Each garden plot has containers with water. Now gardeners are increasingly buying plastic containers. But metal barrels still serve as faithfully as they did five, ten, or even twenty years ago. It’s just that years of use are taking their toll. Corrosion and mechanical damage damage the integrity of metal water containers. But everything can be fixed.
Look at this barrel. Its bottom resembles the starry sky in a planetarium. The holes caused by corrosion are small, but they occur so often that it seems impossible to restore the tightness. Is it so?
What you definitely should not do for repairs is turn on the welding machine. It is not suitable for sealing holes in metal containers. Even new barrels have walls that are not thick enough to withstand welding temperatures. And a 10-year-old rusty barrel will not withstand repairs by welding, even less so. You'll just make more holes.
Craftsmen advise repairing the bottom using a bolt, nuts and rubber washers. But in our case, this method will be too expensive both in terms of the number of hardware and time - there are too many holes.
But there is a way out of the seemingly dead-end situation. Silicone sealant! It can be either black or transparent, there is no difference.It is enough to cover the damaged area of the barrel with the product, and after some time required for the sealant to harden, the leak will be eliminated.
How to restore the tightness of a metal barrel
And the procedure for repairs will most likely surprise you. You probably imagine the following sequence: cleaning up the damage mechanically, degreasing, applying a fabric patch, applying sealant, drying. Some gardeners drive a wooden chip into the hole, and then carefully coat it with silicone. Yes, you can do everything exactly like this. Or you can do it easier.
Silicone will also adhere to non-greased surfaces. And even on an uncleaned one. Just take a tube of sealant and apply it to the bottom of the barrel. You can go straight to the rust. It can be from the inside, or it can be from the outside. Silicone will work and last for years.
By the way, silicone sealant also seals damaged slate very well.
