Got a chip in glass need some advice

[vetteguy53081]

I have always wondered about this, how they would do the repair. @vetteguy53081

Generally when they repair windshields they apply a vacuum and inject resin in which it fills the crack and stops it from traveling. Can they also buildup chip or chunk of glass that’s missing like in this post?

They should

 

[w2inc]

A chip in the glass is a stress section. When pressure is applied to it, you see the reaction. Enough stress and it will run. It will run until it is at the end of the panel and it has no other place to go. Your chip has run. Lucky for you it was a really short run. A nice circle straight to the nearest edge of the glass. It has no more potential stress and looks like it has no interest in going anywhere. If it was a chip that didn't run and the glass had not broken free, I would worry. Loose cannon and no telling where it would go.

Go to DIY and look at chips just like that left over from people drilling their own bulkhead holes. They all end up holding water and doing fine. I am sure I have a tank with a chip just like that and I was looking to see just now but there wasn't one easy to photo.

Options:

1) Fill it outside of your house with tap, or inside with RO. Let it sit for a few days and realize it is solid. If you are not sure, put a wave pump in it and set it to rock the tank back and forth. Just go and physically shake it until you feel safe. It is not going anywhere.

2) 180 grit paper, sand it smooth and make sure there are no other stress points (small scratches pointing toward the body of the glass) waiting to spring, go with 300 and then 500 if you like. It will only take another hour at the most. They have wet sandpaper at auto body shops up to 2k if you are wanting to really hide the thing. When I was 15 and the guy at the local glass shop taught me how to cut glass and seam the edges, we did it with 180 and that was good enough. Definately make sure that there are no sharp edges and it is not going to accidentally cut anyone.

3) Take it to a glass shop and pay them $100 to take 180 and possibly 300 grit to it and smooth out the area. They will tell you that it is the best they can do and that they cant guarantee anything that does not go through their polisher because of all of these reasons they have that will scare you.

4) Have the panel replaced for more money than a new tank costs. There is still a chance it will break, like all tanks and all glass, but it might help you sleep at night.

5) Put it on Craigslist for free and get that Demond seed out of your home! Go buy a new one with no scratches or chips and hope that it is not one of the small percentage of tanks that just breaks anyway.

Sorry for being kind of a smart butt, but I really think you don't have anything to worry about. I there is a legitimate concern about structural integrity when you get to 30" high, and a scratch from a wedding ring that hits an edge would raise a red flag for me. However, since 1984 when I was shown what a bullet chip is, I have not seen one that has been resolved begin to run again. One that is sitting on a silicone supported seam really don't pose a threat. My biggest concern is that no one gets cut on it. For some reason I, and people around me like to feel edges of things. Knock the edge off of it with 180. No one gets cut and you are fine.

If I saw the photo wrong and the chip has not resolved its self and is not free, your need to free it! It is a time bomb! Take a screwdriver to it and pop it out. I have no experience with epoxy and glass repairs. I have seen one done on a windshield. If someone does have experience with that, I would appreciate them sharing their knowledge.

 

[clsanchez77]

Yeah well it's going to cost me 300 dollars to replace the panels so at that point I'll just buy a new tank

That does not sound right at all. Are you having them do the work?

 

[jtl]

If you dyi there is no way one panel of 1/2" glass should or will cost $300. If you are ambitious and even moderately handy replacing the glass is pretty easy. It looks like the chipped panel is on the end and that overlaps the front and back panels. If that is the case it is really easy to replace because you do not have to completely disassemble the entire tank.

 

[w2inc]

If you dyi there is no way one panel of 1/2" glass should or will cost $300. If you are ambitious and even moderately handy replacing the glass is pretty easy. It looks like the chipped panel is on the end and that overlaps the front and back panels. If that is the case it is really easy to replace because you do not have to completely disassemble the entire tank.

I agree with jtl. Pretty easy. Last year I replaced the front of my 120. 24"x48" 7/16 normal plate glass. Glass was $100. You would probably have to DIY it. I called 5 shops near me and none of the would do a tank repair. Most of them didn't do 1/2" but they were good to refer me to a local shop that did.

I have never priced out star fire (low iron) but it is easy to get square foot prices over the phone.

I was thinking about it this morning, and if you want to try and glue the chip back in place there is an adhesive used to glue rear view mirrors onto windshields. I have seen it pull glass plugs out of a windshield rather than letting go of the mounting plate. If you have a perfect fit, that might be an option.

It is just such a shallow defect in a really supported area. If you smooth out the edge and there is no starting point for a crack to run from you are in a good place. Take the photo in to an experienced glass shop and see what the boss says about it. I wonder if the guy that taught me about glass was a little too fast and loose.

