Water Tank Repair

Our fresh water tank has sprung a leak.  We were able to limp along for a couple of trips by putting duct tape over the hole, but the matter appears to be getting worse.  According to my research, these plastic tanks are suseptible to cracks and holes at the bottom corners as the tank expands and contracts with the pressure from the water pump.  Maybe I should have left the "bleed valve" open more, but I'm not sure the pump would have worked without the pressure.  Anyway, most blogs on this issue recommend just getting a new tank. While I would like to just get a new tank, I can't find the manufacturer or any distributor of a similar tank for the T@b and I don't want to have to special order one.  So, I am going to try one of the recommended temporary fixes. 

The most recommended products seem to be:  Eternabond (some type of roof sealant), J-B Waterweld (putty type product that works under water for marine type applications), and 911 (a rubberized spray).  I ordered the Eternabond (now called Sticknbond) off of the internet.  While they have a number of products, I just used the "roof vent kit" because it was the cheapest. 

Tank with Sticknbond patch

I put a small square of the stuff on the corner and pressed it into the plastic as hard as I could.  Then I put duct tape over the patch for good measure.  When I tested the patch for leaks, I realized I had patched the wrong corner!  I don't know how that happened!  Anway, I repeated the entire process on the leaking corner (try to do this the first time).  Refilled the tank with water and it appears to be holding! 

Patch covered with duct tape

While some websites recommended drilling a hole in the plastic on either side of the crack (to relieve the pressure from the crack), I did not do this.  It seemed too counterintuitive to me to make the small hole even bigger.  We'll see how long the fix lasts.  Much cheaper than a new tank.