bulkhead leak after 11 years????

[salty joe]

I'm thinking a bulkhead connection is forever, at least in terms of my life. After 11 years i was surprised to find a stalagmite about 2" long hanging from a bulkhead and a small mound of solidified salt below. i snugged it up maybe 1/8-1/4 turn and crossed my fingers. anyone else get a leak like that years later?

 

[Saltyreef]

Yes. Rubber seals break down, deform and dry out. Salt water likes to creep and form crystalization trails that can cause leaks. 11 years not too bad.

 

[X-37B]

Yesterday when doing my monthly WC on my 150 I noticed the return bulkhead leaking. I snugged it up as it was not tight.
Was fine for 2.5 years and should be good now.

 

[jsmkmavity]

Yes, the rubber gasket shrinks over time, and sometimes the nut will crack and you wont know until you try to tighten it.

 

[salty joe]

dang, if i have to start replacing bulkheads, it's gonna be ugly

 

[X-37B]

dang, if i have to start replacing bulkheads, it's gonna be ugly

35+ years and I have never had to replace one yet.
I use schedule 80's.

 

[BeanAnimal]

Salt creep and precipitation can be extremely powerful. The crystals push under deformable surfaces over time, slowly inching forward until the seal is breached by a wettable bridge that allows the moisture and dissolved salts to escape and continue encrusting.

This is why even IP or NEMA rated waterproof enclosures can leak in salt spray.

That said, I would be more apt to agree that the gasket has aged and hardened or changed properties otherwise and taken a compression set and lost a bit of its sealing force. That gives the saltwater a path to interact with the air and form the stalactites.

Snugging it up may work, but salt crystals compressed under it can continue to offer a capillary path for the stalactite to keep growing.