Pipe cutout for tank screen

[sleepydoc]

I've seen a couple people posting questions on how to accommodate pipes with their screen tank covers. I just finished this:
http://i1352.photobucket.com/albums/q660/p-testerman/IMG_0452_zpsuffl1s7q.jpg
It's simply a piece of ¼" acrylic. after cutting the pipe hole in the acrylic, I positioned it on top of the screen frame and drilled holes through both the acrylic and frame at the same time. I then marked and cut the piece out of the frame and used stainless steel bolts to secure the frame to the acrylic.

The only problem is the bottom of the bolts rest on the lip of the plastic tank rim so the frame doesn't sit completely flat. I may try to fix that by drilling holes for the screw heads in the bottom of the frame member so it's only anchored by the top, but for now it works fine.

Hope this helps

[cilyjr]

Looks good.
Those screws even if stainless, will likely rust over time but will hold indefinitely so no real problem if it doesn't annoy you.

[sleepydoc]

Yeah. Not sure what grade stainless the screws are - I just got them at ACE hardware so we'll see how well they hold. I also thought about getting aluminum or titanium bolts to hold it in place, but they're hard to find and expensive (at least for the titanium,) so it didn't seem worth it.

I may try covering them with clear nail polish to see if that prevents the rust. I could also get nylon bolts, too. Not as strong, but they really don't need to be strong for this.

[CafeReef]

You could put black silicone over the tops of the screws maybe

[stephenhall1987]

Are the screws magnetic? If there's any attraction with a magnet, they are a lower grade stainless steel, and they will rust. High grade stainless is not magnetic. Either way, like Cafe said, silicone covering all exposed metal would help.

[bhbell]

Why not use nylon? Tap the frame then run screws thru plexy and screen into frame. Trim screws to be just long enough.

[billdogg]

Why not use nylon? Tap the frame then run screws thru plexy and screen into frame. Trim screws to be just long enough.

Beat me to it. Nylon nuts and bolts are your friend.

[sleepydoc]

Great idea - hadn't thought of tapping the acrylic. I'll have to give that a shot.

[jerseypete]

Why not just a few more 90 corner fittings.

[sleepydoc]

Why not just a few more 90 corner fittings.

I tried doing that with my last screen - the plastic corners aren't designed to go the other way, so you have to modify them, and the tension of the screen tends to distort the frame, so you have to have some extra support anyway.

I picked up a tap and some nylon screws at the hardware store today. I drilled a hole through the back of the frame large enough for the screw heads so the frame will lie flat. Then, as billdogg suggested, I trimmed the screws so they were just long enough to screw into the threaded holes in the acrylic. Here are the results:
http://i1352.photobucket.com/albums/q660/p-testerman/1ac51fdc-9f7f-4f2b-b2ef-6e1f655f71b2_zps7w9zca4c.jpg
http://i1352.photobucket.com/albums/q660/p-testerman/ebd7e29f-3142-4535-a52f-eb5d78223b98_zpstomvpxjj.jpg

[mfinn]

Pretty slick way to solve a problem many of us have.
Thanks

[sandyland]

What about drilling a hole through the acrylic and the screen frame and zip tie them together.