Small leak from bulkhead....options?

[stingythingy45]

"No need to replumb anything, just to redo the seals."

Obviously you are not seeing what the problem is.
The flange for the bulkhead is on the inside of the tank and the plumbing is glued on the outside.
There is no redoing seal,just cutting it apart.
I've done some "doooooooooooohs" like that myself when I plumbed my system.

 

[number1gsxxr]

I can drain the tank. There is nothing in it except for freshwater.

Okay here's a better view. I can't really reuse my plumbing the way it is glued. I have maybe a 1/4" between the sanitary T and the bulkhead.

Is a 1/4" enough to glue a PVC coupling onto?

 

[Miller]

Ouch.....sorry to say but I don't think there is anything you can do except start over and put it together the way it was designed to work.

 

[jamesdong009]

Is a 1/4" enough to glue a PVC coupling onto?

I haven't tried it, but I wouldn't rely on that amount to hold anything together.

It's a good thing PVC pieces are pretty cheap compared to everything else in this hobby

 

[stingythingy45]

How about loosening up the bulkheads and silicone all behind the overflow?

 

[Jim Tansey]

"Is a 1/4" enough to glue a PVC coupling onto?"

Absolutely NOT.

Jim

 

[stingythingy45]

Is the hole in the overflow box big enough to somehow get the bulkhead through it?
So it's now between the box and the tank glass.
Then you could heat a couple gaskets with a blow drier and maybe get them over the flange of the bulkhead.

 

[number1gsxxr]

"Is the hole in the overflow box big enough to somehow get the bulkhead through it?
So it's now between the box and the tank glass.
Then you could heat a couple gaskets with a blow drier and maybe get them over the flange of the bulkhead."

I'm not really following what you are asking. The hole in the overflow box is just large enough to fit the threaded part of the bulkhead fitting through. Here's a view inside the box. The elbows are just pressed in place so I can remove them for cleaning.

I looked and I can cut the PVC below the sanitary T. I've already invested this much time and energy into the setup I might as well do it the right way. Worst case I just have to redo a sanitary T, male adapter, and bulkhead X2. I might as well fix the left drain while Im doing it even though it's not leaking.

 

[STiTCH87]

"No need to replumb anything, just to redo the seals."

Obviously you are not seeing what the problem is.
The flange for the bulkhead is on the inside of the tank and the plumbing is glued on the outside.
There is no redoing seal,just cutting it apart.
I've done some "doooooooooooohs" like that myself when I plumbed my system.

Ooooo!!! Wow that flew right over my head. I get it now. Still may be savable (save-able?) though. But IMHO I would just redo it.

 

[George]

You could drain the overflow and run a bead of silicone or plumbers goop around the outside edge of the flanges.

Better yet, loosen the nuts as if you were going to slip a slit washer into the space and then fill the gap with silicone. Tighten just enough to get some squeeze out and then let it set up. When it's cured you have a formed in place washer. Then tighten a little more.

 

[JohnK]

I strongly agree with those who say to redo it right.

You may be able to micky mouse something that will work for a while, but imagine how much more problematic it will be to redo this after the tank has been running for a year or two. It will cost some $ in parts, but well worth it in relation to how much more you'll be investing in this system in livestock and such.

$50 now, or possibly thousands later. PVC is cheap, fish and corals are not.

 

[dcforester1]

It's like a glass holes. I copied Doherty's design from the DIY section.

Id blame him then.

 

[JohnK]

If you do decide to tear this apart and redo it "right"???

Please note that there are two different "right" ways to reassemble your set up.

In post #12 I described the correct order of things if you have the bulkhead in the normal configuration with the nut on the outside of the tank.
In post #13 Anthony posted a diagram of how to do it with the bulkhead the other way around. Either way will work, but the gasket placement is different from one to the other.

If you do redo it, make sure you understand the right order based on how you orient the bulkhead. It sure would stink to have to fix this twice



12 and 13

 

[number1gsxxr]

Okay I combined advice and purchased some orange rubber gasket material at Lowe's. I then cut out two of my own gaskets and stretched them over the flange of the bulkhead. I went with the thicker of the two squares of rubber that they had. It stretched pretty nicely and went right back to its shape.

So now I have a gasket between the flange and overflow, and overflow and glass. I tightened everything back up, filled 'er up, and it seems to be working. I'm going to let it sit overnight with water in it and see what my floor looks like in the morning.

Thanks everyone for all the help!