Bulkheads and how to make them stop leaking????

nightmarepl

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so i bought a tank off somone that had leaking bulkheads no matter how tight it still leaks
so i decided id replace the bulkheads which where made from ABS once i got them off they had hairline cracks in them figured that was the cause
went to my local fish store to get 3 new ones added them into the tank STILL leaking dont figured what the heck is going on....'
any puddy or special ways to add silicone or something thing is BS
 
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nightmarepl

nightmarepl

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Don’t over tighten
well i tighten with teh water on so tiny bit of tension still leaked normal tension still heavy still gasks all brand new even put a gasket before the nut so both water side and dry side have gasks still leaking....;
 

JCTReefer

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I’ve found bulkheads are supplied with crappy gaskets. I pulled my external overflow twice and reseated the factory gaskets. I was very particular about cleaning the glass from any debris/particles that might have caused the slow accumulation of salt creep I was getting. Even took alcohol and razor bald to make sure the glass was clean before reseating the bulkheads and gaskets. Still had a small amount of salt creep buildup after a couple of weeks. I even sanded down the small imperfections on the bulkheads themselves. You can see when they are made there’s a small raised line on the flat side. What ultimately fixed the problem was having some silicone gaskets made that where slightly thicker than the factory gaskets. Had the diameter made an 1/8th” bigger also. This fixed my problem. Tried Food grade silicone grease and that didn’t work for me.
 
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1ocean

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I had a persistent small leak from my bulkhead, I took it off, placed silicone around the opening, reattached the bulkhead, no more drip.
i do the same a little very thin silicone and attached the bulk head. Also get schedule 80 the bulk heads have a bigger, fatter and a flat surface rubber washer. A better seal......
 

Bad Company

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After cracking two sets of the black ABS bulkheads, I'm determined to never use them again. First they leaked from the seal, then when torqued harder, they consistently developed hairline radial cracks that wept water down the back of the tank. My solution was to install schedule 80 PVC bulkheads (which may require a different diameter hole fro the same pipe size). Those you can torque down much harder without worrying about the hairline cracks. Another benefit of the PVC bulkheads is that you can cement PVC pipe to them directly.
 
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nightmarepl

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They make pvc bulkheads. Lifegard is the brand you want.
thats what i got 1 inch lifegard ones and its leaking.. thinking maybe the hole that was drilled is hairline bigger and causing a leaking not sure anymore... thinking on ordering the BRS schedule 80 ones
 
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nightmarepl

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After cracking two sets of the black ABS bulkheads, I'm determined to never use them again. First they leaked from the seal, then when torqued harder, they consistently developed hairline radial cracks that wept water down the back of the tank. My solution was to install schedule 80 PVC bulkheads (which may require a different diameter hole fro the same pipe size). Those you can torque down much harder without worrying about the hairline cracks. Another benefit of the PVC bulkheads is that you can cement PVC pipe to them directly.
heard those are really good think i might jsut get those and call it a day...
 
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nightmarepl

nightmarepl

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I’ve found bulkheads are supplied with crappy gaskets. I pulled my external overflow twice and reseated the factory gaskets. I was very particular about cleaning the glass from any debris/particles that might have caused the slow accumulation of salt creep I was getting. Even took alcohol and razor bald to make sure the glass was clean before reseating the bulkheads and gaskets. Still had a small amount of salt creep buildup after a couple of weeks. I even sanded down the small imperfections on the bulkheads themselves. You can see when they are made there’s a small raised line on the flat side. What ultimately fixed the problem was having some silicone gaskets made that where slightly thicker than the factory gaskets. Had the diameter made an 1/8th” bigger also. This fixed my problem. Tried Food grade silicone grease and that didn’t work for me.
where did you buy good gaskets
 

ReefHog

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well i tighten with teh water on so tiny bit of tension still leaked normal tension still heavy still gasks all brand new even put a gasket before the nut so both water side and dry side have gasks still leaking....;
A gasket on the nut side will not tighten correctly. The nut needs to be able to move freely on the glass. It also won’t do anything as far as sealing anyway. If water makes it past the inside gasket, it will just follow the threads out.
 

Val Shebeko

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so i bought a tank off somone that had leaking bulkheads no matter how tight it still leaks
so i decided id replace the bulkheads which where made from ABS once i got them off they had hairline cracks in them figured that was the cause
went to my local fish store to get 3 new ones added them into the tank STILL leaking dont figured what the heck is going on....'
any puddy or special ways to add silicone or something thing is BS
Hi,

I have a Marineland with a leaking return in the bulkhead. I thought of using diluted silicone to pour in and let it set. Any thoughts? Thanks in advance.
 

Val Shebeko

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A gasket on the nut side will not tighten correctly. The nut needs to be able to move freely on the glass. It also won’t do anything as far as sealing anyway. If water makes it past the inside gasket, it will just follow the threads out.
What’s the fix? Can diluted silicone be used to pour it in and let it set up.
 

Spieg

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thinking maybe the hole that was drilled is hairline bigger and causing a leaking not sure anymore...
Depending on the manufacturer of the tank, it could be a standard or metric hole. It's easy to get the wrong bulkhead that seems close to the right size, but may have trouble making a good seal.
 

Keen4

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I had a small but persistent leak in the bulkhead on my sump, I took it off, placed a bead of silicone around the hole and replaced bulkhead. Problem solved.
im gonna go buy some right now. Jus replaced a return connector and its seeping water even with plumbers tape. Is this O ring supposed to move like that?

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