lmeyer November 21, 2015 Share November 21, 2015 Sometimes it doesn't pay to do maintenance. The Iwaki Pump that was running my protein skimmer/open loop was making a lot of noise, so I decided to take it off line to clean and see if I could quiet it down some. I was having trouble opening the union between the sump and the pump and was trying to get a better grip on it when the whole of the pipe turned and now the sump is leaking. I can't tell yet if I have cracked the sump or just the bulkhead. Fortunately, the tank is in a dedicated fish room, on a concrete floor with a built in floor drain. If the issue is w/ the bulk head, it won't be a terrible fix. but if it is in the sump, this is going to be a major pain. The leak isn't coming out too quickly, there is about 100 gallons in the sump and I would guess less than 10 gallons have leaked so far, although I can feel water coming out by the bulk head. My guess (wishful thinking??) is that the issue is just a broken bulk head. Not sure how I will figure that out. If it is the sump itself, I am going to need a 180 gallon tank to replace the existing sump. I don't suppose anybody has one they are trying to get rid of? Any thoughts/suggestions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
khh27 November 21, 2015 Share November 21, 2015 When the pipe turned it could have loosened the bulkhead. I'm asuming you tried to retighten it? Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob A November 21, 2015 Share November 21, 2015 I would drain the sump into whatever you can so that you can disassemble and inspect the fitting. First I would want to have a spare bulkhead in case that is the issue. The other thing is to make or be prepared to make a glass patch. Get a piece of glass that is a few inches bigger than the bulkhead and drill a hole in it the same size as the bulkhead. If your glass tank is cracked you can silicone the "patch" in place until you can get a new tank. I did this to mine 2 years ago. Still holding. There is a crack between the two fittings in this picture. I also put a piece of 1/4" Plexiglas on the inside to spread out the force when tightening the bulkheads. Sent from my SM-N900P using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmeyer November 21, 2015 Author Share November 21, 2015 Could be that simple. I did that as soon as the leak started, which slowed it down. The leak appears to be coming out at a rate of a couple of drops per second. Unfortunately, due to poor design on my part, the bulkhead is really hard to reach. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmeyer November 21, 2015 Author Share November 21, 2015 Thanks, Rob. Good idea. Draining the sump will take some time, but I think that will be the right approach. Thankfully, I have the closed loop running so the main tank is at least still being aerated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Origami December 8, 2015 Share December 8, 2015 What's the outcome? Get it fixed? Sometimes when this happens, it's just the gasket that's shifted a little bit or is not seated as well as it was before hand. In that case, taking the bulkhead out and cleaning up the parts and all mating surfaces can restore seal integrity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zygote2k December 9, 2015 Share December 9, 2015 As before Larry, I'm always available to help with your project. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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