Bulkhead/Fuge issue

I just filled it, and it failed again. Very slight drip, just like last time.

 

Is the drip coming between the glass and the bulkhead or the bulkhead and the pipe???

Should have asked this last night....

Sorry you are having a frustrating experience.

M

 

Acrylic and bulkhead, I think. That's definitely where it was leaking last night. Harder to see, now that there's silicone there.

 

Probably the most important piece of info for bulkheads. Cause when yo turn the nut the gasket "ripples" as the nut tightens nut having a flush seal on the surface.

 

The gasket is on the outside, where the flange is. The nut is on the inside. This is because of a space limitation under my stand that I didn't account for when getting the tank.

 

This may be a dumb question but is the rubber ring tight around the head of the bulkhead or is there some wear towards the center. Did you try to use the tape that plumbers put around threads? I used that and it stopped my leaks.

 

Is the bulkhead snug in the drilled hole? This is important for good sealing as it is hard to center a sloppy bulkhead. One tip I have used if it is a loose fit is go to the hardware, I prefer an Ace or True Value type here, and find an O ring that will fill the gap between the bulkhead and the inside diameter of the hole so it holds it centered and gives your gasket something to back up against.

Look closely at the flange surface making sure it does not have a casting or molding line withe excess plastic flashing. If so file it smooth, this makes a good channel for drips and is hard to seal. Also look for hairline cracks in the bulkhead, they may be hard to see.

 

I'll check out the other stuff if it turns out to not be the inner threads leaking.

 

File the threads out too, take a close look at both the female and male threads and you will be surprised how much rough plastic is in them that can be removed or smoothed out. The PlastoJoint sticks are really good here since it remains pliable and does not tear like teflon tape.

 

It's the inner part that's leaking this time. I don't see any extra bits of plastic to file on the inner threads, but I'm gonna check my outer piping piece this time to be sure there's no extra bits. I'm using Teflon, since I don't want to drive out to the closest distributor for that PlastoJoint stick.