Fiberglass Tender Tank Help

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steamtrainguy
Posts: 35
Joined: Sat Oct 01, 2011 5:30 pm
Location: Longview,Wa

Fiberglass Tender Tank Help

Post by steamtrainguy »

I posted sometime ago about installing water valves into a 1 piece fiberglass tender tank,but never received any feed back.I'm interested in knowing what other people have used for tender water valves,and how they installed them.I have a pair of Locoparts water valves,but as I had mentioned in my previous post,there is very little room in the water legs in order to install and properly seal the valves.I'm at the point now that my locomotive is just about ready for the tender.If anyone has experience,and/or ideas about another type of valve I could use,which might be easier to install,please let me know.
rkcarguy
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Re: Fiberglass Tender Tank Help

Post by rkcarguy »

I know in the boat repair world, epoxy resins (50/50 mix) will adhere well as long as the area is roughed up, but poly resins can have issues adhering to a repair. I would think that you could bed in some plastic pipe fittings or plastic plate to give you something to attach to. You may have to get creative and push some epoxy through a hose down into the "leg" to get a good seal on the fitting inside the tank.
Pictures would always help.
I've done some water tank work in boats and RV's, you'd think they would have a better way of installing fittings to them, but they don't. Thankfully you have fiberglass, some of the plastics the tanks are made of almost nothing will stick to them. I had to install a o-ringed deck plate(for boats) in the top of the last grey water tank, just so I could reach inside so I could install gasket type fittings for all the hoses.
steamtrainguy
Posts: 35
Joined: Sat Oct 01, 2011 5:30 pm
Location: Longview,Wa

Re: Fiberglass Tender Tank Help

Post by steamtrainguy »

Take a look at the 2 pictures.As you can see,the water valve has hole pattern for mounting underneath the tender.There is a 2" square piece of 1/4" steel plate on the tender frame,that is for mounting the valve.Assuming that I drill 7/8" hole through the plate,then drill/tap for the 8-32 mounting bolts,how can I properly seal around the valve,since I can barely reach inside,let alone put sealant around the valve,without possibly plugging the water outlet hole on the bottom of the valve.I'm probably overthinking this,as my friend often tells me,but I want to get this right!
Attachments
tender tank-1.JPG
tender tank-2.JPG
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Greg_Lewis
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Location: Fresno, CA

Re: Fiberglass Tender Tank Help

Post by Greg_Lewis »

The answer is the best goop in the shop: Permatex #2. Put a bit of masking tape over the valve outlet hole. Fold the tape over at the end so you have a tab you can grab later. Apply Permatex #2 as needed to the valve flange. Seat the valve, install bolts, pull tape off with hemostat or long-reach tweezers.
Greg Lewis, Prop.
Eyeball Engineering — Home of the dull toolbit.
Our motto: "That looks about right."
Celebrating 35 years of turning perfectly good metal into bits of useless scrap.
rkcarguy
Posts: 1730
Joined: Tue Aug 22, 2017 10:33 am
Location: Wa State

Re: Fiberglass Tender Tank Help

Post by rkcarguy »

Ok, so you have a steel plate to work with. What I like to do is permanently install the screws into one part or another with JB weld or PC7 or loctite, or solder them if that can be heated(probably not), then you have studs sticking out that don't leak and you can cut a neoprene gasket you can reuse. That way if you have a leak or need to R&R the valve you don't have to wait for sealant to cure.

If I'm understanding this right, you need to match that pattern on the bottom of your tank(it's upside down in the pic), then the valve drops down inside the tank from the top?
If that is the case, I would tap your valve flange #10-32, install the screws(seal/lock threads per above) so you have 6 "studs" sticking out the other side, drill your holes in the tank to match (thru holes). Make a neoprene gasket, which will stay on the "studs", and drop the whole thing in the top.
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Greg_Lewis
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Re: Fiberglass Tender Tank Help

Post by Greg_Lewis »

rkcarguy wrote: Wed Sep 19, 2018 11:59 am Ok, so you have a steel plate to work with. What I like to do is permanently install the screws into one part or another with JB weld or PC7 or loctite, or solder them if that can be heated(probably not), then you have studs sticking out that don't leak and you can cut a neoprene gasket you can reuse. That way if you have a leak or need to R&R the valve you don't have to wait for sealant to cure.

If I'm understanding this right, you need to match that pattern on the bottom of your tank(it's upside down in the pic), then the valve drops down inside the tank from the top?
If that is the case, I would tap your valve flange #10-32, install the screws(seal/lock threads per above) so you have 6 "studs" sticking out the other side, drill your holes in the tank to match (thru holes). Make a neoprene gasket, which will stay on the "studs", and drop the whole thing in the top.
I vote for this one. Better idea than mine.
Greg Lewis, Prop.
Eyeball Engineering — Home of the dull toolbit.
Our motto: "That looks about right."
Celebrating 35 years of turning perfectly good metal into bits of useless scrap.
steamtrainguy
Posts: 35
Joined: Sat Oct 01, 2011 5:30 pm
Location: Longview,Wa

Re: Fiberglass Tender Tank Help

Post by steamtrainguy »

Thank you for the suggestions!
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