{"id":1407,"date":"2026-05-17T11:03:33","date_gmt":"2026-05-17T16:03:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/plumbing101.i234.me\/wordpress\/?p=1407"},"modified":"2026-05-13T04:38:06","modified_gmt":"2026-05-13T09:38:06","slug":"fix-a-broken-sprayer-tank-spout-for-less","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/plumbing101.i234.me\/wordpress\/fix-a-broken-sprayer-tank-spout-for-less\/","title":{"rendered":"Fix a Broken Sprayer Tank Spout for Less"},"content":{"rendered":"

A broken sprayer tank spout can turn a small job into a big headache.<\/p>\n

This is common on older lawn and farm sprayers.<\/p>\n

The tank may still look fine.<\/p>\n

But the molded garden hose thread can crack, chip, or break off.<\/p>\n

That leaves you with a rough plastic stub.<\/p>\n

In this case, the tank is a 20-gallon Fimco ag sprayer.<\/p>\n

The broken outlet appears to be molded into a polyethylene tank.<\/p>\n

Enough threads remain to start a female garden hose fitting.<\/p>\n

Still, the end is too uneven for a flat washer to seal.<\/p>\n

That makes a normal hose connection leak.<\/p>\n

Can You Glue the Broken Spout Back On?<\/h2>\n

Gluing the broken threaded piece back on sounds easy.<\/p>\n

But it is usually not the best first repair.<\/p>\n

Polyethylene is hard to glue well.<\/p>\n

Many common glues do not bond strongly to it.<\/p>\n

A sprayer tank also sees vibration, water weight, and chemical exposure.<\/p>\n

That makes a weak glue joint more likely to fail.<\/p>\n

You can review the basics of plastic bonding from Loctite<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Should You File the Stub Flat?<\/h2>\n

Filing the stub may help in some cases.<\/p>\n

The goal is to create a flat sealing face.<\/p>\n

A garden hose washer needs a smooth surface.<\/p>\n

If the stub is thick enough, this repair may work.<\/p>\n

Use a flat file and work slowly.<\/p>\n

Do not remove more plastic than needed.<\/p>\n

Then test the fitting with clean water first.<\/p>\n

Would PVC Thread Tape Seal the Leak?<\/h2>\n

Thread tape helps tapered pipe threads seal.<\/p>\n

Garden hose threads are different.<\/p>\n

They usually seal with a washer, not the threads.<\/p>\n

So tape alone may not stop the leak.<\/p>\n

Pipe dope may also fail on garden hose threads.<\/p>\n

It may not seal the rough end of the tank stub.<\/p>\n

Also, check chemical safety before using sealants with herbicides.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0EPA glyphosate page\u00a0<\/a>is a good starting point.<\/p>\n

Question and Answer<\/h2>\n

Question: How can I repair a broken 3\/4-inch garden hose spout on a Fimco poly sprayer tank?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Answer: The best first step is a removable repair. File the stub flat if possible. Then try a female garden hose fitting with a fresh, soft washer. If that fails, use a bulkhead fitting through the tank wall. A bulkhead fitting gives a new sealing surface. It also avoids relying on damaged molded threads.<\/strong><\/p>\n

A Better Repair Option<\/h2>\n

A bulkhead fitting is often the cleanest fix.<\/p>\n

It clamps through a hole in the tank wall.<\/p>\n

The gasket seals against a flat tank surface.<\/p>\n

This avoids the damaged spout end.<\/p>\n

Choose a fitting rated for plastic tanks.<\/p>\n

Also, choose parts that match your sprayer hose size.<\/p>\n

You may need to cut off the damaged spout.<\/p>\n

Then drill a clean hole for the fitting.<\/p>\n

Measure twice before cutting anything.<\/p>\n

Use clean water for the first leak test.<\/p>\n

Do not test with glyphosate first.<\/p>\n

If the repair leaks, water is safer and easier.<\/p>\n

What I Would Avoid<\/h2>\n

I would avoid PVC primer and solvent cement here.<\/p>\n

Those products are made for PVC pipe.<\/p>\n

They do not solvent-weld polyethylene tanks.<\/p>\n

I would also avoid making glue the main seal.<\/p>\n

A mechanical fitting is easier to service later.<\/p>\n

It also gives you a second chance.<\/p>\n

That matters when a replacement tank costs around $100.<\/p>\n

Final Tip<\/h2>\n

Start with the least permanent repair.<\/p>\n

Try filing, a new washer, and a careful water test.<\/p>\n

If that fails, move to a bulkhead fitting.<\/p>\n

That repair is stronger and still affordable.<\/p>\n

It may save the tank and keep the sprayer useful.<\/p>\n

I’m Chris Mayer, writing for Plumbing 101<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Fix
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A broken sprayer tank spout can turn a small job into a big headache. This is common on older lawn and farm sprayers. The tank may still look fine. But the molded garden hose thread can crack, chip, or break off. That leaves you with a rough plastic stub. In this case, the tank is… Continue reading Fix a Broken Sprayer Tank Spout for Less<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1472,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_wpscp_schedule_draft_date":"","_wpscp_schedule_republish_date":"","_wpscppro_advance_schedule":false,"_wpscppro_advance_schedule_date":"","_wpscppro_dont_share_socialmedia":null,"_wpscppro_custom_social_share_image":0,"_facebook_share_type":"default","_twitter_share_type":"default","_linkedin_share_type":"default","_pinterest_share_type":"default","_linkedin_share_type_page":"","_instagram_share_type":"default","_medium_share_type":"default","_threads_share_type":"default","_google_business_share_type":"default","_selected_social_profile":[],"_wpsp_enable_custom_social_template":false,"_wpsp_social_scheduling":{"enabled":false,"datetime":null,"platforms":[],"status":"template_only","dateOption":"today","timeOption":"now","customDays":"","customHours":"","customDate":"","customTime":"","schedulingType":"absolute"},"_wpsp_active_default_template":true},"categories":[79],"tags":[635,1051,1050,257,267,109,1053,111,1221,115,343,1052,1222,1220,1054,244],"class_list":["post-1407","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general-plumbing-help","tag-broken","tag-broken-garden-hose-thread","tag-fimco-sprayer-tank-repair","tag-fix","tag-for","tag-general","tag-ght-adapter","tag-help","tag-less","tag-plumbing","tag-plumbing-repair","tag-poly-tank-repair","tag-spout","tag-sprayer","tag-sprayer-tank-leak","tag-tank","entry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/plumbing101.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1407","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/plumbing101.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/plumbing101.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/plumbing101.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/plumbing101.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1407"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/plumbing101.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1407\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1473,"href":"https:\/\/plumbing101.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1407\/revisions\/1473"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/plumbing101.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1472"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/plumbing101.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1407"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/plumbing101.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1407"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/plumbing101.i234.me\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1407"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}