I hope it doesn't look like trying to take over the thread or anything. It is not my intent. I just built a few tanks in the last 3 months and am still really interested in it.

 

[jesse1134]

Is that the DIY price? I recently replaced the bottom pane (12"x48") on a tank and it only cost 30 bucks plus the tube of silicone.

Yeah because it's half inch glass and I need two pieces. Ones 48x30 and the other is 24x30. The tanks on the back burner for now I just bought a 60 gallon cube.

 

[jesse1134]

A chip in the glass is a stress section. When pressure is applied to it, you see the reaction. Enough stress and it will run. It will run until it is at the end of the panel and it has no other place to go. Your chip has run. Lucky for you it was a really short run. A nice circle straight to the nearest edge of the glass. It has no more potential stress and looks like it has no interest in going anywhere. If it was a chip that didn't run and the glass had not broken free, I would worry. Loose cannon and no telling where it would go.

Go to DIY and look at chips just like that left over from people drilling their own bulkhead holes. They all end up holding water and doing fine. I am sure I have a tank with a chip just like that and I was looking to see just now but there wasn't one easy to photo.

Options:

1) Fill it outside of your house with tap, or inside with RO. Let it sit for a few days and realize it is solid. If you are not sure, put a wave pump in it and set it to rock the tank back and forth. Just go and physically shake it until you feel safe. It is not going anywhere.

2) 180 grit paper, sand it smooth and make sure there are no other stress points (small scratches pointing toward the body of the glass) waiting to spring, go with 300 and then 500 if you like. It will only take another hour at the most. They have wet sandpaper at auto body shops up to 2k if you are wanting to really hide the thing. When I was 15 and the guy at the local glass shop taught me how to cut glass and seam the edges, we did it with 180 and that was good enough. Definately make sure that there are no sharp edges and it is not going to accidentally cut anyone.

3) Take it to a glass shop and pay them $100 to take 180 and possibly 300 grit to it and smooth out the area. They will tell you that it is the best they can do and that they cant guarantee anything that does not go through their polisher because of all of these reasons they have that will scare you.

4) Have the panel replaced for more money than a new tank costs. There is still a chance it will break, like all tanks and all glass, but it might help you sleep at night.

5) Put it on Craigslist for free and get that Demond seed out of your home! Go buy a new one with no scratches or chips and hope that it is not one of the small percentage of tanks that just breaks anyway.

Sorry for being kind of a smart ***, but I really think you don't have anything to worry about. I there is a legitimate concern about structural integrity when you get to 30" high, and a scratch from a wedding ring that hits an edge would raise a red flag for me. However, since 1984 when I was shown what a bullet chip is, I have not seen one that has been resolved begin to run again. One that is sitting on a silicone supported seam really don't pose a threat. My biggest concern is that no one gets cut on it. For some reason I, and people around me like to feel edges of things. Knock the edge off of it with 180. No one gets cut and you are fine.

If I saw the photo wrong and the chip has not resolved its self and is not free, your need to free it! It is a time bomb! Take a screwdriver to it and pop it out. I have no experience with epoxy and glass repairs. I have seen one done on a windshield. If someone does have experience with that, I would appreciate them sharing their knowledge.

I appreciate you being straight forward. The tanks on hold for now just picked up a 60 gallon cube.

 

[jesse1134]

If you dyi there is no way one panel of 1/2" glass should or will cost $300. If you are ambitious and even moderately handy replacing the glass is pretty easy. It looks like the chipped panel is on the end and that overlaps the front and back panels. If that is the case it is really easy to replace because you do not have to completely disassemble the entire tank.

Well idk where your from but pretty much every where in New York State the prices range about the same. Everyone thinks there there garbage is gold. But yes that was the do it myself price literally just for the glass...

 

[w2inc]

I appreciate you being straight forward. The tanks on hold for now just picked up a 60 gallon cube.

One of my all time favorite tanks. Congrats! I am excited to see some photos of the build.

 

[jesse1134]

One of my all time favorite tanks. Congrats! I am excited to see some photos of the build.

Thanks! I'm 3/4 finished with the stand and I'm about to start my sump I'll start posting some pics.

 

[scchase]

Out of the 30ish tanks I have in my house I think I might have one that doesn't have a chip like that, once they reach the edges the do not go any further, ever. If it is a back panel you could strip the silicone out of that corner and add another layer of glass, which will change were the stress on the glass is at or their is also the possibility of drilling the tank and adding an overflow on that corner if it doesn't already have one.