Step-by-Step: Drilling Holes in Your Glass Tank for Bulkheads - Page 34

bleedingthought · 03/13/2008, 10:40 PM

I put silicone between the gasket and the glass. The frange is the "male" piece of the bulkhead and the nut is the "female." You can put silicone between the the flange and the gasket too, though. It won't hurt.

socalchris · 03/13/2008, 10:58 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by bleedingthought
I put silicone between the gasket and the glass. The frange is the "male" piece of the bulkhead and the nut is the "female." You can put silicone between the the flange and the gasket too, though. It won't hurt.

sweet, thanks for the help

hllywd · 03/14/2008, 07:11 AM

If the outside isn't chipped and it makes you feel better insert the bulkhead so the gasket is against the better surface, inside or outside orientation doesn't normally matter as long as the flange and gasket are on the same side. If the gasket covers the chips it shouldn't be a problem either.
Bulkheads should seal fine without silicone which can cause problems (leaks) down the road if not immediately. I personally wouldn't use silicone on a bulkhead nor have I ever had one leak.

Tim

poltergeist · 03/14/2008, 07:40 AM

I also highly recommend duct-taping the back side of the glass before you drill, this gives a little extra resistance so the backside chipping will be minimal. (just where the hole will come through)

This is standard practice in the glass industry.

newb · 04/05/2008, 08:58 AM

justonemoretank thank you for starting this thread and sharing your experience. hllywd the sunglasses and car door example made it very easy for me to figure out if it was safe for me to drill. lau was an excelent seller 38 45 &60mm with ship was $26.00. ordered on tuesday bits arrived on the next thursday friday night i had two new holes in a perfectly good fishtank. i used the duct tape on the back and ran a hose over the top. slow speed cordless and everything went fine. one tank down one to go

OceanSpray · 04/06/2008, 06:41 AM

The ingenuity of the people posting in these threads is amazing. Lots of great info here. Great job!

stankyk · 06/05/2008, 04:49 PM

bulkhead ? schedule 80 looks better but the required hole size is 1 and 7/8 as opposed to the 1 and 3/4 its just an 1/8 of an inch difference will it work. great thread by the way!!!

JustOneMoreTank · 06/05/2008, 07:49 PM

Sch 80 Bulkheads work great. You just have to make sure that you get the correct size hole (larger than "standard" bulkheads) drilled in the tank.
I see everyone is still having fun with the thread!

gsxunv04 · 07/22/2008, 07:42 PM

do you use a slow drill speed?

FrozenSurfer · 07/22/2008, 08:40 PM

I just put 2 one inch holes in a Oceanic 37 and a few more in a couple of smaller tanks... and then a few more in some frag tanks that I'm setting up.

I suggest a practice tank if you are nervous. Buy a 10 gal from petco, they're like $11 or so. If you can drill that, you can pretty much drill anything as the glass is way thin.

I always use a higher speed with the drill, it keeps it from binding up on the glass and cracking it. I start the bit off on about a 40-45 degree angle and keep it there for about halfway through the drilling.

So far I've put a few hundred holes in tanks, no problems thus far.

gsxunv04 · 07/23/2008, 11:29 AM

ok so use a high drill speed, thanks

YeahitsK · 07/23/2008, 12:10 PM

I had a problem when I was drilling my tank. The bit jumped on me as I was flattening out the angle and I put a pretty good scratch on it:

How big of a problem is this? I was planning to cut another pane of glass to cover this area and silicone it in place, then install the bulkhead over this. I'm curious to hear opinions if this is a disaster waiting to happen.

FrozenSurfer · 07/23/2008, 08:29 PM

What size tank are we talking about? That looks like some decently thick glass.... How deep are the scratches?

VSpeck · 07/23/2008, 08:36 PM

just a question i dont know if its mentioned in this thread or not but when i drill my tanks i take a piece of half inch plywood and drill a hole the same size as the diamond bit and hold the bit in place with the plywood so it cant jump around on me.

dont know if that makes sense to anyone but me but picture a hole say stencil

FrozenSurfer · 07/23/2008, 08:50 PM

It makes sense. Just make sure you don't use the same diamond bit to drill the wood. I tired that one time.. the bit was way dull due to the wood gumming it up. I just start the drill off on an angle, get it going then slowly straighten out the bit.

