Godspeed wrote:
On Wed, 13 Jan 2010 05:43:38 -0500, Ed Pawlowski wrote:

Not enough information. Chances are, the tank is rusted, very thin

When the well had a problem in the summer, the well guy took a look at the
tank leak and said the tank was in "good shape" externally.

This steel tank is lying on very thin slats of wood (most of which are
rotted out). The two tanks are about 20 years old since the home is only
about 20 years old.

They're painted steel on the outside with absolutely no visible rust on the
outside. Inside, there is rust on the steel and there does not seem to be a
"lining" that I know of (the water inside looked yucky from the top but the
well guy said that's normal).

The well guy said he never "fixes" leaking water tanks. Said it's like
fixing a radiator on a car. Plug one spot and the hole opens up somewhere
else. He recommended a brand new non-steel tank. Sure. It's not his money.
That's twenty grand.

Of course a new tank is "better". But, does it pay to weld a plate?

Since the tanks are in great visual shape, I'm hoping there is a viable
fix-it solution. Does a "normal" welder do this kind of work or is there a
specialty shop somewhere out there like roto rooter or something?

Flat bottom or round? Upright/horizontal? Internal access?

Who knows from here?

As the well guy said, you can try but it's likely if it's rusted out in
one spot it's terribly thin in many.

A decent welder can do the welding; question nobody can tell w/o looking
is the condition overall and where the leak is, access, etc., etc.,
etc., ... You possibly could simply rotate it 180 and extend life;
otoh, disturbing it might open it up completely if it's really thin.

If this is just a residential installation, why such a large tank or are
not using a pressure pump? Could potentially go w/ a much smaller
pressure tank far cheaper.

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