External Overflow Box - Bulkhead Installation

[Kestrell]

Hello,

I'm working on the plumbing for a 125 gallon with a Modular Marine external overflow box. This is probably silly question but I understand that A is the 'correct' direction to install the bulkhead. With this setup, the bulkhead needs to be cemented to the pipe while attached to the overflow box, correct? What happens if the gasket goes bad or there is a leak? I guess you'd have to cut the pipe and replace the bulkhead, pipe, and union half.

Is there any reason the bulkhead can't be installed like 'B'?

It would allow me to undo the bulkhead nut from inside and slip the whole thing off if I needed to replace the gasket. It would also make the cementing process much easier since I could do it all outside without needing the overflow box there.

Thanks!

 

[SFALReefer]

Removed.. didn't really help with my answer, LOL.

 

[theatrus]

Hello,

I'm working on the plumbing for a 125 gallon with a Modular Marine external overflow box. This is probably silly question but I understand that A is the 'correct' direction to install the bulkhead. With this setup, the bulkhead needs to be cemented to the pipe while attached to the overflow box, correct? What happens if the gasket goes bad or there is a leak? I guess you'd have to cut the pipe and replace the bulkhead, pipe, and union half.

Is there any reason the bulkhead can't be installed like 'B'?

It would allow me to undo the bulkhead nut from inside and slip the whole thing off if I needed to replace the gasket. It would also make the cementing process much easier since I could do it all outside without needing the overflow box there.

Thanks!

A is primarily used since access to the nut is easier, but there is nothing wrong with B. Its often easier to do B in a brownfield (running) system since cleaning the sealing surface with the gasket is much easier not being buried in the tank, _if_ you can get to the nut in a reasonable form.

 

[Kestrell]

A is primarily used since access to the nut is easier, but there is nothing wrong with B. Its often easier to do B in a brownfield (running) system since cleaning the sealing surface with the gasket is much easier not being buried in the tank, _if_ you can get to the nut in a reasonable form.

I’ll have to test it, but I have pretty small hands so I should be able to turn the nut reasonably well inside the overflow box. From what I understand it’s only supposed to be hand tight plus a bit, right?

It would just make the whole cementing process so much easier doing B.

And the fittings inside the box shouldn’t need to be glued in since it’s all inside the ‘wet’ zone anyway? So I can just pop them out if I need to access the nut.

 

[theatrus]

I’ll have to test it, but I have pretty small hands so I should be able to turn the nut reasonably well inside the overflow box. From what I understand it’s only supposed to be hand tight plus a bit, right?

It would just make the whole cementing process so much easier doing B.

And the fittings inside the box shouldn’t need to be glued in since it’s all inside the ‘wet’ zone anyway? So I can just pop them out if I need to access the nut.

No need to cement anything inside the box - mine are not.

You might need to go more than finger tight inside the box to seal leaks. Maybe there is a very tall and thin socket (3d printed) which could tighten.

 

[Contractor_Chris]

Did B work? What route did you end up going

 

[cilyjr]

Did B work? What route did you end up going

B will work, I have done it. Gasket always goes on the flange side, not the nut side. The problem with b is it's often difficult to get something in there to get that last quarter of a turn on the bulkhead nut.

 

[John K]

Sup Chris?

I’ll add that I’ve also done B and it works just fine as long as the gasket is on the flange side.

BUT, after a year or a few you’ll probably have enough life growing on the bulkhead threads that you won’t be able to remove the nut without a lot of cleaning that may be next to impossible inside the overflow. (The good news is that new bulkheads are cheap, and old ones are easy enough to cut out with a dremil)

 

[F4u-SuperCorsair]

I would go with A if you want to keep the noise level down and use the Bean Animal Drain.