Need advice, not so slow leak in sump

[christyf5]

Hey guys, I'm not sure whether to be ticked off or relieved or a bit embarassed. I took the sump apart this morning, even had to cut a pipe (the drain from the tank standpipe, it was problematic) to get the sump out. I pried off the trim from the area that was leaking and couldn't find a bloody thing. There was a bit of water in the tank still and nothing was coming through. I was thinking it was due to the weight of the water maybe? Then I followed the water trail....from the through hull fitting (to the return pump). Damned thing wasn't tight and that was where the leak was (also noted that my sump isn't level as the water was appearing like 6" away from that point which is why I was thinking it was the tank itself). At some point it let go some and likely cracked/dislodged the silicone I had sealed it with. I thought tightening it would be enough but after filling the sump with enough water to submerge it, it was apparent it needed to be resiliconed. So I have done that. I guess the bonus is that my sump hasn't been this clean since I started the tank. I cleaned the skimmer too and all the equipment and junk that was lurking beneath the tank (and a couple creepy crawly spiders).

Note to self: don't freak out so bad next time. Although its really hard to think logically after sleeping in 2h shifts for the last couple months.

So my next question is, whats the minimum cure time for silicone before I can fill the sump back up and get the tank running again. I'd rather not leave it overnight if I don't have to (but if I do, I do. Will have to remember to add an airstone for the angel).

Thank you to all the suggestions guys, I really appreciate them. I'll be looking into that Orca underwater glue. Also we have no tank builders near us but the local buy and sells (craigslist, kijiji, usedwhereever) are quite active and Brad scoped me out a couple of replacement options. So glad I don't have to go that route (I hope!!)

[gregzz4]

Glad to hear you found a minor issue

To answer your question about the silicone, I'd let it sit for an absolute minimum of 24 hours with a fan blowing on it to help off-gas the VOCs and speed curing
Better would be a few days
When uncured silicone gets wet it turns to muck and you're done

So, if it were me, I'd buy a new bulkhead and install it without any silicone

Good luck my dear

[christyf5]

24h it is then. Thanks for the quick reply!

Sadly Nanaimo isn't exactly a reefing friendly town for those sorts of things. If its not anything I have stocked up on at J&L or what I can find out of town and brought home, its not accessable without going the mail order route (and for one bulkhead, that ain't happening). The one spare bulkhead I have here isn't the right size, and I'm not interested in redoing my plumbing (another nightmare in this town..*sigh*).

[Myka]

What size do you need Christy?

Originally Posted by christyf5

Hey guys, I'm not sure whether to be ticked off or relieved or a bit embarassed.

Celebrate!!

Originally Posted by gregzz4

So, if it were me, I'd buy a new bulkhead and install it without any silicone

Me too. Bulkheads shouldn't have silicone on them to begin with.

[paddyob]

Silicon must be removed before fixing. For a reason I don't know, it just does not bond to the old silicon for a proper fix.


Don't putty it. As someone said, you might not sleep wondering if it is good enough.

Drain. Fix or replace. Fix is cheaper, but may take more time. I don't mess around. If its broke I replace. Period.

If its a mystery leak... Maybe the silicon is substandard. Maybe you will have another leak next week.

Know what I mean? How old is the sump?
Silicon breaks down over time like everything else.

[Lampshade]

As posted earlier, the Orca Reef Glue is amazing. I've used it on a few leaks, some very bad through different tanks and swear by that stuff now. I had my overflow separate from my tank and fixed it in water with the Orca glue and it's held for years now and can handle my overflow completely drained with full tank on the other side. I also fixed a sump leak that was really bad and that's been fine for a couple years now as well, without a drop leaking. It works right in the tank. It's is a bit ugly to work with and you'll have black fingers for a couple days, but it holds together GREAT. Would highly recommend for stuff like this were you need a quick fix before a replacement, but I've come to trust it enough to leave it as the main seal. It bonds to silicone it seems, and without cleaning I've had no problems. Much easier than draining, scraping, polishing and re applying silicone.

[Aquattro]

Originally Posted by Lampshade

As posted earlier, the Orca Reef Glue is amazing.

That's what I used to fix my leak.

[christyf5]

well I've siliconed the bulkhead and will fill the sump later on. If its still leaking I'll replace the bulkhead. Theres nothing in town for bulkheads so I don't know where the hell I'm going to get one. Either that or I'll try to retrofit the one I have and see what I can do. The bulkhead I'm currently using is kind of flimsy anyways compared to the heavier duty (sch80?) ones. I suspect I bought it locally from a pet store or something as they always seem to carry cheaper ones.