YeahitsK · 07/24/2008, 06:47 AM

It's 1/4" inch thick and it's a 30 gallon oceanic tank. The scratches aren't that deep but you can definitely feel them with your fingernail.

I actually just came across this thing and wish I had used it:

http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/p227/G...duct_info.html

FrozenSurfer · 07/24/2008, 09:27 AM

Oh, yeah I just drilled a Oceanic 37 last night and have an Oceanic 30 at work that looks like swiss cheese. That is some thick glass. Here's my suggestion. Set the tank outside, if you can't set it outside use the bath tub. If you don't have a bath tub... well... Use a friends. Put some bulkheads in it, cap them off and fill up the tank.

Here's my $0.02. This is 1/4" glass on a 30g tank. The amount of stress put on the glass by 1/32" scratch is not nearly as much as you would think. I have a 30g Oceanic Cube as well. I have put 2 - 1" holes for drains, 2 - 3/4" holes for Closed Loop Returns and a 1 1/2" hole for a CL drain. That is way more stress than the scratches you have. These tanks are built solid. I'm pretty sure you will be just fine with the scratches.

YeahitsK · 07/24/2008, 11:17 AM

Cool, thanks for the advice. I am definitely going to do a freshwater test before I put the tank in my home full of saltwater and expensive livestock. I only have two holes on my 30 and when the overflow and return are installed it looks like it covers most of the real estate on the back wall. Yours must be quite a sight! I do love the Oceanic tanks though, it does look solid but you never know when it comes to glass. Congrats on the 37 gal-those are really hard to find as they don't make them anymore.

FrozenSurfer · 07/24/2008, 12:03 PM

Make sure to post some pictures! Here's a couple of the 37 with the new holes. It took me 2 years to track this tank down. It is the last one out of the factory....

Now the waiting for the RO/DI unit to catch up begins....

Here's a link to my build thread...
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showth...3#post13013903

YeahitsK · 07/24/2008, 12:25 PM

Ha, I just saw that tank over on another site I frequent. Looks great! I'm impressed with the DIY skills.

FrozenSurfer · 07/24/2008, 12:33 PM

lol.. you saw nothing of the sorts... yeah....

gimmic · 08/09/2008, 10:53 PM

Did this tonight without a problem. Slight chipping on the inside of the glass due to flex when it was almost through.

If/Next time I will block it with wood, other than that no problem. Cheapo e-bay glass hole bit and it worked great!

I also used a larger gasket for the water container and used some putty to form a watertight seal.

chieuxuan · 10/24/2008, 04:47 PM

bump for a great thread..........8-)

procaelio · 07/31/2009, 08:13 PM

I plan on drilling and installing a 1.5" bulk head in the bottom of a 40 gallon tank. I am concerned about decresing integrity of the glass. The inside of the tank will have 2 18" square ceramic tiles covering the entire of the bottom of the tank. These will be siliconed so no water gets under them. I think this will releave some of the pressure on the bottom. I also plan on supporting the underside of the tank around the bulkhead. I'm not sure just yet with what. Any suggetions other than don't do it?

das75 · 08/01/2009, 12:02 AM

I've got 3-2" and 5-1" bulkheads on the bottom and no worries. Have the whole tank on a piece of high density foam (pink), would be more concerned about just trying to support the area around the bulkhead causing uneven stresses.

For drilling seen suggested stay the hole diameter away from the edges and other holes and that's how a tank building company made mine.

03/13/2008, 10:40 PM	#826
bleedingthought Registered Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Acworth, GA Posts: 422	I put silicone between the gasket and the glass. The frange is the "male" piece of the bulkhead and the nut is the "female." You can put silicone between the the flange and the gasket too, though. It won't hurt. __________________ -Thiago-

