Bulkhead leaking, any thoughts?
 

Hey Canreefers,

I'm Re-doing my sump system and so far everything is working great!

The only problem I'm running into, Is i cant seem to get my bulkheads to stop leaking from both the supply and return lines, Ive cleaned the glass and wiped the rubber/silicone gaskets but I cant seem to get a good seal....



Looking for options....and GO!


:biggrin:

Are they new bulkheads?

did you make sure the gasket is on the flange side and not the nut side?

Hehe, good one. :lol:

There's one more thing to add to Denny's comment... Is the nut on the outside of the sump? I have seen installs where they put the nut in the sump which makes re tightening almost impossible.

If the bulkhead is the threaded type they can get cracked from over tightening the male adapters into the bulkhead. You won't see the crack until you tighten in a male adapter and it spreads the bulkhead apart.

Cheers,
Tim

I have found one thing that has worked for me and a buddy with the same problem.
If you install the bulkhead and gasket dry, it always seems to drip a little no mater how tight you make it. If you take the rubber gasket and dunk it in some water and then do your install, no leak. I guess the water between the bulkhead, gasket and glass helps with the seal. Give it a try.

Awesome thanks for all the suggestions I'll give it a try! They're all brand new but i did try to install them dry. The gasket is on the wet side (slip side not the nut side)

Make sure you don't over-tighten. Tighten as hard as you can by hand only, and then tighten an extra 1/4 turn with a wrench. That should do it.

How much larger (diameter) is the hole than the actual bulkhead?

adding a little vaseline to the gasket can help a lot

I install with silicone and can't see how it hurts anything but the other suggestions are great