Weld on in water

[Reef Breeders]

I was patching a leak on my sump and dropped some weldon 16 in my refugium. It did not break the surface and I was able to remove it in a couple seconds. Will I kill my tank when I restart the pump, or am I all clear?

 

[Reef Breeders]

I need a quick answer, Im restartin my tank in ten minutes.

 

[swannyson7]

I'd say you should be ok, but just to be safe I'd run some fresh carbon

 

[Reef Breeders]

Thanks, I couldnt find anything online. It seemed to dry on contact and I took a bunch of water with it. Unfortunately I have no carbon filter, but I can just throw some in a media bag. The bottom of the sump had a hairline crack, and silicone didnt do the trick. When I added more water than normal for a wc the leak opened back up.

 

[swannyson7]

FWIW, you should probably use some weldon 4 for a stronger fix. I don't know how well weldon 16 will hold up. I'm sure Troylee will chime in to verify, but this sounds like a temporary fix at best. He may reccomend cutting a scrap piece of acrylic and attaching it to the surface of the crack

 

[Troylee]

FWIW, you should probably use some weldon 4 for a stronger fix. I don't know how well weldon 16 will hold up. I'm sure Troylee will chime in to verify, but this sounds like a temporary fix at best. He may reccomend cutting a scrap piece of acrylic and attaching it to the surface of the crack

Agreed....

 

[Reef Breeders]

Thats exactly what I did, but the piece was a saw cut and a tiny piece, so I didnt want to risk my thumb on the router.

 

[Troylee]

I also would have drilled a hole on each end before patching it.... The Weldon needs 48hrs to come up to full strength fwiw so keep tour eye on it... Actually takes 2 weeks before it's 100 percent but 48 hrs it could go into service

 

[swannyson7]

I also would have drilled a hole on each end before patching it....

What would you have drilled a hole on each end of? The scrap piece for patching, or the sump?

Nevermind, realized it when I hit the post button. You mean to the ends of the crack to prevent it from getting bigger, right?

 

[macon77]

Troylee,

You didn't address the toxicity issue here. Could you do so?

I'm just interested in hearing your response, and I suspect someone will experience such an emergency in the future, and would like your input.

 

[Bio-nut]

Being that the make up of weldon 16 is much the same as "super glue" with additional polymers and solvents. Hydroquinone, Ethyl 2-cyanoacrylate, and Polymethyl methacrylate all of which react insantaniously with water, they will form a film on the outer most edge of the bead. Of course this will not aid in properly curing the solvent by allowing the solvent to evaporate, you should be fine. The solvent that might transfer in to you water column would not reach a significant concentration. The best thing that you could do is add some active carbon just as a precautionary step. When you have the time I would drain the system and re-bond the acrylic properly at the same time you will be doning a water change to remove and potential toxins.

Good luck!

 

[Reef Breeders]

I drained the return but not the refugium, and the piece of plastic extends under the bubble trap. After I finished the double seal some went into the refugium.

 

[macon77]

Being that the make up of weldon 16 is much the same as "super glue" with additional polymers and solvents. Hydroquinone, Ethyl 2-cyanoacrylate, and Polymethyl methacrylate all of which react insantaniously with water, they will form a film on the outer most edge of the bead. Of course this will not aid in properly curing the solvent by allowing the solvent to evaporate, you should be fine. The solvent that might transfer in to you water column would not reach a significant concentration. The best thing that you could do is add some active carbon just as a precautionary step. When you have the time I would drain the system and re-bond the acrylic properly at the same time you will be doning a water change to remove and potential toxins.

Good luck!

Thanks for the insights.

 

[swannyson7]

I drained the return but not the refugium, and the piece of plastic extends under the bubble trap. After I finished the double seal some went into the refugium.

How long did you let it cure before adding the water back to the sump?

 

[Reef Breeders]

Until the glue was no longer pliable and shrunk back a little.

 

[swannyson7]

How long was that though? It may have just cured on the surface and left the inside uncured. Troylee was saying that you should wait 48 hours before adding water, so I'd be a little worried. DO you have a water alarm that you could place near the sump just in case?

 

[Reef Breeders]

About an hour, and there are three beads of glue before the crack.

 

[swannyson7]

Does it seem to be holding so far? I'd be sure to keep an eye on it with only an hour of curing time

 

[Reef Breeders]

The crack was less than a centimeter long, and there is only a few inches of water above it, so it should be fine. I will be sure to check on it though.

 

[swannyson7]

Good luck!