Recycling Plastic Water Tank to Make a Sink.

Hello beautiful people.

I hope you are all well and making the most of every day you get to build new stuff.

Today I'm going to show you how I turned an old loft water storage tank into an outdoor basin. It's a simple and easy build that would work with any shape or size plastic container. So next time you have a plastic water tank lying around, don't bin it. Reuse it so it doesn't end up in a landfill.

Step 1: Shaping the Tank to Your Needs.

My garden sink is going into a greenhouse/grow room where I regularly need to wash my hands and tools while working with the plants or fitting the gutting the trout from my aquaponic system.

The first thing I did was to measure the space I had to install the basin. I then cut the basin to fit. For obvious reasons you cannot alter the width of the basin. You can only cut the height of the walls down to size.

When I cut my basin I made sure that a section at the back was taller than the front so I could mount the cold water tap to the high point. For this job I used a reciprocating saw but there are many other saws that would do the job.

Make sure you keep the plastic that you trim off the top, it will be used later in the job.

Step 2: Patching the Holes in the Tank.

For this section you will need.
The plastic you cut off the top of the tank.
A hole saw larger than the holes to patch.
A tube of silicone,
One 25mm M4 nut and bolt per hole.
A screwdriver
A pair of pliers.
A Stanley knife
A sanding block.

My tank had 2x 30mm holes near the base of the tank, you can see them in the images provided.

I chose a 50mm hole saw and I cut two disks for each hole out of the waste plastic from step 1.

Using the Stanley knife and sanding block I cleaned up the edges of the disks.

My chosen bolt fitted the hole made by the hole saw in each disk which made life easier.

Inserting the M4 bolt into the first disk I placed it over the hole on the inside of the tank.

Holding the disk in place with one hand I used the other to apply a generous layer of silicone to the area of the disk I could see from the outside of the tank.

Once the silicone has been applied you should be able to let go of the disk inside the tank.

Take another disk and cover the silicone you just applied, making sure that the bolt goes through the centre of the new disk. You are now making a silicone sandwich, held together by the 15-25mm bolt.

If your hole is bigger than mine I would suggest adding a washer on each side of the the sandwich to add strength.

Using your screwdriver and pliers, tighten the nut and bolt as tight as possible without making the disk edges left.

Wipe off the excess silicone and leave to dry. Your hole is now permanently patched.

If your bolt is longer than needed, use your dremel to cut the end of the bolt off. Alternatively, cut the bolt before you install it.

Repeat this process for each hole that you find that you will not be using in future steps.

Step 3: Installing the Drain.

For this step you need.
Drain fitting
Hole saw to match
Overflow pipe
Appropriate sized hole saw
Deburring tool
Stanley Knife
Sanding block
Large flat screwdriver.

Start by choosing the location of your drain.
I chose a corner away from all the lumps and bumps at the bottom of the tank.

Cut the hole for the plug.

I decided to use a kitchen style drain as it has a particle collector and im glad I did. Its a huge help when cleaning clay balls and plant pots.

Cut the hole then deburr the edges (neaten up the sides of the hole) you don't need the fancy tool, a bit of sand paper or a Stanley knife do the trick just as well but not quote as fast.

You can just follow the instructions that come with the plug you chose for the job. Make sure you choose a hole saw smaller than the total size of the plug as it needs to overlap the sides of the hole.

Apply some silicone around the hole and drop the new plug into place.

Tighten the two sides of the plug so the silicone is squeezed tightly into the gap and the plug hole is fitted.

Now you have a basin for use anywhere in your home or garden.

I used mine as part of my potting area.

It will need to be mounted onto a small frame to hold it in the location of your choice.

The only tiny issue is that the plug sits .5mm above the bottom surface of the tank. So you will always end up with the tiniest bit of water that won't drain. I fixed this by tilting the basin ever do slightly to encourage the water to run towards the drain. It was only 1cm higher on the left than on the right and this did the trick.

I want to thank you all for taking a look at this instructable. Its a simple job but gets a whole lot more use out of a bit of waste plastic.

Happy building.