Tank leak

[menglish]

I all,

I have hoping to get some help/suggestions from my friends.

A few days ago i discovered water on the front of my tank, bottom of the tank.

First i thought the seam at the bottom front of the tank was leaking, but after seeing all the salt creep at the back of the tank, and the fact that the back of the tank was wet, i figured it must be coming from the bulkhead in the 5' long custom overflow box.

My plan was to swap out the gaskets to see it that fixes the problem.

However, today someone suggested it could be the overflow box, which i did not considered.

So, I still plan to swap out the gaskets, as that is the easiest thing to change,

However, i am starting to think that the overflow box could be the problem.

The issue is, is there a company locally that could remake the overflow box for me (It has to be predrilled to fit the same holes in the tank)

Any suggestions?

 

Much thanks

 

Milton

[epleeds]

Depending on where it is leaking and how big of a leak it is, you could always use reef safe silicon and coat the inside of the overflow box to see if that will fix your issues. 

[Jon Lazar]

That's what I would do too.  Try to figure out what's leaking.  Once you isolate the leak, figure out a permanent fix.

[WheresTheReef]

Wipe it all dry and inspect for leaks. I wouldn’t change anything until you isolate the problem.

[Jon Lazar]

Or, realize that this is a catastrophe waiting to happen and flood your house.  Therefore, to be safe, you MUST upgrade to a larger/better/newer tank.  

[menglish]

I like the idea of the silicone in the overflow box, if that is where it is from.

I will have to clean and dry it out tomorrow.  Even this will be a challenge as i only have about 8" behind the tank to work with.

The good thing is, it is a slow leak so i have some time and i feel confident it is not the tank it self. I was most worried about that

 

Jon, as for your idea, love it. But i used a similar excuse with the wifie before. Not sure she will fall for it again.

Plus, where  and how will i hold my life stocks

Its a 180g system pack with corals and about 30 fish

 

 

[GraffitiSpotCorals]

Beautiful acro colonies you have in there by the way. I would clean the whole tanks outside and find exactly where the leak is coming from. 

[menglish]

Thanks all for the idea with the silicone.  I was able to find two leaks coming from under the overflow box. Since the 3 bulkheads were emptying into the overflow box, I have to conclude the the leak was coming for the overflow box.

I was able to get some silicone and reseal the entire box (all 5 feet of it). It was not the prettiest of job as i only have 6" behind the tank to work with. I had to literally work over the tank on a step ladder to get access to the overflow.

I will let the cure overnight and tomorrow will turn back on the return pump.

Hopefully this solve the problem.

will let you know tomorrow.

 

Eric

Jon

Eric

Paul

will be happy to give you a frag of the green acro if you are interested. I was starting to entertain the idea of having to break the whole system down to fix it.

Wow!!

So far no more water on the stand, so the problem was likely the overflow box

Thank you all very much for the suggestion.

 

[WheresTheReef]

Hope it does the job. Let us know how it goes once you start the pump back on. How’s your tank temp holding? You could consider putting your heater(s) into the DT if it becomes an issue. Maybe point a powerhead more to the surface for a little more oxygen exchange. Thanks for the frag offer. Not necessary, but maybe an excuse just to see your tank once all the craziness passes by.

[menglish]

Temp was  at 75

just put an heater in the DT

thanks you so much.

 

not a problem on the tank visit

[GraffitiSpotCorals]

I ran my tank temp that low for a while and it did great.  I would love to come see those colonies whenever this virus stuff calms down!  I would love to buy some nice chunky cuts if you ever need to trim. 

[menglish]

Thanks all for the idea with the silicone.  I was able to find two leaks coming from under the overflow box. Since the 3 bulkheads were emptying into the overflow box, I have to conclude the the leak was coming for the overflow box.

I was able to get some silicone and reseal the entire box (all 5 feet of it). It was not the prettiest of job as i only have 6" behind the tank to work with. I had to literally work over the tank on a step ladder to get access to the overflow.

Eric

Jon

Eric

Paul

 

[menglish]

So, my optimism has been shattered.

