To clarify, I used soapy water to leak check.Cool. Did it hold pressure?
Good method.To clarify, I used soapy water to leak check.
As for "holding pressure", I do not valve it off, and wait. Reason being, the block off bungs may not be a perfect seal, creating a false negative test.
Collateral damage.Good method.
I tried to pressurize a duck decoy in an attempt to blow the water out of it...but I forgot to lower the pressure on my compressor's output.
Boy did that not work.
I was holding the hard plastic decoy in my lap when overpressure did it's thing, took me about ten minutes before the "boys' felt well enough to get up from the floor.Collateral damage.
Sorry, didn't mean to put a like on this post...was looking for something like thisI was holding the hard plastic decoy in my lap when overpressure did it's thing, took me about ten minutes before the "boys' felt well enough to get up from the floor.
Ice.I was holding the hard plastic decoy in my lap when overpressure did it's thing, took me about ten minutes before the "boys' felt well enough to get up from the floor.
How does this pin point the leak/leaks if you have them?I check a different way. I fill it to the brim with Evaporust and let it sit on a clean/dry counter overnight. If the counter is dry the next day, it is leak-free and any internal rust is removed.
The outside of the tank will be wet in the area - not pinpoint. Most have no leak. If there is a leak then more work is required depending on where and how bad.How does this pin point the leak/leaks if you have them?
A 1/4" hole full of rust that didn't leak? That's pretty bad !The outside of the tank will be wet in the area - not pinpoint. Most have no leak. If there is a leak then more work is required depending on where and how bad.
I started this due to a Triumph tank. The air pressure test said no leak. The tank had some rust so I filled it with Evaporust to remove it. The next morning the Evaporust was all over the place (expensive loss). The front mount of those tanks has a front mounting cylinder and threaded plate welded to each side of the front of the tank. The rust was in the void and when Evaporust removed the rust, there was a 1/4" hole in the tank above the mount!
The very reason I created the thread, to have a searchable title, and remove ambiguity regarding pressure testing. Clearly more than a few tanks (and decoys) have been sacrificed at the alter.I bought a 68 Triumph Bonneville that the previous owner did a pressure test on the fuel tank, and it spread the sides of the tank. It was a shame because he decided to do this after he had put a nice paint job on it too.
Mark
Ya, the really interesting part was that we cut the mount off, found the good edge of the rusted area (made about a 3/4" hole, welded a circle over it, and rebuilt the mount. It appeared it actually rusted from the outside in as they are painted after the mount is installed. Took the other side off and it was only surface rust there. Several years later and the tank is fine.A 1/4" hole full of rust that didn't leak? That's pretty bad !
When I've had to take the bottom of a tank out I always put a few psi in the tank to check the seams after I've welded it back in
I almost ruined a bsa tank many years ago when I gave it a squirt with an airline and put 18psi in![]()