SailNet Community banner
  • SailNet is a forum community dedicated to Sailing enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about sailing, modifications, classifieds, troubleshooting, repairs, reviews, maintenance, and more!

epoxy an underwater crack

3K views 8 replies 8 participants last post by  CapnRon47 
#1 ·
First a disclaimer;
the crack is not on my boat, but in our hot tub! I just figure that one of the many available boat epoxies would be best to seal this crack (which is under about 10 inches of water.)

the crack is in a plastic fixture for one of the jets and leaks only at a dripping rate. The crack runs partially around the tube fitting and off at about 5 o'clock in the picture below. I can access it most easily on the dry side of the fitting.



I went thru the trouble of opening up the side of the hot tub and digging thru the foam to find the leak and now I would like to seal it. What epoxy would you recommend and any particulars to the procedure?

thanks,
Ron
 
See less See more
1
#2 · (Edited)
Assuming you can empty the tub and dry it out any standard marine epoxy, West, Maas, System 3 should do the job.
Go to the west systems website for directions.
Bevel back 10 to one and fill in.

At first I thought you had to do an underwater repair. That would require a special epoxy for the purpose.

PS

I noticed you said plastic nor fiberglass. So that being the case maybe some kind of superglue or glue made for gluing plumbing parts.
Most marine epoxies say they don't bind with plastic. Depends on the plastic.
 
#4 ·
Dont empty the bath!

Its a great exercise to see how you'd make repairs at sea.

I have some epoxy putty. It comes in a long cylinder and you break off a bit and squeeze with your fingers till its mixed and then apply. Its meant to be able to adhear and cure under water.

Putty, Epoxy, 4 oz., Tube, Gray15 min. Functional Cure, Mixing Ratio 1:1, Tensile Strength 6000 psi, Shear Strength 700 psi, Max. Temp. 500 Degrees FTemp. Range -30 to 500 Degrees F, Work Life 10 min., Full Cure 15 min., Compressive Strength 18, 000 psiBone, Seal, Plug, Mold or Rebuild Many Different Surfaces. Can be Drilled, Tapped, Sanded, Painted, Filed or Machined. Can be Applied Under Water., Shapeable Putty
Theres also a Marine version for double the price.

By the way, get a camera that foucses! :p
 

Attachments

#7 ·
hmm...now for some interesting things to think about...since it is a pump driven system there is going to be the pounding, torquing, and the heat to also think about.....In my system I had a 1 1/2 half horse motor and it beat the stuffings out of the fittings....longitudinal cracks of the pipes......many times it actually emptied itself......grr....rebuilt the parts so many times I could have become a journey man plumber........if they are under asymmetric pressure, heat and or torgue....maybe it is easier just to get a new part??? Just saying.......
 
#8 ·
wet dry 700 epoxy putty can be applied underwater and has saved a mess of sinking boats, leaking floating homes and leaking swimming pools. Often carried by folks sailing around the world etc. use with our without fiberglass.

not much different than common leak on heat exchanger except your's in in pvc

Paul Oman - MS. MBA
A.K.A. "Professor E. Poxy"
Internet Epoxy Confederation (IEC) Homepage
epoxies since 1994
Member: NACE (National Assoc. of Corrosion Engineers) -- SSPC (Soc. of Protective Coatings)
 
#9 ·
All,
Thanks for the replies, I have been traveling (and letting the fitting dry as I lowered the water to just below the fitting). Some good ideas here, I will let you know what I try and how it works.

Sorry about the focus, I was too close for the camera to really focus well.

Ron
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top