A leak

[Guest rennfamily]

Well if I was the type to quit I'd be out by now. Bought a skimmer it was too tall. Returned it bought a new skimmer, it's to long. Then last night I found the sump leaking. I was able to turn it off, drain the water and hook up an air pump inside the main tank. Anyone know how to fix a leak where it exits the sump tank to go to the return pump? It is a small leak but of course I don't want water all over the floor. I also am trying to find a cheap or at least temporary fix as we're going this weekend to find a bigger sump anyway. Will my fish and corals be okay with the powerheads and air pump?

 

Thanks for any help.

[michaelg]

Holly- is the leak where the bulk head is? Is there a crack? What is the sump made out of?

A small amount of salt creap or tiny leak might just mean the bulkhead isn't quite tight enough. Since you have it dry, take the bulkhead apart, wipe everything clean then tighten it back up. If your sump is glass, take care not to overtighten as you might crack the glass.

 

It is fixable- if a crack, pickup some thin acrylic sheet at home depot, and cut hole to size. Make a sandwhich on both sides of bulkhead with a lot of silicon. Use the bulkhead itself to tighten it up- wipe smooth the excess that come out, then after sitting for an hour or 2, run a new bead of silicone around the outside edges of both plates. I know it is rather a hack repair job, but doing this held for me for a real long time.

 

An alternative, ireland has an acrylic sump for sale.

[Guest rennfamily]

It is where the bulkhead. As far as I can see there is no crack. Sump is made from acrylic. Hubby is going to try tightening it this morning since it's air dried. Thanks for the help. As for looking for a new sump, my problem is the space under my tank is limited width wise. I need to get a longer sump in order to fit the skimmer I bought.

[Jarosh]

Before just tightening it, take it appart and put a bead of silicon around the bulkhead. Then tighten the nut down on the bead of silicon. This will seal it off for sure.

[sde219]

A small amount of salt creap or tiny leak might just mean the bulkhead isn't quite tight enough. Since you have it dry, take the bulkhead apart, wipe everything clean then tighten it back up. If your sump is glass, take care not to overtighten as you might crack the glass.

 

 

Hold on for just a second, you may have actually overtightened the bulkhead - this causes slippage and leaks.

 

Before just tightening it, take it appart and put a bead of silicon around the bulkhead.  Then tighten the nut down on the bead of silicon.  This will seal it off for sure.

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Also, the silicone bead is highly disputed, it makes the gasket more likely to slip and not function properly.

 

I would suggest removing and examining the bulkhead - you might need a new gasket. Then hand tighten the bulkhead back in and give it only a quarter turn with tools after it is hand tight. you could use silicone around the edges of the bulkead both internally and externally.

 

 

Steve