03/14/2008, 07:11 AM	#828
hllywd Premier World Traveler Join Date: Nov 2000 Location: Ohio Posts: 4,293	If the outside isn't chipped and it makes you feel better insert the bulkhead so the gasket is against the better surface, inside or outside orientation doesn't normally matter as long as the flange and gasket are on the same side. If the gasket covers the chips it shouldn't be a problem either. Bulkheads should seal fine without silicone which can cause problems (leaks) down the road if not immediately. I personally wouldn't use silicone on a bulkhead nor have I ever had one leak. Tim __________________ "The moment you doubt whether you can fly, you cease forever to be able to do it..." J.M. Barrie Current Tank Info: 210 AGA RR, Apex, 3x Kessil A360W & 2x 80W T5s, GEO 618 Ca Rx, BM220 CS2 skimmer, Tunze 6100s, 42" ETSS/AE Tech refugium/sump

04/06/2008, 06:41 AM	#831
OceanSpray Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Alabama / Roll Tide Posts: 162	The ingenuity of the people posting in these threads is amazing. Lots of great info here. Great job! __________________ "Be careful about reading health books. You may die of a misprint." Mark Twain Current Tank Info: 90 - Mixed Reef / 30 Sump

07/23/2008, 08:36 PM	#839
VSpeck Slash Smack Talker Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Wright City, MO Posts: 4,116	just a question i dont know if its mentioned in this thread or not but when i drill my tanks i take a piece of half inch plywood and drill a hole the same size as the diamond bit and hold the bit in place with the plywood so it cant jump around on me. dont know if that makes sense to anyone but me but picture a hole say stencil __________________ Ask DSmack about his momma... Current Tank Info: 150g African

07/24/2008, 12:03 PM	#844
FrozenSurfer Here Fishy Fishy Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Park City, UT Posts: 482	Make sure to post some pictures! Here's a couple of the 37 with the new holes. It took me 2 years to track this tank down. It is the last one out of the factory.... Now the waiting for the RO/DI unit to catch up begins.... Here's a link to my build thread... http://reefcentral.com/forums/showth...3#post13013903 Last edited by FrozenSurfer; 07/24/2008 at 12:14 PM.

03/14/2008, 07:40 AM	#829
poltergeist Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 145	I also highly recommend duct-taping the back side of the glass before you drill, this gives a little extra resistance so the backside chipping will be minimal. (just where the hole will come through) This is standard practice in the glass industry.

04/05/2008, 08:58 AM	#830
newb Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: ca Posts: 123	justonemoretank thank you for starting this thread and sharing your experience. hllywd the sunglasses and car door example made it very easy for me to figure out if it was safe for me to drill. lau was an excelent seller 38 45 &60mm with ship was $26.00. ordered on tuesday bits arrived on the next thursday friday night i had two new holes in a perfectly good fishtank. i used the duct tape on the back and ran a hose over the top. slow speed cordless and everything went fine. one tank down one to go

06/05/2008, 04:49 PM	#832
stankyk Registered Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: sarasota fl Posts: 16	bulkhead ? schedule 80 looks better but the required hole size is 1 and 7/8 as opposed to the 1 and 3/4 its just an 1/8 of an inch difference will it work. great thread by the way!!!

06/05/2008, 07:49 PM	#833
JustOneMoreTank Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Atlanta, GA Posts: 967	Sch 80 Bulkheads work great. You just have to make sure that you get the correct size hole (larger than "standard" bulkheads) drilled in the tank. I see everyone is still having fun with the thread!

07/22/2008, 07:42 PM	#834
gsxunv04 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Western North Carolina Posts: 874	do you use a slow drill speed?

07/22/2008, 08:40 PM	#835
FrozenSurfer Here Fishy Fishy Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Park City, UT Posts: 482	I just put 2 one inch holes in a Oceanic 37 and a few more in a couple of smaller tanks... and then a few more in some frag tanks that I'm setting up. I suggest a practice tank if you are nervous. Buy a 10 gal from petco, they're like $11 or so. If you can drill that, you can pretty much drill anything as the glass is way thin. I always use a higher speed with the drill, it keeps it from binding up on the glass and cracking it. I start the bit off on about a 40-45 degree angle and keep it there for about halfway through the drilling. So far I've put a few hundred holes in tanks, no problems thus far.

07/23/2008, 11:29 AM	#836
gsxunv04 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Western North Carolina Posts: 874	ok so use a high drill speed, thanks

07/23/2008, 12:10 PM	#837
YeahitsK Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Ithaca, NY Posts: 90	I had a problem when I was drilling my tank. The bit jumped on me as I was flattening out the angle and I put a pretty good scratch on it: How big of a problem is this? I was planning to cut another pane of glass to cover this area and silicone it in place, then install the bulkhead over this. I'm curious to hear opinions if this is a disaster waiting to happen.

