Glb's 40g upgrade!

[revhtree]

Starting to come together:

The wires are still a mess but I'll fix that after the sump baffles are in place. The sump is painted white on 3 sides with a blue trim. I'm not loving the black cords against the white background. I might use some extra pvc to hide them coming out of the sump. And thanks to Rev and Mrs. Rev for the awesome towel. It was so great to finally meet you both!

So glad to meet you as well! Nice talking with you and nice progress here!

 

[glb]

Ugh. So I messed up the PVC and I need to vent. First of all, that primer and cement could knock out an elephant. The purple stuff goes everywhere, and to top it off, I cut the PVC about 3/4" too short so it doesn't reach the hole I drilled in the back of the stand. So I tried to make the hole bigger and now it's a funky size hole. And the PVC still doesn't fit. So tomorrow I start again. If anyone wants to feel sorry for me, it would really help.

 

[BlueDevil]

Am I reading this correctly that you expanded the hole in the tank?? Couldn't you have just taken the PVC out and started over with a longer piece? Surely I'm missing something??

 

[glb]

Am I reading this correctly that you expanded the hole in the tank?? Couldn't you have just taken the PVC out and started over with a longer piece? Surely I'm missing something??

Oh Dear! I just realized my original post was wrong. I meant the hole in the stand, not the tank. Can you imagine???? No the tank hole is unchanged. I just have a rather unattractive hole in the back of the stand because I wanted to see if it would work. Ultimately I cut a new piece of pvc and it fits fine. I'll use the too long piece somewhere else. These are the things that happen when you are a tired diy'er. Lol

 

[BlueDevil]

Oh Dear! I just realized my original post was wrong. I meant the hole in the stand, not the tank. Can you imagine???? No the tank hole is unchanged. I just have a rather unattractive hole in the back of the stand because I wanted to see if it would work. Ultimately I cut a new piece of pvc and it fits fine. I'll use the too long piece somewhere else. These are the things that happen when you are a tired diy'er. Lol

Phew! Glad it was just a tired typo [emoji4] I was sitting here scratching my head thinking why in the world you changed the tank hole! LOL!

My stand is far from perfect. The paint didn't end up as clean as I would've liked. And I didn't have the patience or energy to paint the pipes black as I had originally planned. I was so over working on the stand that I just gave up. It looks pretty clean and frankly if someone stares longer at the sump/stand than the display I'll have to smack them upside the head [emoji4]

 

[BlueDevil]

Sorry - duplicate

 

[glb]

Phew! Glad it was just a tired typo [emoji4] I was sitting here scratching my head thinking why in the world you changed the tank hole! LOL!

My stand is far from perfect. The paint didn't end up as clean as I would've liked. And I didn't have the patience or energy to paint the pipes black as I had originally planned. I was so over working on the stand that I just gave up. It looks pretty clean and frankly if someone stares longer at the sump/stand than the display I'll have to smack them upside the head [emoji4]

Yeah I know that feeling. I was able to fix the funky hole. I'll post a pic with the plumbing I've done. I've been sawing PVC all day and I'm exhausted!

 

[glb]

Plumbing day. Today I have plumbed the overflow side. The filter sock and holder are coming tomorrow so i can finish the drain and start working on the return. I also got glass cut for the sump dividers. It's all coming together!

 

[glb]

Filter sock came today and overflow drain is completely done! I might paint some of the pipe blue. I'm very happy with how it turned out!

 

[BlueDevil]

Looking real good! For a second I thought the skimmer was a commode and I had to do a double take! LOL!!

 

[glb]

Looking real good! For a second I thought the skimmer was a commode and I had to do a double take! LOL!!

:p:p

 

[glb]

Looking real good! For a second I thought the skimmer was a commode and I had to do a double take! LOL!!

Well it is the tank potty.

 

[BlueDevil]

Well it is the tank potty.

Haha! Touché!

 

[glb]

So I did the sump baffles today. Word to the wise: Silicone goes everywhere. It's sticky and messy and now not my friend.

 

[glb]

Also, the glass was cut a little narrower than needed. There's at least 1/4" of silicone on one side, or maybe a gap wider than that. It's sealed, but will it hold?

 

[kschweer]

Everything is looking great!!! A little tip for next time, they sell a clear pvc primer which makes things look much cleaner without having to be so careful. The purple is the same stuff just dyed purple so inspectors can tell it was used during construction inspections.

 

[glb]

Everything is looking great!!! A little tip for next time, they sell a clear pvc primer which makes things look much cleaner without having to be so careful. The purple is the same stuff just dyed purple so inspectors can tell it was used during construction inspections.

Yes I found that out after the fact. Lol. But I spray painted the parts above the waterline so it looks cool again.

 

[BlueDevil]

Also, the glass was cut a little narrower than needed. There's at least 1/4" of silicone on one side, or maybe a gap wider than that. It's sealed, but will it hold?

Your experience seems to be a mirror image of mine! I too had a fairly big gap on the two edges of my baffles due to the glass being cut a little too short (my fault as I gave the wrong dimensions). This is what led to much of my silicone problems as I had to not only seal the baffles, but fill the gaps with a good bit of silicone too! A little late now, but painters tape helps keep the edges clean. The baffles I had to most trouble with were my bubble trap, since there was barely a 3" gap between the two. The silicone gun would not fit it in it so I had to use my fingers. Then it was my fat hands that caused the other complication with constantly bumping into the baffles and moving them. A razor blade does a fine job of cleaning up any silicone residue off the glass. Ugh! I'm so glad I'm done with that part.

One thing I read is that with the amount of silicone I had to use, it would take a couple of weeks to fully cure. After curing complete, my baffles, even with the big gaps that were filled don't seem to be budging at all. So just make sure you give it plenty of time. Rather be safe than sorry.

The sump is looking great though! What's the next step in the build? Looking forward to it :)

 

[glb]

Your experience seems to be a mirror image of mine! I too had a fairly big gap on the two edges of my baffles due to the glass being cut a little too short (my fault as I gave the wrong dimensions). This is what led to much of my silicone problems as I had to not only seal the baffles, but fill the gaps with a good bit of silicone too! A little late now, but painters tape helps keep the edges clean. The baffles I had to most trouble with were my bubble trap, since there was barely a 3" gap between the two. The silicone gun would not fit it in it so I had to use my fingers. Then it was my fat hands that caused the other complication with constantly bumping into the baffles and moving them. A razor blade does a fine job of cleaning up any silicone residue off the glass. Ugh! I'm so glad I'm done with that part.

One thing I read is that with the amount of silicone I had to use, it would take a couple of weeks to fully cure. After curing complete, my baffles, even with the big gaps that were filled don't seem to be budging at all. So just make sure you give it plenty of time. Rather be safe than sorry.

The sump is looking great though! What's the next step in the build? Looking forward to it :)

Right now I'm painting the outside of the stand and working on the return plumbing. Then it's on to the gfo. I dont like the look of clear hose so i'm doing it in pvc. After that is the dreaded plumbing leak tests. I'm hoping i'll have water in it by summer!

 

[glb]

Finishing up the sides this weekend: