Gas Caddy

charliepff · Mar 12, 2009

Ladies and Gentleman;

I was wondering what you all thought on fixing this. I purchased a 25 gallon gas caddy about three months ago. The shipping company dropped it off and I did not get a chance to check on it's condition. I placed it in the shed and finally removed the contents about two weeks ago and found a slice in the bottom. It looks like it is from a forklift. It is about 2 inches long and a quarter of an inch wide. Should I try to send it back or is there repair kits that would repair this kind of thing? I did find a thing called Plastex but never worked with it. I was wondering if anyone has tried this before.

LBrown59 · Mar 12, 2009

charliepff said:
Ladies and Gentleman;

I was wondering what you all thought on fixing this.
I purchased a 25 gallon gas caddy about three months ago. The shipping company dropped it off and I did not get a chance to check on it's condition. I placed it in the shed and finally removed the contents about two weeks ago and found a slice in the bottom. It looks like it is from a forklift. It is about 2 inches long and a quarter of an inch wide. Should I try to send it back or is there repair kits that would repair this kind of thing? I did find a thing called Plastex but never worked with it. I was wondering if anyone has tried this before.

Send it back and get yer money back as you can probably build a better one for around the same money.

chh · Mar 12, 2009

I would attempt to send it back. After 3 months though that may not be too easy. Personally I have not been able to repair anything like that and get it to remain leak free.

LBrown59 · Mar 12, 2009

chh said:
I would attempt to send it back. After 3 months though that may not be too easy. Personally I have not been able to repair anything like that and get it to remain leak free.

Warranty might still cover it.

bearhawk · Mar 13, 2009

Most of the time you need to report the damage to the shipping company within a few days.

You can try to explain the hidden damage was not found right away.

But 90 days is probably just too long ago to file a claim.

Q-Saw · Mar 13, 2009

I agree with others - try to get a replacement. 3 months is a long shot, but it's worth a try. It would even be worth paying to ship it back (hopefully you have the original box it was shipped in) so they can see it has never been used, has the stickers on it, etc.

Failing that, I would scrap it, as I would think the possibility of a leak will make it too dangerous IMO. I doubt any repair would be adequate to make me feel comfortable with its integrity.

If you decide to scrap it (for fuel use), perhaps you can repair it and use it as a rain-barrel for watering plants, or something. Of course, I would paint it if using it for water.

- Marty

Pilot · Mar 14, 2009

Is it one of those steel caddies? Can't a patch be welded over gash? I presume the metal is torn and it is not a clean cut like a razor cut in paper. So I would use a die grinder to cut out the bent metal and leave a clean cut opening. Then cut a piece of metal to fit over the opening & weld it in place.

There is a product called Proseal you can apply to the inside of the weld to seal it. Proseal is used for sealing fuel tanks; it's used by the Air Force as well as for gas powered planes. You can buy it from Van's Aircraft--find them with Google. Buy the quart kit for $39. Just be sure before you weld it that you will have a relatively flat surface on the inside after welding is done. Doesn't have to be perfectly smooth, just has to be smooth enough that you can squish the Proseal into all the cracks.

Proseal seals fuel tanks that are built of aluminum sheet and are riveted together and it seals well around the hundreds of rivets used in the tanks.

Proseal is a 2 part product. Degrease the area with acetone or MEK by pouring a little in there & sloshing it around the repaired area. Mix it 1:10 and you don't have to be as exact as the instructions say. You will probably have to use a stick to slop it on the inside of the repair; just be sure to get good coverage. Inspect the area carefully when you are done.

charliepff · Mar 15, 2009

It is actually made of all plastic. I bought it from electric generators direct website. I think I am going to call them when I get time this week and see if I can send it back for an exchange. Thank you all for the suggestions.

DIRTROAD · Mar 17, 2009

In the past I have welded plastic together using a soldering iron. Don't know if it would hold up to gas, but it works real well on dirtbike/4wheeler fenders and stuff like that. Just another idea.