My thanks to you all, who responded to my question. As usual I
learned a lot more than I bargained for!
The upshot is, I'm buying a new float from rdent. Last night, I
did the dunk-in-hot-water test to find The Leak. Well,
*there*was*no*leak! Instead of a telltale stream of tiny bubbles
coming from the bad spot, there was nothing... until after
ohmaybe 10-15 seconds, the surface of the submerged float began
to change. Tiny, very tiny bubbles began to form over the entire
float. Over the next minute or two, they slowly grew until
eventually, here and there randomly, a bubble broke loose and
rose to the surface. After a couple of dozen such bubbles, a
faint odor of gasoline announced itself.
Conclusion:
No actual leak. Instead, for each of the past 28 summers,
gasoline vapors inside the tank have been diffusing slowly
through the plastic. Then the following winter, the vapors
condense to a puddle. She's accumulated several thimbles full by
now.
Time for a new float.
--
Douglas Frank Compaq Computer Corp. Mammon, n.
ZKO 110 Spit Brook Rd. The god of the world's
603-884-0501 Nashua, NH USA 03062 leading religion.
|