Happyfeet December 11, 2009 Share December 11, 2009 I'm worried about plumbing my tank. I've never plumbed via a bulkhead through a drilled hole in the glass. I'm worried about putting too much stress on the glass and causing it to crack I'm not sure how much these tanks can take and what kind of forces I'll be putting on it. I decided not to plumb in my Algae turf scrubber as much as I wanted it in there. Would anyone be able to give me a heads up on any Do's or Do nots? Or if anyone wants to come out and help me plumb it I'm probably just being paranoid, but I'd prefer not to make any big mistakes if I can avoid them! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boret December 11, 2009 Share December 11, 2009 Make sure the rubber gasket of the bulkhead is in the inside of the tank not the outside. Hand tight, don't use a wrench to tighten it. Make sure you don't put extra weight on the bulkhead by making it hold all the PVC weight. Do you have any pictures or drawn designs of what you want to do? That might help us with the advice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldReefer December 11, 2009 Share December 11, 2009 The easiest mistake is to overtighten the bulkhead and crack the tank. The second easiest thing is to grap the tank (accidentally or an purpose) by the plumbing coming out of the bulkhead and crack the tank. Other than that. Life is good. I'd never even attempt to have a tank that wasn't drilled. Tell us what you are trying to plumb to and maybe we can give you some advice on overflows. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happyfeet December 11, 2009 Author Share December 11, 2009 The easiest mistake is to overtighten the bulkhead and crack the tank. The second easiest thing is to grap the tank (accidentally or an purpose) by the plumbing coming out of the bulkhead and crack the tank. Other than that. Life is good. I'd never even attempt to have a tank that wasn't drilled. Tell us what you are trying to plumb to and maybe we can give you some advice on overflows. The tank is a 75 Gallon The tank is drilled in the top right corner. I hand tightened the bulkhead on and for the life of me I can't get the darn thing off, I'm going to get a wrench today and untighten it so I can actually fit the bulkhead on right. I'll take a picture when I get home so You guys can see what I'm doing.. How can I take weight off the bulkhead? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldReefer December 11, 2009 Share December 11, 2009 Don't worry about untightening it. It will come loose quickly. You can take weight off by anchoring the plumbing to the stand. You will not have much stress with that short plumbing run. Are you using 1" or 1.5" plumbing for the drain? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happyfeet December 12, 2009 Author Share December 12, 2009 Don't worry about untightening it. It will come loose quickly. You can take weight off by anchoring the plumbing to the stand. You will not have much stress with that short plumbing run. Are you using 1" or 1.5" plumbing for the drain? Using 1" plumbing. I decided not to plumb in my Algae Turf Scrubber to take some weight off. If I could find a way to plumb in my Algae Turf Scrubber obviously I'd rather go that route. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyInVa December 12, 2009 Share December 12, 2009 I'm worried about plumbing my tank. I've never plumbed via a bulkhead through a drilled hole in the glass. I'm worried about putting too much stress on the glass and causing it to crack I'm not sure how much these tanks can take and what kind of forces I'll be putting on it. I decided not to plumb in my Algae turf scrubber as much as I wanted it in there. Would anyone be able to give me a heads up on any Do's or Do nots? Or if anyone wants to come out and help me plumb it I'm probably just being paranoid, but I'd prefer not to make any big mistakes if I can avoid them! I will probaly be drilling my new tan as well. Maybe will wait to see hw your luck goes. Since we are so close, if you need a hand let me know. Not sure how much help I could be as I have never done this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happyfeet December 13, 2009 Author Share December 13, 2009 I will probaly be drilling my new tan as well. Maybe will wait to see hw your luck goes. Since we are so close, if you need a hand let me know. Not sure how much help I could be as I have never done this. Tony it actually went pretty good. Now that it's said and done I probably would have done it a little differently. Once I have it filled you can come over and take a look. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyInVa December 13, 2009 Share December 13, 2009 Tony it actually went pretty good. Now that it's said and done I probably would have done it a little differently. Once I have it filled you can come over and take a look. Sounds good. Would like to see pictures. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happyfeet December 14, 2009 Author Share December 14, 2009 Sounds good. Would like to see pictures. My RO filter had a big crack and was spewing water. I had to order a new gasket so once it arrives and I'm able to make some new salt water I'll post pictures. