Baffles coming off

[edress714]

So I'm a noob in the sump game. was excited I finally got it all set up but now one of the baffle is almost detached. it's a acrylic sump and the baffle us a form of acrylic, I think. it's black and it was used in another sump but as a baffle that slips into place. I used silicone to attach it. do I have to stop and take it all apart and try again? please help. thanks

[treesprite]

Silicone doesn't work very well on plastic or acrylic. There are special glues for acrylic... hopefully someone who knows that stuff will come along and give suggestions.

[Origami]

Silicone sealant doesn't provide a great bond with acrylic (you wouldn't use it for structural strength) but you can use it to set baffles in a sump using two beads running up either side of the baffle as long as there's not a lot of pressure on the baffle. Using something like Weldon 16 would give you a stronger joint with strength.

[treesprite]

I have used silicone on baffles, on both sides with an amount that would be excessive on glass, and every time I did it, the silicone eventually separated and peeled (That was before I broke a couple tanks and then took apart a few old tanks, which gave me a large supply of various sizes of glass).

 

I think there is some kind of way to make baffle-holding strips rather than use sealant, but I can't remember it... maybe someone else can give info about it (another instance of me giving half information - sorry).

[edress714]

I ordered some weldon 16. will take the sump out Wednesday and glue it again. thanks for the tips

[Origami]

I ordered some weldon 16. will take the sump out Wednesday and glue it again. thanks for the tips

That's probably the best approach.

 

BTW, Forrest may be referring to a technique that I read about years ago where some people would use adhesive closed-cell weather stripping on the sides and bottom of a baffle and, by angling it in and giving it a little twist could friction-fit a baffle into a sump well enough to make the sump reconfigurable.