Bulkhead leaking.. Cannot get to bulkhead to tighten/repair...

[Texas Paul]

Originally Posted by devildog12210

I never knew such a thing existed!

I never did either until mine started leaking!!!!!

[WestTexasReefer]

Sure wish I knew about that a couple of weeks ago. I just changed out my sump, plumbing and 4 bulkheads. That would have saved me an immense amount of time not to mention what a PITA those little bulkhead wrenches are.

[Praben]

Update #2:

The mini saw attachment for the dremel was no help. The piece of wood I need to cut away is 11/16" and the stock mini circular saw blade is only cut about 1/4". It is a really neat attachment and works well, just not for this.

So I went back to Home Depot to find a larger blade. Well, they only seem to make dremel blades up to 1/2" cuts. That is a lot of extra material in a tight space for me to try and break off, that wasn't going to work. I asked several home depot employees for suggestions, explained my situation from the beginning. They said it can't be done with a dremel from that thick of wood and other cutting items are too large, you may cut through and hit the glass.. It can't be done guy sorry!

I didn't like this answer so I looked through every dremel accessory they sell for a bit. I noticed on the box of a higher series dremel it came with a cutting guide and showed a measurement of greater than 0.5". I found the sold separately accessory and it didn't list the sizes it offered, but I figured lets give it a shot. (I cut some pieces for this tank with a regular dremel bit, they aren't 100% straight but I don't care about that for this!).

Sure enough it goes up to 1 inch and came with a multipurpose bit! I set everything up and tested various depths on extra boards I had left over from the tank install 4 years ago. I went to a depth that left about 1/16" material left, that way it would not poke through a hit the glass AND would not shoot saw dust up in the crack. It worked pretty well, had to take it slow. Since the bulkhead/pipe was literally against the wood, I couldn't get to the edge with the dremel attachment guard, so I had to very carefully freehand it.

I managed to cut out a piece large enough to get a wrench to the nut/flange to tighten it, no luck, actually got a little worse. Tomorrow I will go to the LFS and buy a new bulkhead and replace this one. I may go back and cut more wood off of this side (and the other) to try to make easier access. I cut the bare minimum to get a wrench in there for now.

[Praben]

Originally Posted by Texas Paul

Praben - Bulkheads can be a real pain to install when they are on the bottom of the tank. Here are a few tools that can help make the job easier. One is from the Orange Big Box Store, the other is ordered on-line. These might make the job a little easier.....

Good Luck!

Thank you for sharing. At very least I'm probably going to the Orange Box to pick those up, my wrench was barely big enough to do the job. I will order a bulkhead wrench to keep around in the future though.

[Sk8r]

no chance a sand grain or two got into the seal, right?
In general, you are a lot safer applying sealant than in continuing to tighten. Generally if a bulkhead connector seal is going to work when tightened, it will seal adequately when a reasonably strong woman's hand tightens it, that much, and no more. If it's not sealing, yes, I'd go for a sealant. I have one that was a wee bit weepy, and time and mineral deposit cured it, but I'd worry about it getting worse instead of better.

[artembukhman]

If you look at the gasket usually from factory time to time they leave a piece of rubber on it and that's why it will leak not matter how much you tighten it. A sharp knife will do the trick!

[ray6379]

champion lighting sells bulk head wrenches made at of acrylic. may just fit there.

[Praben]

Update: This project is killing me... It seemed so simple once I had a plan. I was able to cut some more of the wood away today (pictured). I had to cut one of the pvc pipes to remove the bulkhead, since I had everything hard plumbed and PVC glued. It was a blast trying to get in this little space with a hacksaw. After I removed the return pipe, bulkhead and piping underneath I noticed upon inspection the bulkhead does in fact have a crack in it (pictured). PROBLEM FOUND!

I had to remove my hood/canopy to reach down to clean the area where the bulkhead is. I haven't removed it in 2 years probably, that was a project in itself! I've cleaned the area thoroughly, cleaned up all of the sawdust that went everywhere, cut a piece of pipe to replace the area I had to cut (have a coupler to attach). I was getting ready to start assembling and realized my PVC glue is dried up.

Questions:
1: Do I have to wait 24hours for PVC glue to dry before adding water? I won't be able to get PVC glue until tomorrow after work 6-7PM (16-17hrs from now)

2: I was planning on applying silicone around the top of the bulkhead once the installation was finished, how important is this step? My other 3 are done this way, my concern is dry/cure time, silicone I need 24 hours before I can add water again correct?

