useful and good luck.


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grendel

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Re: repairing cracked water butt
« Reply #11 on: April 14, 2012, 12:58 »
get a new butt, cut the bottom off the old one, and use it for compost.
Grendel
we do the impossible daily, miracles take a little longer.

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jrko

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Re: repairing cracked water butt
« Reply #12 on: April 14, 2012, 17:08 »
sand down the area inside & outside.  Use 2 part epoxy for the crack (press into the gap) and then bathroom sealant inside & out to cover the epoxy.  Works fine and as the crack is at the top wont be under so much water pressure as the bottom. 

You could use a ratchet belt to hold it together if you're worried after that   
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m1ckz

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Re: repairing cracked water butt
« Reply #13 on: April 14, 2012, 19:13 »
GRIPFILL is the answer,ive repaired 2 butts with an the still good 2 yrs on,apply it back an front  ,u can sand it down an paint it too   gl

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8doubles

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Re: repairing cracked water butt
« Reply #14 on: April 14, 2012, 19:34 »
I have used this many times on waders, it will stick to most things and the repair is permanent .

http://www.amazon.co.uk/McNett-Aqua-Sure-28-tube/dp/B000XYOVL2/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1334428374&sr=8-3



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