How to properly tighten a bulkhead?
 

I figured by hand, but should i use a wrench?

I think the standard advice is to hand tighten as much as you can and then do a further 1/4 turn with the wrench.

Thanks. Should i fasten the pvc pipe to the stand, or is it ok to let the bulkhead support the pvc?

I think supporting the PVC is always a good idea.

+1 plumbing should always be supported

Really???

Yes it should be support. By supporting all the plumbing it takes the stress off the bulk head and the bottom of the tank. Not saying if you don't support the box something is going to happen. But rather be safe then sorry and having to replace a tank due to not supporting it. As far as the bulk head always, ALWAYS hand tighten never use a wrench or tool to help tighten.

As far as tightening the bulkhead nut, I would think that if it was meant to be hand tightened only, the nut portion of it would have been designed with a little more "meat" to it. It isn't though, its a thin nut with flat sides, very similar to any other nut meant to be tightened with a wrench. Granted, it is made out of plastic and any over tightening will likely warp it. The rule of thumb I've always heard was to hand tighten and wrench it 1/8 - 1/4 of a turn.

I've always done mine hand tight, but some overflows are narrow and I would prefer a wrench till it's snug.

+1... That's what I've always done

I also stick some silicone in between the rubber gasket and the wall, just some extra peace of mind but probably not necessary.

I think that I've been told to NEVER do that...

Kind of ironic then that many bulkheads actually come with a wrench.

The bulkheads on my older 150g came with a wrench and instructions to hand tighten only. :) I guess the wrench was a freebie. I would hand tighten the bulkhead and see if you have any leakage. A wrench can give you so much leverage that you push the gasket out resulting in a leak.

If you are putting the bulkhead fitting in a fiberglass tank, then you can use a wrench for that extra little bit past hand tight. Do that with a glass tank and you might break the tank.

I wanted the bulkhead nut to be pointed up into my overflow in my 75 gallon tall tank. There was no way in Hades to turn the nut by hand with any force at all. I built a hand wrench by cutting out the shape of the nut in some plywood and glued a U-shaped handle on top of it. Worked great and you can apply just slightly more than hand pressure to it.

skeeter

the plumbing should be supported but make sure its doesn't put stress onto the tank.

I made a 70mm socket out of 3" pvc pipe to tighten my bulkheads. Location issue as well, but with a socket on them i had lots of grip...