07/23/2008, 08:29 PM	#838
FrozenSurfer Here Fishy Fishy Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Park City, UT Posts: 482	What size tank are we talking about? That looks like some decently thick glass.... How deep are the scratches?

07/23/2008, 08:50 PM	#840
FrozenSurfer Here Fishy Fishy Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Park City, UT Posts: 482	It makes sense. Just make sure you don't use the same diamond bit to drill the wood. I tired that one time.. the bit was way dull due to the wood gumming it up. I just start the drill off on an angle, get it going then slowly straighten out the bit.

07/24/2008, 06:47 AM	#841
YeahitsK Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Ithaca, NY Posts: 90	It's 1/4" inch thick and it's a 30 gallon oceanic tank. The scratches aren't that deep but you can definitely feel them with your fingernail. I actually just came across this thing and wish I had used it: http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/p227/G...duct_info.html

07/24/2008, 09:27 AM	#842
FrozenSurfer Here Fishy Fishy Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Park City, UT Posts: 482	Oh, yeah I just drilled a Oceanic 37 last night and have an Oceanic 30 at work that looks like swiss cheese. That is some thick glass. Here's my suggestion. Set the tank outside, if you can't set it outside use the bath tub. If you don't have a bath tub... well... Use a friends. Put some bulkheads in it, cap them off and fill up the tank. Here's my $0.02. This is 1/4" glass on a 30g tank. The amount of stress put on the glass by 1/32" scratch is not nearly as much as you would think. I have a 30g Oceanic Cube as well. I have put 2 - 1" holes for drains, 2 - 3/4" holes for Closed Loop Returns and a 1 1/2" hole for a CL drain. That is way more stress than the scratches you have. These tanks are built solid. I'm pretty sure you will be just fine with the scratches.

07/24/2008, 11:17 AM	#843
YeahitsK Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Ithaca, NY Posts: 90	Cool, thanks for the advice. I am definitely going to do a freshwater test before I put the tank in my home full of saltwater and expensive livestock. I only have two holes on my 30 and when the overflow and return are installed it looks like it covers most of the real estate on the back wall. Yours must be quite a sight! I do love the Oceanic tanks though, it does look solid but you never know when it comes to glass. Congrats on the 37 gal-those are really hard to find as they don't make them anymore.

07/24/2008, 12:25 PM	#845
YeahitsK Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Ithaca, NY Posts: 90	Ha, I just saw that tank over on another site I frequent. Looks great! I'm impressed with the DIY skills.

07/24/2008, 12:33 PM	#846
FrozenSurfer Here Fishy Fishy Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Park City, UT Posts: 482	lol.. you saw nothing of the sorts... yeah....

08/09/2008, 10:53 PM	#847
gimmic Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 515	Did this tonight without a problem. Slight chipping on the inside of the glass due to flex when it was almost through. If/Next time I will block it with wood, other than that no problem. Cheapo e-bay glass hole bit and it worked great! I also used a larger gasket for the water container and used some putty to form a watertight seal.

10/24/2008, 04:47 PM	#848
chieuxuan Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 228	bump for a great thread..........8-)

07/31/2009, 08:13 PM	#849
procaelio Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Pennsylvania Posts: 3	I plan on drilling and installing a 1.5" bulk head in the bottom of a 40 gallon tank. I am concerned about decresing integrity of the glass. The inside of the tank will have 2 18" square ceramic tiles covering the entire of the bottom of the tank. These will be siliconed so no water gets under them. I think this will releave some of the pressure on the bottom. I also plan on supporting the underside of the tank around the bulkhead. I'm not sure just yet with what. Any suggetions other than don't do it?

08/01/2009, 12:02 AM	#850
das75 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Edmonton AB Posts: 2,269	I've got 3-2" and 5-1" bulkheads on the bottom and no worries. Have the whole tank on a piece of high density foam (pink), would be more concerned about just trying to support the area around the bulkhead causing uneven stresses. For drilling seen suggested stay the hole diameter away from the edges and other holes and that's how a tank building company made mine.