Small leak. Repairing it wet.

jasonduganart

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The hole in the bottom of my 4ft 120 acrylic tank has a very slow leak. Was good for a few months. I did not use a bulkhead (against advice) as it is straight down to sump, it’s double reinforced to prevent flex and I was confident this wouldn’t happen. How can I fix it while wet and without draining the tank to dry? The overflow is slightly leaky so I can’t just drain that and dry it.
 

vetteguy53081

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The hole in the bottom of my 4ft 120 acrylic tank has a very slow leak. Was good for a few months. I did not use a bulkhead (against advice) as it is straight down to sump, it’s double reinforced to prevent flex and I was confident this wouldn’t happen. How can I fix it while wet and without draining the tank to dry? The overflow is slightly leaky so I can’t just drain that and dry it.
I had the same and did use bulkhead (advised) and same applies to durso plumbing where bulkhead is on bottom
Unfortunately if it was an overflow box, you can drain and repair but being on the tank- You must drain. There is no flexseal or similar that will seal it
 

Ocean_Queenie

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Welcome & sorry to hear
IMG_8890.jpeg
 

zheka757

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welcome to R2R!
is it dripping strait into your sump?
if it was me and if it dripping into sump, i would leave it alone, salt will eventually stop a slow leak.
other option if needed to reseal it dry, you can get 3 32g trash bins from home depot to drain water temporarily into
 
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DCR

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You should be able to install a bulkhead while wet and then use threaded piping if the leak in the overflow box is not too large. It will be messy. You need to make sure you clean any residue material from the sealing surface.
 

jsker

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I agree with @vetteguy53081, a dry fix is the only guaranteed, no leeks in the future fix. Time to head out and purchase a large plastic watering trough at the farm supply store to put everything in during the fix.

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SPR1968

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In the UK we have CT1 sealant which can be used even underwater. See if you can get hold of some or similar

Its always going to be better to drain it down though but depends on your circumstances etc
 

Ironwill723

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