Siliconing a Bulkhead?

[Vapour1ze]

Ok, my 90 gallon is almost about to be plumbed in my build thread, but I need a fast answer,

I have 2x 1 1/2" Bulkheads I have the big part out the back of the tank with the rubber ring on the inside of the tank, should I silicone the outside and inside of the bulkhead or just the outside because there is no ring?

I was also going to hand tighten these as I think the glass will crack if wrenched.

ALSO I will be using Aquarium Silicone 100%

Thanks guys,

[PaulieWalnuts]

good question lol wish i would have asked that

[barjam]

Actually rubber ring goes outside and there is no need for silicone.

Yes to hand tightening. It doesn't take very much to make a water tight seal.

[PaulieWalnuts]

what? i thought the rubber ring went on the inside???

[Vapour1ze]

yea same here, im pretty sure rubber ring inside bro.... :) ive heard inside from a lot of people.

[barjam]

Oops, you are right on your tank. The rubber goes with the flat side of the bulkhead (not the nut side). On my tank the bulkhead "thread side" goes into the tank, not out like yours. This puts the gasket on the outside of the tank on mine.

[Vapour1ze]

hehe, :D glad we caught that, i sent u a pm barjam, please respond as I would appreciate it . :)

[Mr. Brooks]

You don't need to use silicone. Flat side on the inside, rubber gasket on the inside with the rings facing the glass, nut and thread on the outside, hand tighten. If it leaks, tighten it down until it stops leaking.

[Vapour1ze]

sounds good, thanks guys... LFS told me to silicone, but ill try hand tighten first. thanks for the input.

[kwaters]

A little teflon tape on the threads wont hurt either...

[Vapour1ze]

good idea

[Dino]

:) Yep, no silicone needed - hand tighten and then tighten an extra 1/4-1/2 turn. Should be all you need.

[wmilas]

some people do need silicone though. I have 14 (maybe more.. I've lost track) bulkheads ranging from 2" to 3/4" inch in my complete system. Some required no silicone, some leak like a #%^@$% without some silicone. Don't feel bad if you need to use it. Put it on BOTH sides of the gasket. It should squish out barely on the inside. There is no need to put it on the outside nut side, unless something has gone horribly wrong.

[REEF-n-Chicago]

The teflon tape has been my lifesaver!

[Vapour1ze]

hahha, so in the worst case, wmilas ur saying both sides of the rubber washer should be siliconed? if i have leakage?

[AZDesertRat]

Bulkheads should always be installed dry and clean, no teflon tape or thread lubricants and no silicone. Lubricants and silicone tend to cause the gasket to scoot out of place and leak.
The rubber gasket ALWAYS goes on the flange side of the bulkhead regardless if the flange and gasket are inside or outside.
One thing I recommend is take a small jewelers or nail file or a xacto or pocket knife and clean out the threads to remove any excess flashing or plastic. Also clean and smooth the flange and nut sealing surfaces so the gasket sits snug. You can use teflon on the internal threads or slip fitting but it serves no purpose on the outsdie threads.
If you have leakage, remove everything and try again without overtightening. Hand tight plus maybe 1/4 to 1/2 turn usually does it. Never support piping or pumps with the bulkhead, always use a seperate support so you do not put unequal or undue stresses on the bulkhead and gasket. If plumbing a pump to it, use a short section of flexible tubiing to relieve stress and to break up sound transmission from vibrations.

[Playa-1]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13635315#post13635315 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by AZDesertRat
Bulkheads should always be installed dry and clean, no teflon tape or thread lubricants and no silicone. Lubricants and silicone tend to cause the gasket to scoot out of place and leak.
The rubber gasket ALWAYS goes on the flange side of the bulkhead regardless if the flange and gasket are inside or outside.
One thing I recommend is take a small jewelers or nail file or a xacto or pocket knife and clean out the threads to remove any excess flashing or plastic. Also clean and smooth the flange and nut sealing surfaces so the gasket sits snug. You can use teflon on the internal threads or slip fitting but it serves no purpose on the outsdie threads.
If you have leakage, remove everything and try again without overtightening. Hand tight plus maybe 1/4 to 1/2 turn usually does it. Never support piping or pumps with the bulkhead, always use a seperate support so you do not put unequal or undue stresses on the bulkhead and gasket. If plumbing a pump to it, use a short section of flexible tubiing to relieve stress and to break up sound transmission from vibrations.


Yeah, What he said.

:thumbsup:

[Vapour1ze]

:D Works for me.

[PaulieWalnuts]

i will let you know about mine...i had to use silicone on mine, where the glass had a uneven chip where it was drilled....the side that was perfectly drilled was ok...no leaks but i only had it a quarter of the way full. my look...good look luck. good you have a plumber in the family though

[Tangweed]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13634015#post13634015 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by kwaters
A little teflon tape on the threads wont hurt either...

That's what I did on my 58gal.