Guest thefishman65 February 1, 2012 February 1, 2012 CH, yet it leaks from the edges of the nut on the dry side... So I think the advice given is good.
Fishie February 1, 2012 Author February 1, 2012 I am confused by the leaking from the head statement. What is the "head" that you are talking about? If it was a gasket/thread issue it would leak around the threads. Is it leaking from the slip part and not the threaded part? If so then we may be giving you advice for a different problem. If it is leaking from the slip area then you may need to better glue that. We really need to see a picture showing how you have it installed and where it is leaking. its leaking from the space between the nut and the glass surface...well there is no space..since i have tightened it...but i think at this time...i just need to really tighten it with a tool.. i will post an update when i get home after tightening it further..
steveoutlaw February 1, 2012 February 1, 2012 Ok, you can use a tool to tighten it but go easy. If you crank too hard on the tool you could crack the glass.
flowerseller February 1, 2012 February 1, 2012 it does not matter as far as INSTALLATION goes which way you face the bulkhead fitting. It only matters that the gasket goes between the glass and the flange and the nut on the other side of the glass. Taking them apart later is harder with the threads on the wet side as you get build up on the threads but it does not effect whether it will seal. You do have to tighten it more than hand tight which is why everyone is suggesting channel lock plyers, because you can expand it enough.
davelin315 February 1, 2012 February 1, 2012 Be very careful using anything to tighten. It's very easy to crack either the tank or the bulkhead itself by overtightening. I do use a wrench to tighten but not very much. Sounds to me as if the gasket (o-ring) is not seated properly or the hole is not appropriately sized. The key to a bulkhead is not anything but a smooth surface on the part of the bulkhead that goes against the gasket and then the gasket itself and the glass it is touching. That is where the seal occurs for the bulkhead. If it's leaking from around that seal then you've only got a few possible issues and pretty much all of them revolve around the seal itself from the gasket to the glass to the bulkhead (unless the bulkhead is already cracked). Even if you only hand tighten it shouldn't allow any leaks. I would loosen the bulkhead if you can drain enough water to down below, check the surface of the glass, the bulkhead itself, and the gasket, and then retighten. Putting teflon and another gasket on the back doesn't do much good if any at all as the typical bulkhead has a seam on it that would prevent it from being water tight despite tape and a second gasket. Sounds like it's all glued on already so worst case scenario, cut it off and just use another one.
Fishie February 2, 2012 Author February 2, 2012 (edited) I tightened it with the wrench and it's all stopped leaking...because I had everything glued up I had very little leverage...so I ended up with a few chips /scars on the nuts...while trying to tighten it in a small space....after that I have poured water in and so far not a drop...I'll try getting the pump and overflow going to see if their vibrations can cause a leak...but so far so good...except that it's been physically disfigured a bit due to the slipping when I tried tightening Edited February 2, 2012 by Fishie
zygote2k February 2, 2012 February 2, 2012 I replace old bulkhead on a regular basis. If you are making a standard bulkhead connection like thru a standard internal overflow box, then you only use 1 rubber washer. Rubberfrog is confused about overflows- don't listen to him (no offense RF, but you're confusing the issue) The ribbed part of the rubber washer goes against the glass. Always tighten bulkheads with channel locks because hand tightening aint tight enough. What RF is talking about is if you have another chamber on the other side of the bulkhead- like when you connect 2 tanks together. inside threads or glue connection (slip) makes no difference in how the bulkhead is tightened.
zygote2k February 2, 2012 February 2, 2012 another thing to add- when using bulkheads that protrude into the cabinet, cut away the wood around the bulkheads large enough so that you can easily tighten them with channel locks instead of those crappy bulkhead wrenches.
Fishie February 2, 2012 Author February 2, 2012 Great thx for all the input...I may have put the ribbed part on the wrong side...but only 1 washer did have the ribbed side...the others had smooth surfaces on both
Fishie February 10, 2012 Author February 10, 2012 i had a leak develop on 1 out of the 4 pipes. it only drips when i turn the return pump off...and a reverse siphon starts... this time the leak is on the threads...its a first time ive seen a leak coming through the threads....there is no leak at all at the glass...just a drop or 2 trickle down the threads...on the outside.. so is this because it needs to be tightened some more...or because i need to loosen it because i may have tightened it too much ?
Origami February 10, 2012 February 10, 2012 Did you thoroughly clean the glass inside the tank before installing the bulkhead? If that was not clean, the gasket may not be giving you the best seal. If you overtighten the bulkhead, the gasket will begin to bulge out and will not form as good a seal, too. This is especially easy to do if you apply any lubricant (such as silicone grease) to the gasket. You have, from your earliest description, the bulkhead in the way it is normally done. The pictures that I saw posted in another post look to be from Glass-Holes. They use this reverse method of mounting their bulkheads for installation of their add-on overflows. It works, but it's sort of backward from the way most bulkheads are installed. If you've got water appearing on the outside of the threads, I suspect that it's most likely coming because you don't have a good seal inside the tank and that the infiltration is coming in past the gasket because it's either bulging, damaged, or because there's debris keeping it from making a good seal. You could try loosening it considerably and seeing if you can't perhaps clean under and around the gasket on the inside of the tank, and then re-tightening. Sometimes this works.
Fishie February 11, 2012 Author February 11, 2012 Ok I ended up cutting off the PVC...and noticed there was a good sized grain lodged on the flange...side... Cleaning it up and I will get a new bulkhead and proceed tomorrow Couple questions 1) is the seal formed on the flange side 2) can there be water present when I put the gasket and bulkhead in or does it have to be completely dry 3) I noticed I had a small dis formation /chip on the dry side( opposite from the flange)...it's not even impacting the circle radius...it's just outside it...but would be covered by the nut on the dry side...I had no leak on that side and I am assuming it is only cosmetic..
Coral Hind February 11, 2012 February 11, 2012 1: yes, that is where the rubber gasket should be. 2: wet is fine, but it should be dirt free. 3: correct, it will not hurt anything.
clearsky57 February 11, 2012 February 11, 2012 I know when I set my overflow up,,, I had to undo it twice and clean again, and again... one little tiny speck or grain of sand can make the seal not work!!!!! I really mean it,,,, you have to make absolutely certain not to have any ANY debris in there,,,, that will make it leak far faster than tightening it too loose or tight... I thought I had it spotless, but by the third time, you could have done surgery in there!@! Mui Mui importante..... By the way..... I have only heard of using one gasket also..... you only really need one.. good luck
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