Laundry Tub Repair Help Please

Howard Hola Hale

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Jul 16, 2012, 8:30:02 AM7/16/12

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I dropped a heavy bottle of detergent in my laundry sink, and now there's a
crack in the plastic. The two sides of the crack fit tightly together, and
a little bit of water doesn't seem to leak. I'm concerned, though, if
something falls in the drain and blocks it, which happens from time to
time, the tub will fill and the crack will leak a bunch.

What's a good way to seal the leak? The crack is maybe 3" long, so
whatever product I get would preferably be a really small volume. Looks
are not important, waterproof is obviously very important.

Brand names, prep advice, anything else would be appreciated.

Sano

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Jul 16, 2012, 9:17:33 AM7/16/12

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Howard Hola Hale <howar...@notmail.com> wrote in
news:XnsA092567DB1334ho...@94.75.214.39:

Prep it by making sure it's dry. I'd use any of the GOOP products. The
same company makes E6000. That stuff will stick to anything. I make
sure and store mine in a little plastic bag in case it leaks. Tubes
US$5 are available in the big-box stores.

I'd do the inside, let it cure. About 24 hours. Then do the outside.
Some people don't care for the odor, but once it's cured it's gone.

Tim Wright

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Jul 16, 2012, 10:18:03 AM7/16/12

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I've never had much luck patching anything like that. It it was me, I'd
replace the sink. If it is just a single tub sink, those can be had for
less than $30.

--

Tim W

nemesis

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Jul 16, 2012, 10:58:07 AM7/16/12

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"Tim Wright" <tlwri...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:X6adnYf_wqkHv5nN...@supernews.com...

I've never had any luck with repairing sinks or a bath, either. My
recommendation would be to replace the sink.

Les Albert

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Jul 16, 2012, 11:15:58 AM7/16/12

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This stuff: www.acehardware.com/product/index.jsp?productId=1390299

It's available in hardware stores. I have used it for years for
various things including a leaking pipe. As the ad says:

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hand kneadable epoxy putty for use in wet and under water situations.
For boats, water tanks, fish tanks, spas, tubs, gutters etc.
Changes to white when mixed.
15-20 minute working time.
60 min. cure.
Fresh or salt water.
Can be drilled, sawed, filed and painted.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It does cure in 60 minutes, but it's best to wait 24 hours before
using the repaired item.

Les

Tim Wright

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Jul 16, 2012, 11:28:45 AM7/16/12

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I have a wheel barrow with a cracked plastic tub. Maybe I'll try that
on it.

--

Tim W

Howard Hola Hale

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Jul 17, 2012, 3:03:21 PM7/17/12

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Les Albert <lalb...@aol.com> wrote:

> On Mon, 16 Jul 2012 12:30:02 +0000 (UTC), Howard Hola Hale
>

>>I dropped a heavy bottle of detergent in my laundry sink, and now
>>there's a crack in the plastic. The two sides of the crack fit
>>tightly together, and a little bit of water doesn't seem to leak.
>
>

> This stuff: www.acehardware.com/product/index.jsp?productId=1390299
>
> It's available in hardware stores. I have used it for years for
> various things including a leaking pipe. As the ad says:
>
> Hand kneadable epoxy putty for use in wet and under water situations.
> For boats, water tanks, fish tanks, spas, tubs, gutters etc.
> Changes to white when mixed.
> 15-20 minute working time.
> 60 min. cure.
> Fresh or salt water.
> Can be drilled, sawed, filed and painted.
>

> It does cure in 60 minutes, but it's best to wait 24 hours before
> using the repaired item.

Thanks. As I mentioned, the two sides of the crack now meet tightly --
you'd barely know it was there if you weren't looking for it. Is there
any value to sanding first to roughen things up, or digging into the
crack a bit with a nail or something to give the epoxy something to bite
into? Or, for that matter, if I want to sand it down a bit after it has
set, does it make sense to dig a shallow divot before applying the epoxy
so it will have a little more area to bond with? Or will it work fine
if I just lay down a thin layer over the crack and let it set for a day?

Les Albert

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Jul 17, 2012, 3:55:09 PM7/17/12

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You can lay down a layer (not too thin if you are going to sand it)
over the crack without roughing up the surface; if it is going to
stick to the type of plastic of your sink then it should hold well.
But if you can dig a shallow groove then that would be better,
particularly if you are going to sand it afterward.

The brand that you are likely to find in hardware stores is Devco, but
regardless of brand the epoxy sticks are all the same, and it has to
be *marine* grade for water immersion.

http://tinyurl.com/7rfzsfj You cut off the amount you need, and then
you knead it until the white and green become uniform in color. It
washes off your fingers with soap and water.

Les

Shawn Wilson

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Jul 17, 2012, 4:03:09 PM7/17/12

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On Jul 16, 5:30 am, Howard Hola Hale <howardg...@notmail.com> wrote:

> What's a good way to seal the leak? The crack is maybe 3" long, so
> whatever product I get would preferably be a really small volume. Looks
> are not important, waterproof is obviously very important.
>
> Brand names, prep advice, anything else would be appreciated.

My advice, is head down to a hardware store. Not necessarliy the
bright shining Ace Hardware run by teenagers, but the mom and pop run
by a crotchety old man of about 50-60 who spends his day hanging out
at his store with his contractor buddies. Where you don't recognize
any of the brands of tools on the shelves, and they all seem about 10x
as expensive as they should be. The kind of place that caters to
contractors, who use professional grade tools.

Ask there. It may be as simple a solution as the right kind of
waterproof superglue. Be careful about that, super glues can
dissolves some plastics.