LanglandJoshua January 22, 2012 Share January 22, 2012 I have a 160 gal 1/2" acrylic tank. With multiple holes drilled. But one side is blowing bubbles. This to me says air must be leaking in. If it can leak in then water can leak out. I've shut off the valve to the in put for the tank. But need ideas for repair. Any thoughts would be nice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomtom2245 January 22, 2012 Share January 22, 2012 I'm a little confused as to why air is going in. Is there any water leaking out and around what hole is this happening? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LanglandJoshua January 22, 2012 Author Share January 22, 2012 There is a output pipe from the pump at the bottom of the tank. The air bubbles go into the tank when it's got water moving. But when it's off, I see no leak? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wvreef January 22, 2012 Share January 22, 2012 sounds like the pump is not priming all the way....and has air trapped in it.... picture would be helpfull as well Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomtom2245 January 22, 2012 Share January 22, 2012 yeah, sounds like your pump is pulling air in from somewhere, some pics would be helpful too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LanglandJoshua January 22, 2012 Author Share January 22, 2012 I just went to double check the valve... I bought this tank used and it had some sealant around some odd places in the plumbing. It seems I found the TWO leaks. As they started dripping. I have stoped them for now with electrical tape. But there is no telling how long that will hold. I think my two options are going to be either completely empty my tank, and redo this plumbing. Or try to seal a barrier in place so that I can keep most of the water in the tank. I am leaning towards just emptying it out into some 55 gallon drums/ trash cans and my old 75. This way I can just redo ALL the plumbing. I should be able to do the plumbing in one day, with 1-2 days time to dry the PVC cement. I've dealt with PVC in the past, so I know that this work should only take about four hours of assembly time. With good prep work. As always, any suggestions would be appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LanglandJoshua January 22, 2012 Author Share January 22, 2012 I can have pics tomorrow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beatle January 23, 2012 Share January 23, 2012 You shouldn't need 1-2 days for the PVC cement to cure. 1-2 hours should be fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
overklok January 23, 2012 Share January 23, 2012 PVC is ready to go after 15 minutes, it probably could be used after five minutes. Once you prime and glue PVC, it is near impossible to get the glued joints apart after an hour. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F&Fmgr January 23, 2012 Share January 23, 2012 i think youre right Josh.... drain the tank and redo the plumbing, you'll sleep better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steveoutlaw January 23, 2012 Share January 23, 2012 i think youre right Josh.... drain the tank and redo the plumbing, you'll sleep better. Agreed. And since this is a pressure application, I would wait a couple of hours just to make sure it's dry. Also, use cleaner and primer before gluing the pipe together. Oh, and think about putting a couple of union ball or gate valves in the mix so if the pump goes bad or something has to be changed out you can turn off a valve to take care of it rather than having to drain your whole tank. Unions can be a little expensive, but you'll be happy you did it when a crisis hits. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davelin315 January 23, 2012 Share January 23, 2012 I'm confused about what a CC is, are you talking closed loop? As far as the curing process, 5 minutes and it's solid enough to hold water. I usually glue (I glop it on) with a slight twist and then blow on it or wave it around for a minute or two and then put water on it to cure the top portion and run water through it to do the same. I have also used joints like this immediately after gluing them (I would say that it takes me at least 5 minutes beyond gluing time to actually get things hooked up). The bond will continue to strengthen over time, but since most applications for us are not under a great deal of pressure I don't feel that we need to wait very long. The curing times are typically a recommendation based on the pressure that could be going through household lines that use PVC. The only exception to this for me is using flex PVC, which I will usually prime first and then let cure for a little bit longer as I feel it doesn't seat as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LanglandJoshua January 23, 2012 Author Share January 23, 2012 As for curing, is been a long time since I've done PVC work. So I wasn't sure, which is why I took a worst case plan. I have a couple unions on this that I think I can salvage. I hope to get several unions just for convenience and safety. But since I will be combining several pipe systems into just a couple manifolds. I am forced to check into ways to control flow pressures, like a gate valve. I will look into prices for gate valves VS ball valves. But I want to have greater control over which outputs have more flow. Or to even just counter the uneven pressure and get somewhat equal flow. I am leaning towards gate valves for now. Unfortunately, yeah I will have to move the livestock into my old 75 gal tank, and rock into a new 96 gal trash can. There will be a heater in each and a couple hydor pumps in the trash can. My MP40ES will be in the 75. With maybe another pump. My sump will have a heater as well. But gets enough flow from a mag5 feeding a refugium. Since this is only a couple days, at best. I plan to be able to sustain things longer like this if I have to. But still be able to take it down easily. With all that said, there is no way that I want to keep the stand I have. It just could not be put together square...did all could in rebuilding it. But I also have some issues with how a peice is not solidly attached. It just lets the stand bow down. Then that force pin it. Yet I can still move it with my hand. So that will be rebuilt. This means tons of prep work before I pull anything out. We want to hold off until it warms up a bit outside. But will get everything I need for emergency life support. Just in case. THE SILVER LINING! There will be one blue velvet damsel up for sale! As well as FAR MORE SPACE FOR REACTORS! Oh and it will finally look organized! Yay!!!!! Thanks again for the advice! I can always use more! Please forgive the typos, my phone has it's own ideas of what I want to say... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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