Albin 36 leaking holding tank

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JCDSAIL

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Joined
Apr 11, 2011
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21
The 32 year old holding tank on the Albin 36 is nestled under my Genset forward saloon. Unable to access the lower part of the tank where leak appears to be coming from. Rather than remove genset I am considering having the fiberglass holding tank cut up into sections for removal.
Then have a new tank fabricated to fit in the available space.
Anyone been thru this scenario?

Thanks,
JCDSAIL
 
JCDSAIL said:
The 32 year old holding tank on the Albin 36 is nestled under my Genset forward saloon. Unable to access the lower part of the tank where leak appears to be coming from. Rather than remove genset I am considering having the fiberglass holding tank cut up into sections for removal.
Then have a new tank fabricated to fit in the available space.
Anyone been thru this scenario?

Thanks,
JCDSAIL
Click to expand...

Did the shower sump that way...my boat it was just aft of the holding tank. Holding tank shouln't be a big issue, mine when I cut a hole in the top to replace all the filler necks that had corroded off...I washed it ut and it came cleaner than any other gel coat on the whole boat...darn near looked like a water tank inside!.
 
Before you go to the trouble and expense of having a tank made, take a look at Ronco Plastics. They make about 500 different size and shape heavy duty tanks. If they have one that will fit, and they probably do, it will save you a lot of time and money. They will install what ever fittings you need where ever you want them. I bought my tank from them.
Ronco Plastics - Marine Water Tanks, RV Water Tank, Auto Detail Tanks, Water Tanks

You might want to take the opportunity to go larger on your vent hose if it is the typical 5/8". A large vent say 3/4 or 1" seems to eliminate a lot of problems.
 
A different solution could be to install a custom bladder tank inside the existing leaker.

You can specify the hose and vent positions on the new tank to make instalation easier.

FF
 
I recently dealt with a similar problem but we were able to remove the gen-set mounting bolts and slide it out of the way enough to get the old tank out and the new one in. I also recommend Ronco. They had an exact replacement and installed the connections where I wanted them.
 
Hi JCD Sail, I have recently replaced my fuel, water and holding tanks and have made a DVD of the whole process. I urge you to take a look at it as it will answer all your questions. Regards Seblyte
 
After having gone through a similar exercise a few years ago, I would strongly support getting an off the shelf plastic tank vs having a plastic one fabricated.

Due to bad advice we had a tank fabricated, and ultimately tore it out and had a standard one installed. The custom ones are generally welded and quite thick. The welds are weak points and the thickness reduces capacity, assuming that the outside measurements are dictated by available boat space.

We ended up with a stronger and higher capacity tank that was also much, much, cheaper than the custom tanks. Don't recall if it was a Ronco or not.

However, if you are considering having a custom fibreglass tank built in place, that is a whole different story.
 
Where are you located? Have you thought of a Type I MSD or one of the composting heads? Trust me once you start hacking that thing out of there I doubt you will want to put another back in ;-)
 
SebLyte said:
Hi JCD Sail, I have recently replaced my fuel, water and holding tanks and have made a DVD of the whole process. I urge you to take a look at it as it will answer all your questions. Regards Seblyte
Click to expand...

Hello SebLyte and welcome, or as the more discerning members of the forum say..G'day!:D

How about a link?
 
The advantage of using a premade tank is that there are manufacturers who make them using vacuum molding. This means that you get a one-piece tank with no seams.

Having a custom tank made almost always means that there will be some seams in the tank where the top joins the sides or even where the sides join together. And as Peggie Hall always pointed out, seams like this are potential failure points, particularly when the tank is full.

We replaced a pinholing holding tank (stainless steel which was a really bad idea on someone's part) with a vacuum molded plastic tank we got from Marine Sanitation in Seattle. I don't remember the manufacturer. But they make a wide variety of sizes and shapes.

If there is absolutely no way to get a prefabricated tank into the space you have then your options are limited. But if there is any way to fit a vacuum molded, one piece tank into the space, I believe this is the best way to go.
 
A previous owner installed one of these as a holding tank. It fits along the portside bulkhead, and based on other records on the boat (related to installation of the marine head) it's probably been there since 1986. No leaks, easy to pump out.

Nauta Heavy Duty Holding / Diesel Fuel Tank
 
Andy G said:
Hello SebLyte and welcome, or as the more discerning members of the forum say..G'day!:D

How about a link?
Click to expand...

And a very G'day to you. I'm really pleased I found this site. I am sorry to be a bit slow but what do you mean by a link?
 
SebLyte said:
I am sorry to be a bit slow but what do you mean by a link?
Click to expand...

A "link" would be the URL to a website where the DVD you spoke of can be viewed. In otherwords, something to click on with the computer mouse that takes one to the location of the DVD, assuming it's been posted on the Internet.

Hi JCD Sail, I have recently replaced my fuel, water and holding tanks and have made a DVD of the whole process. I urge you to take a look at it as it will answer all your questions. Regards Seblyte
Click to expand...

This is an example of a "link". A link to a cruise I took in May, 2012.

http://www.widman.biz/indigo/Adventures_of_HIGH_COTTON.pdf
 
Last edited:
rwidman said:
A "link" would be the URL to a website where the DVD you spoke of can be viewed. In otherwords, something to click on with the computer mouse that takes one to the location of the DVD, assuming it's been posted on the Internet.



This is an example of a "link". A link to a cruise I took in May, 2012.

http://www.widman.biz/indigo/Adventures_of_HIGH_COTTON.pdf
Click to expand...

Ahhh ha! Actually I did try posting a link to Terry Hoy but unfortunately as a new member I am not allowed to until I become a trusted member. I'm not sure how long this takes.
 
SebLyte said:
as a new member I am not allowed to until I become a trusted member. I'm not sure how long this takes.

Really, I had no idea there was a probation period, maybe one of the 'mods' could explain.
Click to expand...
 
SebLyte said:
as a new member I am not allowed to until I become a trusted member. I'm not sure how long this takes.
Click to expand...

Andy G said:
Really, I had no idea there was a probation period, maybe one of the 'mods' could explain.
Click to expand...

All "new" members posting hyper links in their posts now get intercepted by the forum's spam filter. At that point one of the mod's has to read it, look at the link and make sure it's not a male enhancement product or porno link. Then approve the post, PITA really for us mod's but makes our job easier keeping the spammers out. We had no choice but to do this with the amount of spam attacks recently. Most spammers tend to go away when they realize we use this tool. This tool has dropped the spam attacks tremendously.

Not sure how long it actually affects new users posting links? Perhaps their first 10 or so posts? If they do not post a hyperlink in those first few posts, they'll never be affected.

Hope this helps.
 
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