Help... Glass fibre sealing.. (1 Viewer)

[Jaws]

Not actually motorhome related .. but good info for others when I get an answer

One of the water features in the back garden has had to be topped up every couple of days ever since it was installed. We have always put it down to two things.. Birds who splash about in it ( and my goodness they do splash !! ) and splash over from from the water fall bit that falls outside the thing.

Because of that we have always turned the pump off when we go away..
Well this time when we got home the whole thing was dry as a bone..

Uninstalled it and filled it up on the bench.
Found there is a patch of fibre glass on the bottom that is porous ..

So to sort it out, I thought a good clean up and just cover the area with resin..

Your thoughts ladies and gentlemen?

 

[Lenny HB]

A good sand then wipe with acetone then a layer of CSM matting one third resin before laying the mat then two thirds on top brush or roller on until glass looks clear, after it as been done 2 or 3 mins go over with a consolidation roller to get rid of any air bubbles. To make it long lasting should then finish with a top coat within 24 hours.

Glasplies do small repair kits.

 

[Jaws]

Cheers Lenny, looks like I am gonna just have to bite the bullet and lob out a couple of hundred quid on a replacement then, as there is no way to lay mat on the area, nor indeed use any sort of roller as it is impossible to get a roller any where near it ( it would be like trying to paint the hall through a letter box ! )

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[funflair]

Needs sealing with Gel coat as resin and glass fibre will be porous.

Martin

 

[hilldweller]

Cheers Lenny, looks like I am gonna just have to bite the bullet and lob out a couple of hundred quid on a replacement then

Or a few quid on resin and see if you are in luck. Logic says, if the water flows through so will your resin, especially on a nice warm day.

What is the situation attempting it from the underside.

 

[Jaws]

It can ONLY be attempted from underneath Brian.. No chance at all from the top mate.. though I could certainly pour gel coat on both top and bottom though..
I shall give that a try !

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[mitzimad]

you might get away with epoxy putty i mended a squirter bottle in a van lasted a couple of years

 

[Lenny HB]

There are epoxy's for swimming pool repairs can be used under water. I think Pacer do them (Superglue corp.)

 

[pyro]

Rather a bird bath than an entire boat. I have seen osmosis destroy entire yachts in my time. The smell of "Old English Spangles" springs to mind rather too readily

I seem to remember that it was imperative that the damaged area was fully dried out before starting the remedial work (as described by Lenny HB)

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[Jaws]

Drying out is not a problem at all.. It is already as dry as a dry thing on dry pills !

 

[funflair]

Pour some two part epoxy in and swill it around.

Martin

 

[hilldweller]

Pour some two part epoxy in and swill it around.

Martin

This is back to the shower tray threads !

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[Wagoneer]

As an alternative to a glass fibre repair - how about a UV resistant polythene liner. At least it shouldn't/wouldn't leak then and you protect any other areas which may be showing signs of future potential distress.

I would imagine swimming pool outlets would sell this stuff.

Just thinking out of the box - but am prepared to be shot down

 

[Jaws]

As an alternative to a glass fibre repair - how about a UV resistant polythene liner. At least it shouldn't/wouldn't leak then and you protect any other areas which may be showing signs of future potential distress.

I would imagine swimming pool outlets would sell this stuff.

Just thinking out of the box - but am prepared to be shot down

Errr.. I think you may believe it all to be a bit grander than it really is

This is a small water feature . The sump is probably about 15 litre capacity about the size of a good sized washing up bowl..
The access to it is very limited.. I can just about get a hand in there

It is very decorative and they are damned expensive for what they are ( esp now I have seen just how poorly they are made ! ) which is why I would love to repair it rather than replace it ..

 

[deleted-member02]

How about a liquid rubber, something like Isoflex ?

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[Jaws]

Welllllll.. For 4 quid I just popped over the car place and got a 250ml tin of resin and hardener..
I will let you all know how I get on !

 

[Jaws]

Update
It has all been together and filled for 24 hours now.. So far not a drip anywhere..
So once again thanks to all for your invaluable input and insight folks