Leaking bulkead solution? - Page 3

spit.fire · #21 06-07-2013, 07:29 PM

You said you live in an apartment right?

Thinks to look at

1. Tightening the bulkhead to both the glass and wood is asking for failure, wood expands when it gets wet and even from humidity in the air, if it expands it could potentially break the bulkhead causing a major leak or worst case crack the glass (I've done it before from over tightening bulkheads)

2. The time and money needed to fix the issue properly (drill a larger hole for a larger bulkhead and drill the stand out more) would be WAY cheaper than repairing flood damage, especially in an apartment.

3. This tank hasn't been set up for long, I'm guessing it isn't even cycled yet, way easier to do it now than have to do an emergency repair job while its fully stocked

lastlight · #22 06-07-2013, 07:34 PM

definitely agree about draining and doing it right. this isn't a minor detail.

Dreadful · #23 06-09-2013, 12:58 AM

now that i finally have some free time im going to give it one more go before i go to all that trouble and see what i can make happen WITHOUT silicone or any of that.

i think i may have made some newb mistakes when it came to hooking up the bulkheads the first time.. ie gluing all the pvc underneith without having them tightened properly. all fingers and toes crossed guys.. here goes!

Dreadful · #24 06-09-2013, 04:48 AM

success!

the overflow is 1/3 full and no leaks as you can see

(that small puddle there is from last time and does not want to dry)

i made a small plastic gasket for underneith where the plywood was a little uneven to help make a more solid seal. i also was a lot more careful with tightening the bulkheads properly this time and i didnt do any of the plumbing underneith until i was sure they werent going to leak.

i only had a very minor leak coming from inside the pipe (have no idea why cause its tight) but i think its pretty irrelevant as that water is just going to be going back into the sump.

im going to leave this overnight to make sure its good before i finish up the rest of the plumbing!

e46er · #25 06-10-2013, 01:30 AM

Still a hokey fix
Drain and do it properly so you don't have to start a thread called " crap my tank cracked and flooded by house what do I do now?"

Proteus · #26 06-10-2013, 01:38 AM

I would really consider cutting the hole in plywood and have the nut on the glass

Dreadful · #27 06-10-2013, 07:00 AM

i may yet have to.. i found another silly noob mistake i've made.

when i had the glass pieces cut they came with little tiny cork squares to keep them from scratching or banging into eachother. i decided it was a good idea to place these at the base of the tank between the glass and tile to help as some sort of cushion..

i am now 100% certain this is the reason for my bulkhead leak.

as i continued filling the overflow box this morning small leaks started again. im guessing because these little cork things compressed as more weight was added. as i tightened the bulkheads more the leaking stopped but i eventually reached a point where the tiniest leak cant be fixed!

im so frustrated because im so close! i just feel like taking a sledge hammer to it right now!

Proteus · #28 06-10-2013, 11:58 AM

Sometimes we want the easy fix and with this a easy fix just won't do. Once you fix it properly you will be able to enjoy the tank and a good night sleep

reefme · #29 06-10-2013, 02:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Titus99

I would really consider cutting the hole in plywood and have the nut on the glass

+ million and one.

Reef Pilot · #30 06-10-2013, 03:01 PM

You are really asking for trouble if stay with the nut on the plywood side. You might get it tight enough to stop leaking as you keep taking up the slack with the weight of the water settling. But in future if the wood swells due to humidity (a very likely scenario) the glass could crack, and then you will have a very costly mess. And did you say you are in an apartment? I yi, yi,...