I turned on the return pump this AM and the tank is still leaking. :(

I can detect water along the entire length of the overflow box (5 feet)

not sure when it is coming out.  There are 3 2" bulkheads spaced inside the overflow box.  Is is possible that at least one of them is leaking?

Those bulkheads are emptying directly into the overflow, so how is water getting between the bk of the tank and the overflow box?

any other suggestions?

 

Many thanks

 

[epleeds]

Out of curiosity how is the waterline in the overflow box?  Could there be a crack higher up?

 

can u remove the overflow box and fill it up to see if it comes out anywhere?  

[menglish]

If there is a crack, it is a very small one as the water line looks the normal height and the leak is very slow. more like a slow seep.

Yes, I can talk the overflow out. I did ordered some replacement gaskets but they are not going to be here until later in the week

[epleeds]

I would take the overflow off and fill it up. Then look to see if you can see where it’s coming from. Then u might be able to silicon the edges from the bottom to the top. If it’s on a seam, that might  fix the issue. 

[WheresTheReef]

Pictures of/around the overflow? Could it be a bulkhead that has come loose or developed a hairline crack?

[maevepotter]

Oh man, I'm so sorry to hear this Milton! I wish this stupid virus wasn't happening so you could get better help. Let me know if I can do anything.

Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk

[davelin315]

Milton, maybe I'm missing it in the thread but what does the overflow look like?  I'm having a hard time picturing what you're talking about.

[menglish]

11 hours ago, davelin315 said:

Milton, maybe I'm missing it in the thread but what does the overflow look like?  I'm having a hard time picturing what you're talking about.

Hi Dave,

the overflow is 5 feel long, 6" deep and 4" wide. It is held to the tank by 3 2" ABS bulkheads and has a bean animal overflow (3- 1.5" pipes).

I am waiting to get in some new gaskets to swap our or perhaps i just need to tighten the bulkheads a bit more.

I have to take off the canopy to even get access to the center bulkhead so it requires 2 people to do it. Then i have to use a step ladder to reach over the tank.

I have my wife on an intense weight training schedule so she can help me lift the hood off ()

I am hoping i can fix it by the end of the week

[YHSublime]

1 hour ago, menglish said:

Hi Dave,

the overflow is 5 feel long, 6" deep and 4" wide. It is held to the tank by 3 2" ABS bulkheads and has a bean animal overflow (3- 1.5" pipes).

I am waiting to get in some new gaskets to swap our or perhaps i just need to tighten the bulkheads a bit more.

I have to take off the canopy to even get access to the center bulkhead so it requires 2 people to do it. Then i have to use a step ladder to reach over the tank.

I have my wife on an intense weight training schedule so she can help me lift the hood off ()

I am hoping i can fix it by the end of the week

 

I honestly think you'll do yourself a favor if you just get the overflow off an inspect, that way you can see if its the box, bulkheads, or gaskets. 

 

I think it's a reality that you might get it off, not find any cracks or issues, assemble it back together again and the problem is solved. By my calculations, you probably have about 6 gallons of water that is getting contentiously run through it, for years now, right? I think with that kind of strain you absolutely might want to check out tightening the bulkheads as well. 

[menglish]

Hi Isaac,

I am in agreement with you.

The plan is to remove the overflow box and then inspect it to see if there are any cracks or if the gasket is just loose.  As it will be very cumbersome to get the box off, I will wait until i receive the replacement gaskets that way i can replace them at the same time if necessary.  Fortunately, the leak is very slow so i am keeping an eye on it while i wait.

[menglish]

So i finally got the replacement gaskets in and decided to take the overflow box off.

It turns out two of the bulkheads were a bit loose. I tighten then another turn or so and the leak has stopped.   kept rechecking it all day and so far it has been bone dry.

Turns out to be an easy fix.

 

Thanks all for your suggestions

[YHSublime]

1 minute ago, menglish said:

So i finally got the replacement gaskets in and decided to take the overflow box off.

It turns out two of the bulkheads were a bit loose. I tighten then another turn or so and the leak has stopped.   kept rechecking it all day and so far it has been bone dry.

Turns out to be an easy fix.

 

Thanks all for your suggestions

 

Figured. Glad it was as simple as that! 

[epleeds]

Sweet!!!