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happyfeet December 15, 2009 Author Share December 15, 2009 My RO filter had a big crack and was spewing water. I had to order a new gasket so once it arrives and I'm able to make some new salt water I'll post pictures. Can't seem to get a small leak to go away. Been wrapping the threads around the bulkhead in Teflon tape. So far it hasn't been working. Going out for some more tape and going to try again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boret December 15, 2009 Share December 15, 2009 (edited) Can you take pictures?? You are not supposed to put teflon on the bulkhead thread. And I am having trouble understanding what the bulkhead has to do with the RO. You quoted the RO filter crack in your small leak comment... are we talking about the same leak? The bulkhead, the one you use when you make a hole in the glass, has a plastic gasket that goes in the inside of the tank. Bulkhead > Gasket > Glass > Bulkhead screw. You are supposed to hand tight it, or too much pressure could break the glass. Then the bulkhead (in the inside) is either threaded or slip. If it is threaded and you are attaching a male threaded piece of PVC then you can (should) use Teflon tape. If it is slip then you need to glue the PVC with PVC cement. If you can take a few pictures we might be able to understand better what the problem is. Good luck! Edited December 15, 2009 by Boret Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happyfeet December 15, 2009 Author Share December 15, 2009 (edited) Can you take pictures?? You are not supposed to put teflon on the bulkhead thread. And I am having trouble understanding what the bulkhead has to do with the RO. You quoted the RO filter crack in your small leak comment... are we talking about the same leak? The bulkhead, the one you use when you make a hole in the glass, has a plastic gasket that goes in the inside of the tank. Bulkhead > Gasket > Glass > Bulkhead screw. You are supposed to hand tight it, or too much pressure could break the glass. Then the bulkhead (in the inside) is either threaded or slip. If it is threaded and you are attaching a male threaded piece of PVC then you can (should) use Teflon tape. If it is slip then you need to glue the PVC with PVC cement. If you can take a few pictures we might be able to understand better what the problem is. Good luck! Boret sorry, I keep forgetting every time I reply to a thread it quotes the last reply above mine. I just meant to delete it. Cracked Filter has nothing to to do with the bulkhead. The bulkhead on the tank going through the glass is what Edited December 15, 2009 by Happyfeet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boret December 15, 2009 Share December 15, 2009 Remove that teflon tape right away. That's not the way to attach the bulk head. The only thing that prevents the water from leaking is the gasket that is inside the tank. The Teflon is actually impeding you to screw the bulkhead tightly against the glass. Remove the water, a few inches below the hole. Remove the bulkhead and examine the gasket to make sure its not broken. Clean the area where the gasket sits against the glass in the inside, make sure its perfectly clean, no coraline of any specs of dirt. You can use a clean rug with vinager and a razor blade. Like in this picture, the gasket stays in the inside, and the glass goes in the gap between the gasket and the screw. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boret December 15, 2009 Share December 15, 2009 Boret sorry, I keep forgetting every time I reply to a thread it quotes the last reply above mine. I just meant to delete it. Cracked Filter has nothing to to do with the bulkhead. If you scroll a bit down you have two more buttons, one labeled "Fast Reply" and another one labeled "Add Reply", either one will allow you to reply to the thread without quoting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happyfeet December 15, 2009 Author Share December 15, 2009 (edited) Remove that teflon tape right away. That's not the way to attach the bulk head. The only thing that prevents the water from leaking is the gasket that is inside the tank. The Teflon is actually impeding you to screw the bulkhead tightly against the glass. Remove the water, a few inches below the hole. Remove the bulkhead and examine the gasket to make sure its not broken. Clean the area where the gasket sits against the glass in the inside, make sure its perfectly clean, no coraline of any specs of dirt. You can use a clean rug with vinager and a razor blade. Like in this picture, the gasket stays in the inside, and the glass goes in the gap between the gasket and the screw. When I took it off the first time, I did inspect the gasket to make sure it wasn't broken. I also cleaned around the hole, I'll clean again see if it helps. Otherwise mine is set up just like that except I used Teflon tape (which dramatically slowed the water which was leaking). Edited December 15, 2009 by Happyfeet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boret December 15, 2009 Share December 15, 2009 Check the bulkhead completely... maybe its cracked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happyfeet December 15, 2009 Author Share December 15, 2009 Check the bulkhead completely... maybe its cracked. Looks like I solved the problem. The Gasket looked worn so I installed another gasket I had, Not the best fit in the world, but it looks like its going to work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boret December 15, 2009 Share December 15, 2009 I wouldn't rush the whole thing just putting any gasket in there. Just get a new bulkhead with a brand new gasket and be done with it. You need to make certain that the area where the gasket contacts the glass is spotless. I see a lot of dried coraline in there. If it fails and leaks you will have a huge mess in your hands. Now its the time to do it properly. A flood, lose of livestock and damage to your floor/carpet its the very least that will happen. Not really worth the money a new bulkhead costs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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