Bulkhead leak

[Tom800]

I have a very slow drip from one of my bulkheads that has been going on for over a week. Do I need to tighten it more, if so, which way do I turn it? I don’t wanna turn it the wrong way. Please ignore the blue tape, that is just holding a temporary cover for the top of the tank while I get a new one.

 

[gkprevite]

If that’s on the back of the tank just drain the tank below the bulkhead and fix the leak. If you’re able to tighten the nut on the bulkhead a bit ( just don’t go crazy and break your tank) try that. Clean all that salt creep off and see if it comes back.

 

[exnisstech]

Righty tighty lefty loosy. Or clockwise to tighten counter to loosen. Also looks like maybe there is Teflon tape on the bulkhead? That is for sealing threads. A bulkhead seals with the rubber gasket and should have nothing applied to it tho I have heard of some people using a light coating of silicone.
As mentioned I would drain some water and reseal it with a new gasket if tightening doesn't correct it.

 

[Tom800]

So I drain the water below the bulkhead and just simply tighten it? Is there a point to try to tighten it now with the water still in it? Attached is a picture so you can see everything around the bulkhead as well, thankfully there is a union so it makes it easy for me to remove the PVC and then the bulkhead. Yes that’s Teflon tape, I just tried that to see if it stopped the leak which I didn’t

 

[JumboShrimp]

I agree with the others. Get a fairly large, clean container (something you should have on hand anyway, just due to keeping tanks filled with water in your home... LOL! ), then siphon it down to under the waterline where the problem is. You can of course use the same water to refill the tank, unless you need a good excuse anyway for a water-change. I've had to partially drain and then refill the same tank more than once with a stubborn bulkhead.

PS: If you run a powerhead at the lowered waterline to keep the oxygen level up, no need to rush the project. It can stay partially filled for days. LOL.

 

[MasterClassReefs]

Righty tighty lefty loosy. Or clockwise to tighten counter to loosen. Also looks like maybe there is Teflon tape on the bulkhead? That is for sealing threads. A bulkhead seals with the rubber gasket and should have nothing applied to it tho I have heard of some people using a light coating of silicone.
As mentioned I would drain some water and reseal it with w new gasket if tightening doesn't correct it.

Dont forget, the gasket goes on the wet side.
Teflon on a bulkhead is 100% pointless. Overtightening a bulkhead can also cause the gasket to not sit right causing a leak.

 

[JumboShrimp]

Looking closer at your second photo, is that bulkhead gasket sitting on top of paint? Believe it or not, that can pose a problem (leak-wise) in forming a good seal. I have has to literally scraped off paint around the hole in the glass just to get it back to rubber-on-glass... water is incredible at finding it's way.

 

[JumboShrimp]

@MasterClassReefs , I think I'm all turned around. Ha! Ha! Ha! I'm looking for an overflow box that doesn't exist. Does the OP just have the overflow pipe coming directly out of the hole in the tank? Does he have the bulkhead nut INSIDE the tank?? I think I need to wake up more before posting things...

 

[KStatefan]

Gasket goes on the flange side.

 

[BeanAnimal]

Dont forget, the gasket goes on the wet side.

No, the gasket always goes between the flange and the tank no matter what side the flange is on.

 

[JumboShrimp]

Correct. I always remind myself, 'a hard plastic flange' against the glass, without a rubber gasket, is never going to form a tight enough seal to not leak.

 

[Tom800]

Gasket goes on the flange side.

Is that the dry or wet side?

 

[JumboShrimp]

Maybe this will be of help to someone.

 

[MasterClassReefs]

Dont forget, the gasket goes on the wet side.

No, the gasket always goes between the flange and the tank no matter what side the flange is on.

The bulkhead flange (the wide part) should always be installed inside the tank on the "wet side," with the rubber gasket placed between the flange and the tank wall. You live to contradict me and are willing to be wrong to do so. What a sad troll you are.

 

[MasterClassReefs]

Gasket goes on the flange side.

Is that the dry or wet side?

Always the wet side for the flange. Bean is just trolling.

 

[KStatefan]

Is that the dry or wet side?

Which ever side the the flange is on does not mater wet or dry

 

[BeanAnimal]

The bulkhead flange (the wide part) should always be installed inside the tank on the "wet side," with the rubber gasket placed between the flange and the tank wall. You live to contradict me and are willing to be wrong to do so. What a sad troll you are.

Always the wet side for the flange. Bean is just trolling.

That is not correct. The flange can go on the inside or the outside of the tank. Its placement depends on the setup.

Below you will see FOUR bulkheads used in a skimmer base. They are reversed so that the FLANGE is on the DRY side. The gaskets are therefore are on the DRY side between the flange and the the tank wall.

Below is an image showing a bulkhead reversed (flange on dry side) to save space against a wall.

Telling people the "gasket goes on the wet side" is ambiguous. Details matter when providing technical information as fact.

You are not being trolled. You are posting information in a public forum that needs to be clarified or corrected for the sake of others reading and learning.

 

[MasterClassReefs]

@MasterClassReefs , I think I'm all turned around. Ha! Ha! Ha! I'm looking for an overflow box that doesn't exist. Does the OP just have the overflow pipe coming directly out of the hole in the tank? Does he have the bulkhead nut INSIDE the tank?? I think I need to wake up more before posting things...

Looks like a return line from the photo with oddly placed teflon tape. The hydrostatic pressure from the water and flange on the inside of the tank should help the gasket form a nice water tight seal. This looks like a misconception on the OPs part thinking the threaded end and nut form the seal.