NightOwl March 7, 2011 Share March 7, 2011 I scratched my sump near the bulkhead with my hole saw and now no matter how tight I turn the bulk head it is not sealing. The scratch is kinda deep so I need something to fill in the surface so that the washer can then go over to make the surface flat. Is plumbers Putty reef-safe? Or is there anything I can use to fill the scratch? Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coral Hind March 7, 2011 Share March 7, 2011 I don't know about that product but Home Depot carries a JB Weld product called WaterWeld that is safe to use. It says right on the packaging "Drinking Water Safe". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FearTheTerps March 7, 2011 Share March 7, 2011 (edited) can you turn the bulkhead around so that the washer is on the other side of the glass? The washer can be on the dry or the wet side as long as it is on the side of the flange and not on the side of the nut. Edited March 7, 2011 by FearTheTerps Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flowerseller March 7, 2011 Share March 7, 2011 can you turn the bulkhead around so that the washer is on the other side of the glass? The washer can be on the dry or the wet side as long as it is on the side of the flange and not on the side of the nut. brilliant. +1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnybv March 8, 2011 Share March 8, 2011 brilliant. +1 There is also a product that is like a 2 part epoxy called mr sticky, designed for underwater use. john Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim March 8, 2011 Share March 8, 2011 Another option is to put a thin bead of silicone around the bulkhead. The only time I was able to successfully reverse a bulkhead I used two gaskets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosco's Reefs March 8, 2011 Share March 8, 2011 I didn't have the scratch but had the otherwise same problem, My LFS recommended the bead of silicon on both sides of the bulkhead and let it cure for 24 hours. Worked like an absolute charm. Good Luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mountaineer March 8, 2011 Share March 8, 2011 +1 on the silicone bead if reversing the flange is not an option. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FearTheTerps March 8, 2011 Share March 8, 2011 I would avoid the silicone if possible. When its said to use silicone, people are mainly speaking of silicone grease, not silicone sealant (used on the glass in our tanks). The silicone grease is used for lubing o-rings or pipe threads. I would not use silicone sealant on the bulkhead, the silicone will not bond with the pvc bulkhead. Its the same as using silicone with acrylic baffles in a sump, yes the silicone holds it in place, but it doesnt bond to the plastic like it does glass. According to Murphy, your bulkhead will most likely fail when you leave for your week long summer vaction. Like I said above,try reversing the bulkhead with the washers on the oppisite side of the chip out. Also make sure the glass, the washer, and the bulkhead are clean and free of any debris. Even a tiny little piece of sand can effect the seal of the bulkhead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Incredible Corals March 8, 2011 Share March 8, 2011 I would avoid the silicone if possible. When its said to use silicone, people are mainly speaking of silicone grease, not silicone sealant (used on the glass in our tanks). The silicone grease is used for lubing o-rings or pipe threads. I would not use silicone sealant on the bulkhead, the silicone will not bond with the pvc bulkhead. Its the same as using silicone with acrylic baffles in a sump, yes the silicone holds it in place, but it doesnt bond to the plastic like it does glass. According to Murphy, your bulkhead will most likely fail when you leave for your week long summer vaction. Like I said above,try reversing the bulkhead with the washers on the oppisite side of the chip out. Also make sure the glass, the washer, and the bulkhead are clean and free of any debris. Even a tiny little piece of sand can effect the seal of the bulkhead. +1 on that. I made that mistake on a water storage container for my ro/di system. The silicone sealant would not bond to the bulkhead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FearTheTerps March 8, 2011 Share March 8, 2011 After thinking about it, if reversing the bulkhead doesnt work this is what I would do.... As a LAST RESORT. Use silicone sealant, yes I know I just said not to, and thats because most people just goop it on around the washer and let it ooze out when thightening the bulkhead. Here's how I would use it. Use the silicone sealant to fill in the chip out, just like you are thinking of with the plumbers putty. Just use a small amount of silicone to fill in the chip, and use something flat to scrape away ALL of the excess silicone, use a razor blade or credit card. Then let the silicone cure for a day or 2, whatever the manufacturer suggest, DO NOT put the bulkhead on until the silicone is cured. The reason I say to use the silicone is because we know it will bond with the glass, and will last for a long time. While the stuff like JB Water Weld is reef safe(I use it myself for aquascaping) will it hold up for years and stay sealed with the glass??? My guess would be no, so I wouldnt chance it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NightOwl March 8, 2011 Author Share March 8, 2011 Thanks everyone for the ideas. I currently have the bulkhead reversed since I needed the ability to remove the bulkhead in order to take the sump from under the tank. Hopefully one of the epoxies will will work or two gaskets will work. I am leery of the silicone based on Murphy's law it looks like another trip to home depot tomorrow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flowerseller March 8, 2011 Share March 8, 2011 The only way I would ever consider using silicone is to place a thick bead all the way around the bulkhead flange and snug it until it just makes contact with the wet silicone. After 24 hrs. I would then tighten down the bulkhead, effectively making a gasket of the silicone. This is less desirable than doing it correctly by wetting the rubber gasket before installing. Another way is to a couple nice thick black or red O-rings in a row on the flange side, this works well too. It does not matter whether the gasket is on the wet side or dry side, just that it is on the flange side, not the nut side. This is true in every case of bulkhead installation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mountaineer March 8, 2011 Share March 8, 2011 Using silicone not silicone grease like mentioned above in a bead all the way around the hole and then seating the bulkhead before the silicone dries has worked for me in the past. The gasket that comes with the bulkhead does not bond to the glass or the bulkhead and it still works fine. The silicone does not need to "bond" to work like this. The silicone fills in the imperfections of the glass and essentially makes a custom gasket. Not ideal and I too would use this as a last resort, only if the bulkhead could not be reversed and of course check, check, and recheck, for leaks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coral Hind March 8, 2011 Share March 8, 2011 You could also drill a bigger hole and put in the next size up bulkhead. Just an option for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NightOwl March 8, 2011 Author Share March 8, 2011 Just for clarification the bulkhead is 2" and it is through acrylic. I think the issue may be two fold so I am working on a support system for the PVC. The first issue I had was the downward pressure of the 2" PVC made it sag a little. I reinforced the acrylic side with another piece of acrylic and now it does not sag, but during my drilling process the drill went crazy. If you have ever used a hole saw I think you know what I mean. This is how I now have the deep jagged scratch issue number two. I have attached a picture below for clarification. As you can the see the bulkhead is reversed. The flange is on the outside so I can remove the bulkhead and service the sump. The outside is where the scratch is and it starts at the hole and goes down about 1-1/4". I think another issue may be the bulkhead I am using they are not standard bulkheads. I can not drill a bigger hole without going up a heavy duty bulkhead. I will keep you guys posted on what happens. I found a spare gasket last night so that may be an option as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hypertech March 8, 2011 Share March 8, 2011 If it's acrylic why not bond a thin flat sheet over it or fill the crack with something like weld on 16 and sand it flush? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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