ABS Gray Water Tank Repair

[deminimis]

I had posted this little procedure in the What Work Did You do.... thread, but its likely to get buried in there and not help those in need. So, here's the short version and follow-up:

Cracked gray water tank from contact with a rock (the area around the valve is cracked about 3/4 of the way around the valve mounting area). Tried several solutions and none worked, until now (after research-there are several good methods, but only discussing the one I used).

Materials needed: Acetone or spray carb cleaner (I like Chem Tool), ABS glue from a hardware strore (in plumbing section -its similar to the glue you use on PVC pipes, but it has to be the stuff for ABS. I bought Oately brand glue) and a clamp if applicable.

Clean between the crack and surrounding area with your solvent. Once you apply the solvent, quickly wipe off dirt, etc. After that, no more wiping or you'll be wiping away the ABS. Keep the area reasonably wet with your solvent (the acetone or carb cleaner) for a while (approx 5 minutes, more/less). You'll find the ABS surface is getting a little soft. When you feel you've softened up the ABS enough (some solvent still present, but not dripping off the part), then apply the abs glue between the crack and the surrounding area. Make sure you really get that glue in that crack. If able, clamp the part so the crack closes up (tight, but not too tight or you'll squeeze all the needed glue out of the crack -some glue will squeeze out and that's good). I left my clamp on for several hours just be be safe. Now that its been a couple of weeks, I'm convinced this is a permanent repair. The glue and the softened ABS become one, in large part and it all dries back up eventually. If you've ever done any PVC pipe work, its the same principle, just with different materials. <$10 for the solvent and glue, plus 20 minutes of your time vs. a couple hundred bucks for a new gray water tank (which, you'll likely crack when off road), so its a worthy repair. A small can of ABS glue and carb cleaner might be a good addition to your onboard tool/parts kit if planning any serious off-roading.

[Ed in Montana]

Thanks for this deminimis. It looks like I will be spending some quality time underneath the van this Memorial Day weekend trying to find the source of my water leak.