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30 gallons of coolant on the floor - sealant recommendations?

Hot Bob

Cast Iron
Joined
May 10, 2008
Location
Sanger, Texas / Westcliffe, Colorado
I was pretty excited about my progress this weekend. I finally got the coolant system hooked up on my Matsuura RA1 and I wrote my first program for making soft jaws for the vises. I picked up a barrel to pre-mix the E-206. I was going to buy a manual pump to pump from the barrel to the coolant tank but, after looking at the flow rates of the pumps and how much labor was involved, I decided I would just use a length of hose and siphon the coolant into the tank. The Siphon worked well and I had 30 gallons in the coolant tank in no time. Then I noticed the leak. Having no pump with which to remove the coolant, all I could do was watch it leak.

So this morning I have almost no coolant left in the tank. Obviously this is going to be a pain in the ass job. I don't really want to weld on the coolant tank. The tank is painted steel and it is big and heavy (and dirty). I imagine that it is leaking at the joints somewhere. I'm leaning toward a RTV silicone to seal all the joints and corners. Anyone been through this? What would you guys recommend?

Bob
 
Been there done that. I would not mess around with rtv. find the leak weld it fill with only water and repeat till there's no more leaks.
 
Been there- its a pain. Of course welding it is the best way, but that may not work for all of us. JB Weld will work very well and does hold up to coolant. The surfaces to have the oil gone- use Brake Clean or acetone, rough the surface up and remove any paint. If the tank joints are vertical use the 5 minute stuff. I've held a finger over a pin hole in a full tank and prepped the bottom side and reapired it with 5 minute JB Weld- 5 years later it is still ok.

Sikaflex is good stuff and it would be my choice behind welding and JB Weld, but I've never used it. Some RTV's don't like coolant- and you don't want to test which ones in your situation. Sikaflex is not RTV- its polyurethane.

Good luck.

Dan
 
There's a product called "Goop" at your local hardware store that has worked well for me in the past.
It comes in 4 varieties, the Marine Goop, is the best.
Will hold up in salt water applications and dries quickly.
It comes in toothpaste sized tubes, so if it is a very large leak, this may not be your best option.
Whatever you choose, don't discount the importance of thoroughly cleaning the area first.
Yes, it's a PITA.
 
Weld, Marine-Tex...possible JB Weld.


Should be made from SS...yeah but it wouldn't be long before they stated going with crap Grades of SS and then we would be paying more for the same crap...


Couldn't you have sucked the coolant from the tank with the machines coolant pump?

The again who am I to talk...if I don't overfill at least one tank, at least once a week something would be wrong.
 
If it's a small hole, JBWeld, PC-7, Marine Tex, Goop, or my personal favorite Devcon 5 minute epoxy. All except JBWeld and PC-7 are somewhat flexible to resist cracking. If it's a crack at a bend or at a weld, then it should be welded. A thin sheetmetal patch buttered with one of the above condiments would even take care of the larger hole or crack, at least for a while.
 
Been there- its a pain. Of course welding it is the best way, but that may not work for all of us. JB Weld will work very well and does hold up to coolant. The surfaces to have the oil gone- use Brake Clean or acetone, rough the surface up and remove any paint. If the tank joints are vertical use the 5 minute stuff. I've held a finger over a pin hole in a full tank and prepped the bottom side and reapired it with 5 minute JB Weld- 5 years later it is still ok.

Sikaflex is good stuff and it would be my choice behind welding and JB Weld, but I've never used it. Some RTV's don't like coolant- and you don't want to test which ones in your situation. Sikaflex is not RTV- its polyurethane.

Good luck.

Dan


Rust pinhole in a 150 psi compressor tank same results.

Good luck
 
We used RedCoat in one of our Bosto tanks.
Lasted 18 months with Castrol Superedge
We are redoing it again.
Next time I'll find the leak and weld it.
Another one was welded with a complete
bottom plate leaving the old one there.

x2 for stainless.

And as for cars I blew a brake hose this summer on
one of my diesel Jetta's trying to do a tire screetching
stop to scare some kids that were up to no good in our
industrial park. The effect was minimal, I just came to a slow stop
and let a nice little puddle...
 
Regardless how you fix the leak, keep a working wet/dry shop vac and at least 1 leak free 55 gal drum around, evan if its for trash.
Nothing worse than finding a leak and "watching it" cover the floor.
Had a coolant line break on a lathe I was setting up in my shop.
I was so proud to see the moderatly high spray coming from the coolant fed drill.
Walk around the back of the machine 10 minutes later and the guyser from the line had covered a 10 ft-sq area.
I was lucky and the vac worked and the drum for temporary storage was leak free.
Mike
 
The best CNC sealant known to man

Dow Corning 732
They used it on my Akira Seiki from the factory, no leaks in 7 years. Impervious to E206 or the new anti foam version 9XX series coolant, the only coolants I have used.

McMaster Carr has it.

Parts need to be clean, like MEK type clean.
 








 
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