Bonding Agent Question (sump)

"thePoet" wrote in message
...

Been a long time since I've been on the newsgroup (my program trashed my
history, and I never fixed it until now).
I have a large 150 gallon rubbermaid-esque sump that I am placing a
large polyethylene container inside of. I need to find a way to get the
container to stick to the bottom when water is in it (this is acting as an
overflow, so the outside water is higher than the inside water). There is
a lot of surface area on the bottom of this container (greater than a
square foot) so I was thinking that I might be able to get away with
silicone even though it doesn't stick well to plastics. Does anyone know
of
anything better?
Thanks,


Hi,

Tough application. PE is typically electo-welded in industry to get good
bond strength, and is not amenable to most adhesives. The fact that you
only need it to not float may be a saving feature, though. The actual bond
strength you need will be relatively low. Putting a weight in the PE
container as an added measure is a good idea. I'd take a shot at it with a
multipurpose silicone or marine adhesive from your DIY store, and leave a
weight in the bottom of the PE container (1/2 - 2/3 the weight of the
container in aquarium gravel?) after welding.

Pre-treat the PE before trying to bond it, too. Clean your rubbermaid
container with acetone, and allow to dry. If you have a blow torch, go over
your PE bond surface quickly with a (cool) yellow flame, until the surface
becomes shiny. This will burn off any processing oils or detritus, and
oxdize the PE a bit, giving you your best surface for bonding. The PE
should be allowed to cool after this treatment, but be sure to not touch the
bonding surface after doing so, and bond the surfaces immediately once the
PE part can be handled (you can check temperature carefully on the interior
bottom of the PE container). If you don't have a torch, at least clean both
surfaces with acetone, and allow them to dry before trying your bond...

Good luck!

Regards
R. David Zopf
Atom Weaver