Resealing Overflowbox

mwilliams62 · 02/25/2018, 11:02 AM

Ok so I noticed part of what I think is the sealant pealing away from the overflow box. Is this something to worry about? Are will it be okay?
Or should I reseal that section?

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oldhead · 02/25/2018, 11:42 AM

Most likely fine, especially if it's not leaking into the box at that point.

mwilliams62 · 02/25/2018, 12:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by oldhead

Most likely fine, especially if it's not leaking into the box at that point.

Will be hard to tell that since the water flows through there.

BrettDS · 02/25/2018, 12:19 PM

The concern with a leak would be if your drains were at the bottom of the overflow box. In that case, if you had an extended power failure then water could continue leaking through the leaky seal and eventually your tank would drain (at least to the level of the leak) and your sump would overflow.

However, if the drains in your overflow box are high and the overflow box normally stays full when the power fails then a leak wouldn’t really matter as the water level would be higher than the leak anyway.

mwilliams62 · 02/25/2018, 12:29 PM

Drain holes are on the bottom. Overflow stays full with water. So which sealant to use and how long to cure?

ca1ore · 02/25/2018, 12:38 PM

Looks to me to be just the thin edge of the silicone that's peeled up. Highly unlikely that it's causing a leak. I'd snip it off and not worry. In order to 'reseal' you need to drain down the tank and then let the silicone cure for a few days. Not worth it IME.

mwilliams62 · 02/25/2018, 12:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ca1ore

Looks to me to be just the thin edge of the silicone that's peeled up. Highly unlikely that it's causing a leak. I'd snip it off and not worry. In order to 'reseal' you need to drain down the tank and then let the silicone cure for a few days. Not worth it IME.

Awesome. Just will keep a eye on it and the water level in the sump.

BrettDS · 02/25/2018, 12:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mwilliams62

Awesome. Just will keep a eye on it and the water level in the sump.

It won’t affect the water level in the sump when the tank is running, it would only be a problem when the return pump is off and water shouldn’t be flowing through the overflow box. In this case the overflow box should stop the tank from draining into the sump, but if it is leaking then this won’t happen. If it’s a big enough leak and the power is off for long enough then it could cause a flood.

But I agree that it doesn’t look bad. You could always turn the tank off for a while and see if it appears to be leaking.

mwilliams62 · 02/25/2018, 12:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BrettDS

It won’t affect the water level in the sump when the tank is running, it would only be a problem when the return pump is off and water shouldn’t be flowing through the overflow box. In this case the overflow box should stop the tank from draining into the sump, but if it is leaking then this won’t happen. If it’s a big enough leak and the power is off for long enough then it could cause a flood.

But I agree that it doesn’t look bad. You could always turn the tank off for a while and see if it appears to be leaking.

Sounds good.

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oldhead · 02/26/2018, 09:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mwilliams62

Will be hard to tell that since the water flows through there.

Just turn off return pump and then siphon the water out of the overflow. You will then be able to see if it is leaking.

mwilliams62 · 02/26/2018, 11:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by oldhead

Just turn off return pump and then siphon the water out of the overflow. You will then be able to see if it is leaking.

Thank you

02/25/2018, 11:02 AM	#1
mwilliams62 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 1,056	Resealing Overflowbox Ok so I noticed part of what I think is the sealant pealing away from the overflow box. Is this something to worry about? Are will it be okay? Or should I reseal that section? Sent from my SM-G935T using Tapatalk

02/25/2018, 12:19 PM	#4
BrettDS Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Orlando Posts: 1,109	Resealing Overflowbox The concern with a leak would be if your drains were at the bottom of the overflow box. In that case, if you had an extended power failure then water could continue leaking through the leaky seal and eventually your tank would drain (at least to the level of the leak) and your sump would overflow. However, if the drains in your overflow box are high and the overflow box normally stays full when the power fails then a leak wouldn’t really matter as the water level would be higher than the leak anyway.

02/25/2018, 12:38 PM	#6
ca1ore Grizzled & Cynical Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Stamford, CT Posts: 17,319	Looks to me to be just the thin edge of the silicone that's peeled up. Highly unlikely that it's causing a leak. I'd snip it off and not worry. In order to 'reseal' you need to drain down the tank and then let the silicone cure for a few days. Not worth it IME. __________________ Simon Got back into the hobby ..... planned to keep it simple ..... yeah, right ..... clearly I need a new plan! Pet peeve: anemones host clowns; clowns do not host anemones! Current Tank Info: 450 Reef; 120 refugium; 60 Frag Tank, 30 Introduction tank; multiple QTs

02/25/2018, 11:42 AM	#2
oldhead Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2016 Location: New Jersey Posts: 527	Most likely fine, especially if it's not leaking into the box at that point.

02/25/2018, 12:29 PM	#5
mwilliams62 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 1,056	Drain holes are on the bottom. Overflow stays full with water. So which sealant to use and how long to cure?