Quote:
Originally Posted by JTL
It is done all of the time and I have never heard of the sides blowing out. Usually the gap that is filled with silicone is 1/16-1/8 on each side. You also have the bowing effect in the center of the piece. Personally, I like glass so I have never used acrylic. Also I think poly-carbonate absorbs less than acrylic, I know it is stronger.
|
Oh.. it happens.. I've seen enough people post pictures on here saying "how did this happen?"..
And you will find that in every case they had the baffles cut way too tight and did not have enough silicone between the acrylic and the tanks glass..
The point that Shamous113 is making is totally valid and I will always recommend glass for glass and acrylic for acrylic for multiple reasons.. Its best to use glass with glass and there can be considerable force placed on the glass due to expansion..
But yes.. by ensuring you don't make the baffle too tight so that expansion forces are not in excess of what the glass can take then you can have a long lasting sump that won't crack when using acrylic in a glass sump..
I'm using acrylic baffles in my current sump.. But that because I know what I'm doing and how to do it safely
(I still just knocked on wood though)
And I do think that bulldogs problem would be best solved by removing all the crap they did and getting new glass cut but what I stated before "may" be the best/easiest for them to move forward with something "usable"..