Leaky Bulkhead-Can't Loosen Nut.

[AUFishGuy]

So some of my plumbing needed to be redone and due to throwing my back out my fiancee had to help with fixing it. Well I am not sure why but after she fixed it the drain bulkhead began to leak. We both tried as hard as we could but we can not get the nut on the BH to loosen. We think it is leaking because it is overtightened or maybe even cracked sing it was moved and what not when we were fitting the new plumbing. I am going to get a pair of Channel Grips this afternoon and try that. Any other Ideas?

[DaveS]

Channel grips should help. My guess is that the gasket is on the nut side. That would explain the leaking as well as tough to remove.

[YHSublime]

I'm with Dave.

[AUFishGuy]

Channel grips should help. My guess is that the gasket is on the nut side. That would explain the leaking as well as tough to remove.

 

 

Thanks, but the gasket is on the wet side and this bulkhead has been fine for a few months. I think when my fiancee was fitting the plumbing she turned it a bit or something that made it leak. Could be as easy as just taking it off and putting it back on or i may need a new gasket. I just need to get it off to figure that out.

[Origami]

Channel locks can help. In at least one instance, though, when I had a bulkhead nut recessed up into a hole in some plywood, I used a spring hand clamp to loosen the nut: I simply removed the plastic tip protectors from the jaws of the clamp, and it helped me to get a grip on the nut when I couldn't do so easily with my large channel locks.

[Amuze]

Probably some debris in there causing a channel for the leak. Once you get it off, make sure to clean all the surfaces including the tank glass before putting the bulkhead back on (that if it or the tank is not cracked).

[AUFishGuy]

Wanted to update. So my plumbing doesn't run straight down. It runs parallel for about a foot and a half. Turns out my pvc hanger had shifted and wasn't sure supporting the plumbing at all so the weight was causing the leak as well as the nut being stuck. As soon as I disconnected all of the plumbing the nut easily loosened. Feel kinda dumb, probably should have thought about that. Live and learn

Edited October 29, 2015 by AUFishGuy

[YHSublime]

Thanks for the update! Careful with any weight from the plumbing, can cause a lot of stress on the bulkhead, and lead to cracks.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[DaveS]

Thanks for the update! Careful with any weight from the plumbing, can cause a lot of stress on the bulkhead, and lead to cracks.

 

Yup, consider yourself lucky the weight didn't cause the bulkhead to crack/break and lead to a major leak.  We have had members in the past experience major bulkhead failures causes huge leaks and departure from the hobby.

 

In general Schedule80 PVC plumbing is overkill for fish systems but schedule 80 bulkheads are very useful in places where the plumbing may get bumped into and cause that flimsy black abs plastic to crack.