I'm looking for a "wet Condition" sealant

[micjk]

Can anyone give me directions to or suggest a sealant that will bond, cure and seal in a very wet enviroment. We have a cooling tower cell, no way to isolate, that has a leak that we need to seal due to the amount of make-up water we are using. This will only be a temporary fix until we can get a shut down opportunity. There will be water under a very small amount of pressure present. I've tried an epoxy type sealant but I think the cure time is to long. It stopped the water for a little while (as long as I held pressure on it) but let go again. If anyone can direct me to some form of selant I would appreciate it. Roy Gariepy
Maintenance and Reliability Dept.
Bayer Corporation Dorlastan Fibers Div.
Goose Creek, South Carolina USA

 

[ornerynorsk]

There are many epoxy and urethane systems which allow wet sealing and curing. McMaster Carr has a bunch of them listed under adhesives and sealants.

 

[JedClampett]

Check with your local Sika representative. They have a sealant called Sikafix HH which swells in the presence of water. I've seen it applied (on video) underwater and immediately stop leaks.

 

[Glueguy]

Roy,

Good News! You can use an inexpensive Moisture cure urethane to stop that leak. These urethanes are recommended for above or below the water line in the Marine industry. The water will accelerate the cure and you will have a strong bond. Epoxy was not the best choice due to the wet conditions and flowing water. Some initial pressure may be needed to allow for set (it should not exceed 10-15 minutes).

Good luck
John Schrock

http://www.glubie.com

 

[Watermelon]

Hi micjk:

Are you able to place some kind of matting over the crack, together with the sealant, on the wet side? A sort-of band-aid? This kind of fix is used to stop boats from sinking.

 

[micjk]

Thanks to all for your replys. We used a little bit of "Redneck" engineering to stop this leak. We had the opportunity to use a jack screw, panelastic and a urethane based sealant to solve the problem. I took a piece of plate lined with panelastic (metal siding strip sealant), tack welded a short length of all thread to it, and placed this into a piece of pipe. We placed the plate over the leak and tightened the nut on the all thread until the leak stopped, then we took the urethane based sealant and covered the plate. This "redneck patch" will probably remain until "the cows come home. Once again thanks to all for your input. Roy Gariepy
Maintenance and Reliability Dept.
Bayer Corporation Dorlastan Fibers Div.
Goose Creek, South Carolina USA

 

[deanc]

Try Devcon UW.

http://www.devcon.com