Plumbing problems!

[Bill Nye]

Hello everyone,

I am currently in the process of setting up a 50 gal breeder and have run into some problems with the plumbing. I am going to number the problems to keep it streamlined in hopes someone can lead me in the right direction. I just filled the tank with tap water to test for leaks today....

1) My return bulkhead is leaking. I have tightened it about as hard as I can with my hand and it still has a slow leak (about 1 drop every 2 seconds). I have read that silicone grease can make it worse and unfortunately the place I bought the tank at pre-greased mine. The drain bulkhead is fine so I'm not sure what I should do other than cutting it out and starting over.

2) The seal between the plumbing and the drain bulkhead has a very slow leak (about 1 drop every 15 - 20 seconds). I did all the priming/pvc gluing in the garage and then brought it into the fish room to attach it to the bulk head. I guess I didn't do as good of a job as I thought I did since there is a slow leak now. Is there anything I can do or will salt creep eventually plug this?

3) This is a reef ready tank and came with a Durso set up as is common with tanks like this. Over all it is fairly silent (no slurping) but the sound of water running down into the sump is very loud. Is there any way to silence this? For reference I am running a mag 5 and have it turned down a little bit since it was running itself dry in the return chamber.

Thank you for any insight into my problems! I want to get all of this knocked out before getting my rock in there to cycle.

[tomreefer]

I had a small leak and I used aquarium silicone and it worked. Just wait 48 hrs even know it says bonded in 24

[Bill Nye]

I had a small leak and I used aquarium silicone and it worked. Just wait 48 hrs even know it says bonded in 24


Thank you for the reply.

Was there a leak in the bulkhead or in the plumbing? I am almost thinking the leak in the bulkhead is slow enough that teflon tape might do the job but I am pretty concerned about the slow leak in the seal between the bulkhead and the pvc plumbing. Would this get worse over time?

[tomreefer]

My leak was between the bulkhead and my tank so I used some silicone. If its on the threads of the bulkhead its leaking from than teflon tape would work probably. No leak is good lol

[thegrun]

1. A bulkhead should be tightened hand tight, then an additional 1/4 to 1/2 turn. Since you only went hand tight, I would give it another 1/4 turn with a wrench and see if that stops the leak.
2. You may be able to give the fitting another top coat of PVC glue, but if it were me I would replace the joint. I know that's not what you want to hear, but leaking joints usually get worse over time with vibration.
3. If you have a second emergency drain you can place a gate valve near the end of the primary drain and slightly restrict the flow so water backs up to the overflow box and eliminates the waterfall sound. Only do this if you have a second drain line or you risk a flood if there is ever any kind of restriction in the primary drain line.

[JoelA7]

1/4 turn more might be too much. Be gentle with the wrench and go a little. Then wait a while etc.

Noise from durso--extend the drain pipe below the water level in the sump for one and add a gate valve in the drain line so you can create a full siphon.

[Bill Nye]

Thank you for the replies.

I am going to loosen the return bulkhead and try to reseat the gasket and then use Teflon tape and a wrench to cinch it tight.

For the other drain I am going to attempt to patch the tiny leak with the pvc glue and test if that will stops it but if not I am going to cut it out and start over. Two questions on the drain..

1) How much of the drain should enter the water in the sump? Right now my drain is about half way down in the sump and very loud with bubbles. I have seen some threads recommend you cut the drain to the water level of the sump which helps reduce bubble noises (increase splashing?). I have also read about a reverse durso at the bottom and I might try that to see if it helps.

2) Is it safe to restrict the drain? I was thinking of ditching the durso and putting in a herbie instead but I hate the idea of the return running over the top of the tank.

[JoelA7]

Ah my error above on the gate valve that is for a Herbie and one uses a durso backup.

[wrott]

Yeah, I would cut pipe above water surface and tie panty hose over it to reduce splash and noise

[Bill Nye]

Wow my own stupidity amazes me some times.

I guess I had a mental lapse when I was putting the plumbing together and put the gasket on the wrong side of the bulkhead when I was assembling it. I think I am going to need to cut off both bulkheads now what a huge bummer.

What is the correct tool for the cutting job? I have a handheld hacksaw is this what I need to use?

[cakemanPA]

I have a Sawzall that comes in real handy.

[d2mini]

I see you found the problem, that's good at least.

But just on the topic of a leaky bulkhead, if you still have a slow drip even when properly tightened, I have personally seen them seal themselves with salt creep and stop dripping completely. This would be on REALLY slow leaks.

[Bill Nye]

I see you found the problem, that's good at least.

But just on the topic of a leaky bulkhead, if you still have a slow drip even when properly tightened, I have personally seen them seal themselves with salt creep and stop dripping completely. This would be on REALLY slow leaks.

Yep I am an idiot and messed up the return bulkhead! Unfortunately I also didn't do a great job on connecting my plumbing to the drain bulkhead so I'm just going to skip trying to glue it and replace it as well since I need to do the return anyway. This is the first time i am setting up a sump so I'll just chalk it up to a learning experience.

I hope my grandfather has a sawzall in his basement or I might be forced to try to cut them by hand. Not how I was looking to spend my Thursday.

[snorklr]

hand hacksaw will be fine...it's only plastic and wont take long...safer than jamming a sawzall blade and possibly cracking tank...just depends on how often you've used a sawzall...if this will be your first time it could be an expensive learning experience to try to save 2 minutes of sawing

[cakemanPA]

hand hacksaw will be fine...it's only plastic and wont take long...safer than jamming a sawzall blade and possibly cracking tank...just depends on how often you've used a sawzall...if this will be your first time it could be an expensive learning experience to try to save 2 minutes of sawing
What he said 100x

[anbosu]

Yes, definitely use the hacksaw - should only take you a minute or two to cut through PVC anyway.

[ecksreef]

No Teflon tape on threads on bulkhead. The threads are not what creates seal. They just put pressure on the gasket. Threads are not water tight and don't need to be. Glad to hear you will be putting the gasket on the wet side now. Good luck

[Rybren]

Glad to hear you will be putting the gasket on the wet side now. Good luck

Just a note here. The gasket doesn't have to be on the wet side. It needs to be next to the flange. The nut goes on the other side of the glass.

[shaggss]

Glad you found the gasket was on the wrong side. And as above it should be on the flange side. Usually the flange side is on the wet side of the tank.

Do a search for Herbie overflow. It is quite easy to mode your tank for it and is dead silent with NO micro bubbles. Basically you put a gate valve on your main drain to create a full syphon and have an emergency backup drain. The main drain should be no more than 1" below the water surface in the sump.

HTH

cheers :beer:

[ecksreef]

My main drain is a few inches above the bottom of my sump. Maybe 8 inches below the water level. I thought it would help stir up the bottom of the skimmer chamber. Why is that a recommendation?

[ecksreef]

Why do you recommend 1 inch below sump level?

[shaggss]

If it's too deep under water there is too much water pressure to purge the drain of the air and therefore it never becomes a full syphon.

[ecksreef]

Makes sense. I haven't had that problem. It's a 1.5 inch drain, my tank is 120, and it is silent. And the valve has to be closed off a good bit. Return pump is eheim 1262.