Reefer 525 Salvageable?

[blubfishy]

Hey all,

I bought a used Red Sea Reefer 525XL and had an unfortunate accident during transport. We were loading it into the vehicle at the seller's place and one of the suction handles let go - I was holding my end by hand at that point and it slipped. Corner hit the ground where the bottom panel meets the front and side.

There's chunks of glass actually missing off the edge, not just a scratch or a hairline. Seam looks messed up too. Tank's empty, haven't tried filling it obviously.

I searched through some old threads here first (the Reefer 300XL reseal one was helpful) and I get that resealing just one panel at a corner like this is risky since new silicone doesn't bond to the old cured stuff - so you end up with a weak spot right where three panels meet.

Before I decide what to do, if I could even get a new side panel, would detaching the existing and replacing it even work? Don't want to sink a bunch of time and silicone into this if it's just going to fail.

Also if anyone's in the Philly area and has done this kind of repair (or knows someone who has), I'm all ears.

Thanks

 

[KrisReef]

Hey all,

I bought a used Red Sea Reefer 525XL and had an unfortunate accident during transport. We were loading it into the vehicle at the seller's place and one of the suction handles let go - I was holding my end by hand at that point and it slipped. Corner hit the ground where the bottom panel meets the front and side.

There's chunks of glass actually missing off the edge, not just a scratch or a hairline. Seam looks messed up too. Tank's empty, haven't tried filling it obviously.

I searched through some old threads here first (the Reefer 300XL reseal one was helpful) and I get that resealing just one panel at a corner like this is risky since new silicone doesn't bond to the old cured stuff - so you end up with a weak spot right where three panels meet.

Before I decide what to do, if I could even get a new side panel, would detaching the existing and replacing it even work? Don't want to sink a bunch of time and silicone into this if it's just going to fail.

Also if anyone's in the Philly area and has done this kind of repair (or knows someone who has), I'm all ears.

Thanks

Post a picture of the damage.

Resealing is doable but it is a lot of work to disassemble, completely remove the old sealant before you reassemble it. I am too lazy to do that kind of thing anymore but if you use the right sealant it will be better than the old as far as long term reliability.

Bumping up for a Philadelphian aquarium repair expert! GL.