3: I'm on day 3 of this now, the return pump and most other pumps are NOT running this entire time. How long will this be OK before I start losing fish/coral? I have 2 powerheads in the main tank, pointed up slightly to break the surface. In the refugium I only have my skimmer running, which is moving water but nothing for the surface. The lights are down now with the hood, but I can get those back up tomorrow.

[Daemonfly]

If you got a replacement bulkhead, I'd just pop it in, skip the silicone, and wait about 10-15 min for the pvc glue. A few minutes is usually good, but I don't know what glue you're using.

If you didn't get a replacement bulkhead, well... I wouldn't use it again, period.

[ecksreef]

A correctly installed bulkhead needs no silicone.

[Dapg8gt]

No silicone needed whatsoever on bulkheads. No need to wait 24 hours for the pvc glue either Def install some unions one these now while you can so in the future you can remove the whole deal if any issues come up..

I'd say you need as much flow as possible running thru the tank. If you need to drop the water level a bit to accomplish it it's for sure in your tanks best interest to have flow and heat. Lights can probably go 72 hours + without any issues. I would start back up with a reduced photo period to minimize light shock just in case.

[Hudzon]

remember gasket and flange on inside of tank nut on outside, no need for silicone also do not use any Teflon tape and do not over tighten, I myself wipe the threads and gasket with plumber's grease, then wipe it clean.

[Mark9]

Originally Posted by Praben

It was a blast trying to get in this little space with a hacksaw.

These are way better for cutting PVC, takes a few seconds and always gives a clean cut.
Just cut where you have easy access then add a union.

PVC Cutter

[Praben]

Originally Posted by Dapg8gt

No silicone needed whatsoever on bulkheads. No need to wait 24 hours for the pvc glue either Def install some unions one these now while you can so in the future you can remove the whole deal if any issues come up..

I'd say you need as much flow as possible running thru the tank. If you need to drop the water level a bit to accomplish it it's for sure in your tanks best interest to have flow and heat. Lights can probably go 72 hours + without any issues. I would start back up with a reduced photo period to minimize light shock just in case.

I've heard some people tell me 24 hours for the pvc glue and others tell me as little as 15 minutes. I can't seem to find any concrete evidence one way or the other?

I've never seen a union before, a quick google search that looks like a good idea. For my 1" piping in this area, is there a specific one or type I should use?

I'm ran into some issues with the temperature this morning. I added a heater last night, but apparently it only kicks on for a second then died. The tank was down in the 72 degrees range. I bumped the house a/c to 80 and it get pretty hot during the day here in Florida, at least during the day I know it won't drop any lower. If I have to go another night I will buy more heaters. I'm at work now, will be home around 7pm.

[Praben]

Originally Posted by Mark9

These are way better for cutting PVC, takes a few seconds and always gives a clean cut.
Just cut where you have easy access then add a union.

PVC Cutter

TIL! Guess I should ask these things before doing them, I keep forgetting how amazing people are on RC.

[Praben]

Yes I did purchase a new bulkhead, yes the gasket on the inside of the tank. I'll skip any additions like teflon tape and silicone.

[Mark9]

Originally Posted by Mark9

These are way better for cutting PVC, takes a few seconds and always gives a clean cut.
Just cut where you have easy access then add a union.

PVC Cutter

Originally Posted by Praben

TIL! Guess I should ask these things before doing them, I keep forgetting how amazing people are on RC.

Just noticed some of the reviews on this model are not that flattering.
I have these exact cutters, bought at Lowes, have never had an issue cutting any PVC.

[slief]

Originally Posted by Praben

I've heard some people tell me 24 hours for the pvc glue and others tell me as little as 15 minutes. I can't seem to find any concrete evidence one way or the other?

I've never seen a union before, a quick google search that looks like a good idea. For my 1" piping in this area, is there a specific one or type I should use?

I'm ran into some issues with the temperature this morning. I added a heater last night, but apparently it only kicks on for a second then died. The tank was down in the 72 degrees range. I bumped the house a/c to 80 and it get pretty hot during the day here in Florida, at least during the day I know it won't drop any lower. If I have to go another night I will buy more heaters. I'm at work now, will be home around 7pm.

