how can I seal a bulkhead?

[jade2122]

Ok, after hours and hours of undoing, doing again, etc I can not get my 2 bulkheads to stop leaking, can I glue them with something? please help me out, i need to get this tank up and running asap, corals and fish in holding tanks not happy at all and I fear if they are in them much longer going to start losing stuff fast!

[malawinovice]

did you use a plumber wrench to give an extra 1/2 turn.

Mine overflow did the same thing till the plumber wrench.

[kgross]

Did you put the bulkheads together correctly. Flange, gasket tank then nut. It does not matter if the flange is in the inside of the tank or the outside.

Is the edge of the hole smooth or is the glass/acrylic chipped?

I should have started with this, but where exactly is the leak at?

Kim

[asm481]

Do you have the washer in the right spot? It should be on the flange side not the nut side. Clean the glass well, clean the washer apply a very tin layer of vasoline to the washer and hand tighten plus about one half turn. No tapes or pastes on the bulkhead tightening threads.

[jade2122]

i am going to see if my husbands strength can get it tightened further, i may just not have enough hmff like a guy would..it is driving me insane!!

[BeanAnimal]

You should NOT use vasaline on the gasket! Silicone grease would be suitable but shout NOT be needed.

As Kim mentioned, the surfaces should be clean and smooth. The gasket MUST go between the flange and tank, never between the nut and tank.

The bulkhead should never support the weight of the plumbing! This very important if the bulkhead is on the vertical tank wall instead of the bottom.

As others have mentioned. Hand tight, then 1/8 to 1/2 turn should do it. You can use channel locks, but you should protect the nut with a cloth so you do not mark it up. If you overtighten the nut will split!

[ReefWreak]

I cracked my sump by picking it up by the bulkhead (big freakin oops). I was so ****ed. I tried my best covering the whole area with silicone, and that stopped the leaking of both the crack and the bulkhead installation. Hasn't leaked once to this day (that I've ever found traces of salt from), and it's towards the bottom of a 29g tank, so it gets a good 12" of water on top of it adding pressure when I turn off the pump.

[BeanAnimal]

I would consider it a ticking time bomb.

[ReefWreak]

I've considered it a ticking time bomb for almost a year and a half now... so ::shrug:: I've got my level sensor to alarm, and also can invest in the leak detector for my aquatronica.

[BeanAnimal]

Why not just invest in a new sump (not trying to be funny)? You patch may hold forever... it may not!

To each his own. As long as you can sleep well, then all is well :)

[Joshua76]

Ahh yes a good sleep is sometimes tricky when you hear those strange noises in the night.

Joshua