Leaking Jobo Expert Drum

[Adrian Twiss]

I have a jobo expert 3006 drum which has a crack in the bottom of one of the chambers. The result is that it leaks. I attempted to effect a repair using RTV silicone and waterproof tape but feel this is far from ideal. The most effective repair would be epoxy resin applied to the bottom of the offending chamber. This will, however, necessitate removing the base of the tank and then reassembling it with acrylate adhesive. I believe that once all the leaks are sealed I will be able to simply reattach the bottom of the tank with no other sealing required once it is in place.

I would welcome advice from anyone who has attempted this repair.

Many thanks

Adrian

 

[John Koehrer]

What about a piece of acrylic bonded to the outside of the drum?
Aren't the Jobo's ABS not acrylic and an ABS cement work better?

 

[Adrian Twiss]

When I did some initial research one of the recommended repairs was to seal the crack with epoxy resin. I wanted to remove the base of the unit to gain easy access to the chambers from below. I must confess it never occurred to be to simply bond a piece of plastic around the base. The only issue I would have with that repair method would be the accumulation of liquid over time from the leaking chamber. I understand there is a gap between the bottom of the chambers and the base of the unit. Looking at the tank again I believe your suggestion would work even though the base is not flat. I could bond it in place with silicone sealant. It would not be very pretty but it would proved a seal.

Thank you for your help in this.

Adrian

 

[Barry S]

Sealing the base on a Jobo Expert drum is a bad idea. The base is there to protect the chambers, but let water flow in and out freely to temper the chambers. Removing the base is simple and it can be easily reattached with a little epoxy.

 

[Adrian Twiss]

Sealing the base on a Jobo Expert drum is a bad idea. The base is there to protect the chambers, but let water flow in and out freely to temper the chambers. Removing the base is simple and it can be easily reattached with a little epoxy.

I understand what you are saying. Could you advise on the method of removing the base. I am paranoid about damanging it.

Just one thing. I only use the drum on a motorised base rather than in a processor, therefore tempering should not be an issue.

Thank you for your input.

 

[Barry S]

Looking at the bottom you can see gaps that run around most of the circumference of the drum. Insert a dull flat tool in the gap and slide it over to an attachment point (no gap), and gently pry up. The lid attachment tab will snap away from the attachment point. I think there's three tabs.

 

[John Koehrer]

Barry sure made that easy.

 

[CatLABS]

In most cases the bottom lid will come off easily. Just carefully pry it off.

 

[wildbill]

The guy I bought my expert drums from said he cracked a drum or two using the lid removal pump.
I'm always very careful using that thing.

 

[paul ewins]

Had to do the same repair to one of my drums years ago. I used a solvent cement (like MEK or methyl methacrylate) that wicks into the crack. Go to your local hobby shop and look for the stuff in bottles rather than tubes.

 

[Adrian Twiss]

Well the bottom came off much more easily than I expected. There is evidence of a previous repair that will need quite a bit of preparation before I reassemble it. Doing leak tests as I write.

Thanks to everyone for your help.