I've never ever waited 24 hours for PVC glue to dry. I wait no more than an hour but no less than 15 minutes. I do try to evacuate as much vapor from the lines as possible by leaving any unions disconnected before and after the glue joint. If this is a drain line going to your sump, than it's not much to concern yourself with. On a return line a little air if possible through the pvc lines is a good thing just to help insure that not much of the glue vapor makes it way into the display.

[Justin_S]

I'm not sure I would be concerned with cutting the wood away so long as the ends and corners of a glass tank are supported firmly. On my glass tank, literally only the left and right 7" of tank edge are supported and I have about 20lbs of rock per foot of tank length. Corners are especially important. I think your doing the right thing.

[Justin_S]

Oh and I go 2 hours on the PVC cement to dry, I've never ever had any problems! But I do give the pipe area a sniff if it's potent to the nose I wait a while longer, also I give it a ***** with my thumb, if it's soft, wait. I leave the union unhooked to cure. I've always been impressed by how fast that stuff gets strong! I use unions all over the place: drains, returns, etc, no leaks if tightened well.. But if not, yes, it (the union) will leak.

[TheRuss]

Can you use a Multi master tool to cut the wood? It is one of my favorite and most used tools I own.

This is the one I own. It's expensive, but worth it:

http://m.homedepot.com/p/Makita-Mult...CX1/204706951/

[tatman371971]

Looks kinda cocked in that corner I would just take apart make the hole bigger and get a new bulk head.

[Praben]

RESOLVED - FINAL UPDATE

tl;dr version of fix: Cut wood away that is surrounding pipe without cutting through and hitting the glass using a demel and this attachment (566 Tile Cutting Guide), set to desired depth of the wood. Cut the pvc pipe that is glued into the bulkhead using this (PCV Cutters), or a hacksaw if you want to make it hard on yourself. Remove and replace the cracked bulkhead. Reattach the cut pipe with a union or use a coupler like I did if the union is too large for the area. Be sure to use enough PVC primer and glue and let it dry for 1-2 hours. You're welcome for the summary the 1 person that may have this exact issue that I did!

OK, my actual update on this nightmare that should have been easy (sounds easy in my summary paragraph above anyway). I went and purchased a new bulkhead, pvc glue and a union to get this finished up. Made several dry fittings to ensure the pipe/union/bulkhead would all line up once I broke out the pvc glue. The union was too large for this area and hit the side of the stand, so that was a no go. That is OK, I had a few couplers laying around. Re dry ran everything to ensure measurements. Primed everything and let dry. Started on the lower part of the pipe replacement and starting gluing everything finishing with tightening the bulkhead and replacing the plumping in the tank area. Time to take a break and let this dry.

After 6-7 hours of drying, more than enough, I put some water in the back corner of the tank to ensure the bulkhead didn't leak, success! I went ahead and added enough water back to the tank (I drained the back corner areas since there was 0 flow there for 3 days) and kicked on the return pump. Nothing... Restart x40. Nothing. Return pump was dead. Seriously? I pulled it out, gave it a good cleaning and reinstalled it. It worked! Water was flowing again through this area after 3-4 days and 0 drips! Success... or so I thought.

Checking on it 2-3 hours later there is dripping water on the bottom of pvc elbow in this area dripping down in to a bucket I still had there. Really? Yes really. The top of the coupler I used apparently wasn't glued well enough and just a needle tip area had water pushing out of the top of this connection. My morale was crushed at this point, turned the return pump off and went to bed. Refused to look at the tank the next day and was starting to list what I had to sell/give it all away. This stupid leak has dragged on 5 days and took some unreal amount of hours.

Despite being told this was a waste of time, that night I applied about 5-6 layers of PVC glue to the top of the coupler. The first couple layers I used a toothpick ensuring I got it into every mm of the top of the coupler and pipe. The subsequent layers I painted on thick, creating a nice bead around the area. I let it dry overnight and turned the return pump on again. No initial dripping. Checked it every few hours for drips, signs of moisture, or any other negative signs. It is now 33 hours straight and no sign of a drip. I know now it won't be that bad to cut the pipe and replace this area, which I will do if needed. But for now, IT'S WORKING! Thank you all again for the assistance, with this issue, I could not have done it without you all.

[phillrodrigo]

I always use clear primer on my aquarium. It looks so much better. Primer just keep going around until the pipe is clean. Glue the fitting and the pipe put it on with a half a turn twist into were you want it.

[wesgentry]

i would have been freaking out...