Fixing an acrylic sump

[jason the filter freak]

Ok so I whipped out the old americal sump i had sitting around an knocked out the stock center baffel and did a leak test. Sure enough the seam on one corner is not holding water. No cracks or anything the seam is just umm loose? I want to fix it and also ensure that there will be no further leaks from any of the other seams down the road... So how should I fix it? Will a bead of weldon be ok? I also want to know what weldon I should use to install baffels in the sump for the skimmer and fuge area. Should I also run a bead of smoothed silicone up the seams for extra protection against leaks?

 

Thanks for all your help in advance!

[dandy7200]

put a new piece in the corner and glue with #4. Just a little strip of 3/8" along the seam should work good.

[NAGA]

The silcone isn't going to give you anything unless you just have a pin hole. Structurally it offers nothing. As far as your loose baffle the #4 will be ok as long as you can inject it between the wall and the baffle edge. If you have somehting to gap it with it will help even more.

 

If the outside edges are coming loose that is another problem. You could glue a strip on the inside to hold it together but, you have to ask whether the rest of those edges are barely hanging on. Might not be a bad idea to put strips all around..............not very pretty but, cheap insurance. Make sure you get it very clean before you do that and it you can gap things with some razor blades in order to get the solvent glue inside.........the better the strength. Just pull the razor blades after about a minute or so.

[jason the filter freak]

Should I just clean out the edges with a wire brush bit on a dremel, and what does gapping mean? Just a small slit between the strip and the edges of the corners of the sump for weldon to seep into?

 

As for installing baffels, I don't need a ton of weldon for that right? Since they're not going to be under alot of preassure?

[NAGA]

forgive my vagueness on the gap thing. You are correct in that the idea is to stick something in betwween the two surfaces to be bonded and then capilate the weldon into the joint. Razor blades work well for this job. You are correct in that there won't be a lot of pressure on the baffle joint but, I would operate with the same idea of just trying to create a very small space for you to get the glue in between the two surfaces.

 

 

No dremel or wire brush but, do try to get the edges as clean as possible to ensure your best possible glue joint. These types of repairs are not always the easiest with all of the variables involved but, you should be ok.

[jason the filter freak]

Great, jeff thank you very much for your input and help... one last question where do I buy weldon. I've check both my local Home Depot and a hobby shop. Staff at both stores didn't have a clue what the stuff was.