novice150
Member
Just thought I'd share my day of fun with everyone.
I finished installing the bulkheads, and about 95% of the plumbing on my shark tank. I gave it a few days, and then refilled the tank. After another 4 days with no leaks, I added the salt and a 200 lbs of sand.
I woke up to a nice surprise this morning, a wet floor. Once I found the leak, or should I say leaks, it turned out to be 2 of the five return bulkheads. For some reason the seal in the tank was not holding, and tightening them only made it worse. The worst part was that 1 of the leaking bulkheads is conveniently located 3 feet below water line. Yippee
So after some thought (and maybe a little cussing) I drained the tank down below the leakers. I was able to save most of the saltwater in every bucket and Rubbermaid trash can I own. I also filled the sump to its max. But roughly 300-400 gallons still went down the drain. Expensive lesson.
So I've come up with the following conclusions.
#1 I don't have the best bulkheads in the world. The gasket and mating surface on these bulkheads is only about 1/4". I think this is too small for the size and duties of these bulkheads.
#2 I have read in several places that its a good idea to apply silicone to the gasket before installation. I think this is a bad idea for two reasons. The first being that if you tighten the bulkhead before the silicone dries all the way, it will slip out of place. The second being that if you let it dry, and then tighten them, the gasket will break the silicone loose as it is compressed and move it around. This IMO increases the chance of a leak due to a bad seal.
So in the end, I removed the bulkheads, cleaned them, and reinstalled without silicone on the gaskets. Once they were back in I applied silicone on the outer surface of the bulkheads to help seal it, and I plan to refill the tank tomorrow.
I finished installing the bulkheads, and about 95% of the plumbing on my shark tank. I gave it a few days, and then refilled the tank. After another 4 days with no leaks, I added the salt and a 200 lbs of sand.
I woke up to a nice surprise this morning, a wet floor. Once I found the leak, or should I say leaks, it turned out to be 2 of the five return bulkheads. For some reason the seal in the tank was not holding, and tightening them only made it worse. The worst part was that 1 of the leaking bulkheads is conveniently located 3 feet below water line. Yippee
So after some thought (and maybe a little cussing) I drained the tank down below the leakers. I was able to save most of the saltwater in every bucket and Rubbermaid trash can I own. I also filled the sump to its max. But roughly 300-400 gallons still went down the drain. Expensive lesson.
So I've come up with the following conclusions.
#1 I don't have the best bulkheads in the world. The gasket and mating surface on these bulkheads is only about 1/4". I think this is too small for the size and duties of these bulkheads.
#2 I have read in several places that its a good idea to apply silicone to the gasket before installation. I think this is a bad idea for two reasons. The first being that if you tighten the bulkhead before the silicone dries all the way, it will slip out of place. The second being that if you let it dry, and then tighten them, the gasket will break the silicone loose as it is compressed and move it around. This IMO increases the chance of a leak due to a bad seal.
So in the end, I removed the bulkheads, cleaned them, and reinstalled without silicone on the gaskets. Once they were back in I applied silicone on the outer surface of the bulkheads to help seal it, and I plan to refill the tank tomorrow.
