Forgot to empty hot water tank…

[Kirk]

The only thing, with so minor leakage, I am not entirely sure how to identify it. I guess it will be some sort of crack..

Are you planning to remove the tank from the water heater just to look at it? Why not check the fittings first, as many here have suggested? I locate a suspected leak by fastening a small piece of paper towel or tissue around or to the possible areas that could be the source, then pressurize the tank for a short time and check each one for signs of dampness.

 

[Yavne]

As one who has been a welder (a very long time ago) and who still has a good friend in the business, I'll caution you that as others have said, welding aluminum takes special skills and a tank adds extra requirements. If you can find someone to do the work it will probably be very expensive and have no guarantee.

I absolutely agree with Gary. It is very unlikely that a tank that was broken by freezing would only leak when hot but fittings are a very different matter. I locate a suspected leak by fastening a small piece of paper towel or tissue around or to the possible areas that could be the source, then pressurize the tank for a short time and check each one for signs of dampness.

This is very good idea, I am not sure how to locate a leak without removing the tank. Any recommendations?

I took the pictures (below) yesterday. The water tank is installed under the bed, I put my hand in the bed opening. Looks like it's leaking somewhere in the center.

 

[Yavne]

Are you planning to remove the tank from the water heater just to look at it? Why not check the fittings first, as many here have suggested? I locate a suspected leak by fastening a small piece of paper towel or tissue around or to the possible areas that could be the source, then pressurize the tank for a short time and check each one for signs of dampness.

Yeah.. I am pretty sure all the fittings were fine yesterday, but let me check it again. Thanks!!

 

[Yavne]

I just did another test, no leakage with cold water (and water pump turned on), but it's dripping when water heater turned on. The picture below was taken from under the water tank. All pipes/connectors are good, at least on the side of the tank.

Is there a way to find the crack without remove it at this point?

 

[Rene T]

As I said earlier, if the tank did freeze, I have seen many pictures of that happening and what the pictures showed was a tank totally oversized, almost round and a huge split

 

[Kirk]

Here is a pretty typical example of happens when the tank splits from freezing.

 

[Rene T]

I just did another test, no leakage with cold water (and water pump turned on), but it's dripping when water heater turned on. The picture below was taken from under the water tank. All pipes/connectors are good, at least on the side of the tank.

Is there a way to find the crack without remove it at this point?

Can you cut away some of that white foam?

 

[Yavne]

Can you cut away some of that white foam?

I could.. from the bottom? There is only 1” of space between the floor and the water tank.
I don’t expect to see any damage on the upper side, no?

 

[Isaac-1]

Regardless if this turns into a replace or repair, it will have to come out.

 

[Hfx_Cdn]

Sorry to join this late, but if you look for a place to get it repaired, you could try contacting the NSCC (Nova Scotia Community College) they have welding courses and may well take it on as a class project GRATIS.

Ed

 

[Kirk]

I don’t expect to see any damage on the upper side, no?

Before you do anything like that, you won't be able to do anything must to the water heater without first removing it from the RV. If you follow this link, it shows a lot of pictures of the issue that you are looking for. The insulation is there to aid in heating and retaining the heat so if you do replace the tank then you will need to put something back.

 

[meierjn]

You are going to have to remove the tank and then the foam to find the leak. It's usually in two halves that are held together with a piece of tape. Don't damage it because you'll want to use it again if the tank is "fixable".

My trailer had the symptoms of a leak last year. I would hear the pump kick in every couple of hours, but I couldn't see any water anywhere. I eventually noticed a small drip on the bottom of the trailer below the furnace which was below the HW tank. I pulled the HW tank, removed the foam and there were a couple if small pin holes on the bottom of the tank. My BIL is a welder and the shop he works at specialize in aluminum, stainless steel, and other metals. He cleaned it up and repaired the tank for me. So far, so good with no leaks.

Good luck, and keep us updated!

 

[Adventurous Traveler]

You can find welders like meierjn mentions in just about any town.

I had an older Jeep Grand Cherokee, the kind with the woody sides that had nice aluminum rims. One of the rims was badly gouged when I bought it used and I was afraid of a blowout. I took the wheel, minus the tire to a small shop that specialized in stainless steel truck trailers, like you see milk carried in. For $50 they welded, polished, and water tested the rim for me.