Acrylic hole repair

brycerb · 04/09/2010, 03:31 PM

I just got an acylic tank that has 4 holes in the bottom of it. Can acrylic holes be repaired with pieces of acrylic glued in? It is in the bottom so it doesen't have to look seemless. If so can I redrill the tank in places I want? What if some places overlap "fixed" holes? How do I drill acrylic?

thegrun · 04/09/2010, 03:42 PM

Yes, you can glue acrylic on top of the existing holes. Overlapping fixed holes may present some difficulties in getting your flange to seat correctly. You could fill in the old hole with a round piece of acrylic glued onto the patch piece if this was an issue. Any standard hole saw or drill will cut acrylic.

TheFishTeen · 09/02/2011, 05:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brycerb

I just got an acylic tank that has 4 holes in the bottom of it. Can acrylic holes be repaired with pieces of acrylic glued in? It is in the bottom so it doesen't have to look seemless. If so can I redrill the tank in places I want? What if some places overlap "fixed" holes? How do I drill acrylic?

In my LFS they closed up 16 holes drilled in an 800 Gallon tank, made for a closed loop system. Since they wanted to have the closed loop returns come from atop the tank, they had a professional weld thick (2" at least) pieces of acrylic over the holes. Since you tank is a lot less than 800 gallons i imagine, i'm sure a piece of 1" thick acrylic will work fine. Look up 'Weld On'. Thats what you'll use to weld the acrylic plate to the tank. The other options are

A: put a bulk head over the holes and place a ball valve on the BH, and turn in closed. Just be very careful, and never open that valve or you'll have your whole tank's water on the floor.

B: Use it for a closed loop. You could ditch any powerheads.

04/09/2010, 03:31 PM	#1
brycerb Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Isle of wight, VA Posts: 541	Acrylic hole repair I just got an acylic tank that has 4 holes in the bottom of it. Can acrylic holes be repaired with pieces of acrylic glued in? It is in the bottom so it doesen't have to look seemless. If so can I redrill the tank in places I want? What if some places overlap "fixed" holes? How do I drill acrylic? __________________ -Luckily, my wife is reef safe so I can use my normal income for this hobby. -My cichlids love RO waste! Current Tank Info: 7.5 gallon box with water in it.

04/09/2010, 03:42 PM	#2
thegrun Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Garden Grove, Ca Posts: 17,023	Yes, you can glue acrylic on top of the existing holes. Overlapping fixed holes may present some difficulties in getting your flange to seat correctly. You could fill in the old hole with a round piece of acrylic glued onto the patch piece if this was an issue. Any standard hole saw or drill will cut acrylic.