Welding a New Fuel Tank

[Industrial Toys]

If you mig weld (fabricate) a rectangular fuel tank (maybe five gallons) out of mild steel, pressure test it, fix any leaks, is that it? Is there any reason to think it might start to leak in the foreseeable future?

Thanks

 

[metalbender]

Confident in your ability? Material thickness and design. Two pieces bent into shape reduces the amount of welding. A local metal shop, if you have access, would be able to form the bits for you, prob at minimum cost.

 

[Industrial Toys]

That's what I am going to do. Friends. We do stuff for each other. Nice to have friends with thousand of tons of steel on hand, a shear and press brake. I will even get the kid to weld it up. I want it to look nice.

I just wondered if anyone ever built a fuel tank, that started to leak fuel, if only slightly. I have built tanks that took several goes before becoming liquid tight, but wondered if there was more science to this.

I was going to wait til a hydraulic tank went on sale at Princess Auto (Like HF) but figured building one the exact size would increase my fuel capacity on a new generator project. A few inches this way and that make a BIG difference.

 

[nyone]

Have you checked surpluscenter.com or even northern tool? You could prob buy a hydraulic tank and modify the outlet and add a different fill cap.

I know i paid $119 for a 15gal hydraulic tank a few years ago from northen

 

[Industrial Toys]

I was at a Princess Auto store today and was looking at ten Gallon Painted Oil tanks. Might wait for them to go on sale. I did check surplus hydraulics, but they had nothing AND the weight and size plus exchange rate, probably make it un-economical for me in Canada.

 

[CADplans]

If the tank leaks,, car restoration websites sell a coating you dump in the tank,,Eastwood,, maybe,,

Gas Tank Paint & Tank Sealer Kits - Eastwood Auto

slosh the coating around, to coat all inside surfaces,,
The tank will not leak,, the tank will not contaminate the fuel.

This might be good to do even with a new oil tank that is used for fuel.
Personally, I would make a tank out of stainless steel,,,

 

[nyone]

Surplus center has a 5gal plastic tank for $19.

 

[Industrial Toys]

This was "supposed" to be a quick and dirty project, for a newly acquired generator. It's becoming complicated quickly.

 

[mrmikey]

Use an old propane cylinder, couple of appropriate size fittings welded in (after suitably cleaning it out of course LOL) and you're good to go......Mike

 

[Motorboatin]

More than 20 years ago I built oil and fuel tanks for forklifts. We welded then filled with 1-2 lbs of air pressure and submerged in a water tank looking for bubbles. You can do the same with soapy water. I let the tanks sit for 30-45 seconds but you can leave the pressure on overnight if your worried about leaks