Rant!! Bulk Heads That Leak..

[focus]

Never ceases to amaze me I installed the new sump yesterday and made sure all the bulk heads were tight by hand and a little extra with the bulk head wrench of course the return bulk head leaks, and because of the small area with the baffles I can't loosen it or tighten it even with the bulk head tool. So hopefully the sticky underwater adhesive works...

I hate not having any real filtration on the tank and just hope to God nothing else leaks when I fire it up.

Thanks for reading

Rob

 

[JohnK]

How is the gasket installed? Silicone on the gasket? How tight is tight, it could be too tight?

Got a pic of the set up?

The good news is that if it's just a very slight leak, salt creep will often seal it up over a week or two (though I wouldn't want to count on that...)

 

[UncleJT]

Sorry to hear this Rob. I dunno but I've never had a properly installed bulkhead leak.

 

[focus]

Last time I did it I used silicone, everyone always says you don't need it so this time it went in dry. Gasket is in the sump side, it really wasn't possible to over tighten it because of the location, I believe it is properly installed?? Going down stairs to snap a picture...

 

[JohnK]

Nope, the gasket is on the nut side. It needs to be on the flange side.

With that gasket against the nut, the water is still free to seep through the threads and leak slowly.

 

[UncleJT]

Nope, the gasket is on the nut side. It needs to be on the flange side. With that gasket against the nut, the water is still free to seep through the threads and leak slowly.

Yup. Exactly. Also, by putting the gasket on the nut side, you can deform the gasket as it is being tightened. Gasket always has to be on the flange side so even pressure is applied as the nut is tightened.

 

[focus]

Yup. Exactly. Also, by putting the gasket on the nut side, you can deform the gasket as it is being tightened. Gasket always has to be on the flange side so even pressure is applied as the nut is tightened.

Damn, at least I can fix the other 2!!

 

[focus]

Well the other 2 I had in correctly, now the bad news!

Oh it just keeps getting better, the glass cracked from the hair dryer I guess it got to hot so now I don't even have a sump and all the work I put into the plumbing was for nothing

Now I need a sump ASAP!!

 

[bigdog]

say what hair dryer 4 what

 

[coralcor]

say what hair dryer 4 what

using it to dry silicon faster

 

[UncleJT]

Bulkheads should never need silicone in the first place.

 

[JohnK]

Bulkheads should never need silicone in the first place.

Just a common misconception (that you should use silicone), it seems to come up about once a month here..

 

[ReeferMedic]

How is the gasket installed? Silicone on the gasket? How tight is tight, it could be too tight?

Got a pic of the set up?

The good news is that if it's just a very slight leak, salt creep will often seal it up over a week or two (though I wouldn't want to count on that...)

Nope, the gasket is on the nut side. It needs to be on the flange side.

With that gasket against the nut, the water is still free to seep through the threads and leak slowly.

Yup. Exactly. Also, by putting the gasket on the nut side, you can deform the gasket as it is being tightened. Gasket always has to be on the flange side so even pressure is applied as the nut is tightened.

Bulkheads should never need silicone in the first place.

Just a common misconception (that you should use silicone), it seems to come up about once a month here..

+1 on everything said here.

 

[focus]

using it to dry silicon faster

Actually it was an underwater adhesive, nothing else I could do at that point since I couldn't loosen the bulk head to reverse the flange. The others I did install correctly and I didn't use any silicone, not that it matters since my attempts at quick curing the adhesive ruined the sump . Just spent another 3 hours re-installing the rubber maid sump..kissed a couple hundred bucks good bye also.

 

[stevenp]

IME, the keys to a long lasting leak free bulkhead are:

1) Applying a good quality lubricant to keep the gaskets from drying out

2) Not over tightening

I always lube ALL of my gaskets with a silicone lubricant (not regular silicone) prior to installation. IMO, traditional silicone sealant should not be applied to a bulk head fitting.

 

[Leroy]

Make your own gaskets

I don't use any of the cheap a$$ black rubber gasket that comes with the bulkhead. Do yourself all a favor and for cheap money buy a square foot of neoprene rubber from a plumbing supply and use the no good black gasket as a template cause that's all it's good for. Make your own gasket. The neoprene I use is from FW Webb for all DIY projects I've done with zilch for problems. Two gaskets cut with Xacto blade (overkill, so what) for each bulkhead, inside and out and hand tightened. Nice tight seal, tighter than a frogs butt, with never any leaks. Saved me a ton of aggravation for years of use. I'll use any scrap pieces as a vibration cushioning or anti slip under a canopy set on the trim of the tank for a few ideas of use.

 

[snowmaker]

1) Applying a good quality lubricant to keep the gaskets from drying out

What kind have you used?

I have found Permatex SuperLube (tube or spray) Silicone lubricant to be reef tank safe. Been using for almost 2 years in reef tanks. USDA rated food safe FWIW.

 

[stevenp]

I use Haynes Lubri-Film, also food grade.

 

[Cherokee_Dude]

LEROY
"Tighter than a frogs butt" I've got a new line for my signature lol!! x1000

 

[s_kelley]

Sucks that the glass cracked, im a big time DIY'er too and recenlty attempted to upgrade from a 20long to a 30gal. Well im back to my 20long, dont give up looks like you put a ton of work into your sump.