How To Stop An Epoxy Leak

Written By Evan Michielsen

  • Wipe area clean with paper towel (if possible)

  • Smear Flex Paste over leak

  • Chuckle to yourself as you feel you are in an infomercial

HOW TO STOP AN ACTIVE EPOXY LEAK

The active epoxy leak is one of the most terrifying sights in a shop. Deep pour epoxy doesn’t set up for around 24 hours, so a small drip could empty a 10-gallon pour ($3000 worth of epoxy) onto your garage floor. Or worse, kitchen floor for those who are bold and lack shop space.

I have tried many different substances to stop active leaks. I first thought that the roof-patch tar would work well. What I found is that it works well at keeping liquid out of an area, not keeping liquid in an area. So it works perfectly to stop a leak in your roof, but not in your aquarium. I have also tried various caulks and silicones with no luck whatsoever. The epoxy just slips by like it isn’t there. One solution that barely worked was CA glue with an activator. It doesn’t work well, and you need to keep piling layers up over and over again. Eventually, you might get it stopped, or you might not.

Finally, I gave in and tried the infomercial that is the Flex Family of Products. Yes, the guy that builds a boat out of a can of goop. I didn’t have high hopes, but I bought a can of Flex Paste and smeared it on a small leak. To my shock the leak stopped instantly. Just like that. No additional patches, it just worked. So I decided to up the stakes and try to drill a hole in a plastic tub of epoxy and see if it could stop that leak. I chose a HDPE plastic tub because nothing really sticks to that stuff and if Flex Paste can stop a leak here, it can stop a leak anywhere.

Evan Michielsen