65 gallon tank
- Thread starter MichaelB
- Start date
I'd order a new set of o rings. The rubber degrades. You can also get them from aquatic collection.
If the red sea pipes were taken apart almost certainly the rings are now shot. If you try and fix it by tightening, you're going to crack the pipe threads and it'll start leaking like crazy until the overflow empties out completely.
The rings are relatively cheap. The pipes are not, and take forever to get shipped from all the places you can find them.
I say all the above from experience of having this issue on a used 170 I bought. I wasted a bunch of money and time because I screwed up multiple pipes before I knew this.
Edit: not sure why I thought you had a red sea, which I see you don't. I assume the same applies though.
If the red sea pipes were taken apart almost certainly the rings are now shot. If you try and fix it by tightening, you're going to crack the pipe threads and it'll start leaking like crazy until the overflow empties out completely.
The rings are relatively cheap. The pipes are not, and take forever to get shipped from all the places you can find them.
I say all the above from experience of having this issue on a used 170 I bought. I wasted a bunch of money and time because I screwed up multiple pipes before I knew this.
Edit: not sure why I thought you had a red sea, which I see you don't. I assume the same applies though.
MichaelB
Supporting Member
I have a small pump from the gear it had, I assume it goes with the reactor.I cleaned the reactor up but havent given it alot of thought, lol it opens up more questions what to put in it?, how best to use it?, and so on. I was planning to put the reactor aside until I get the tank going first assuming that rabbit hole can wait if it's not crucial to the tank cycle process.
MichaelB
Supporting Member
Yeah I'm cluess as to what kinda pipes they are. They look like good quality fittings so I will definitely make sure not to screw any of them up. I may just take the whole pipe to aquatic collection unless you think that's something neptune would carry as well?
Gonna play devils advocate. You could just take it apart. Clean it up really well and silicone it. Call it good. Just make sure you use 100% silicone with no mold inhibitors. Make sure it’s not leaking from the bulkhead. Check for specks of sand.
Tighten by hand as much as you can, then 1/8 turn after that. Would be good.
Tighten by hand as much as you can, then 1/8 turn after that. Would be good.
Reasonable plan. I'd just be really careful to not take "hand tight + 1/8 turn" to not mean "it's still leaking a bit, let me tighten it more". Especially if you see the silicone grease and think "let me put a little on the threads while I'm at it" which lets you tighten it really really hard.
Depends though though on what type of fitting we're talking about though. A union I'd be a lot less leery about than something like a down spout or a bulkhead.
A picture would help as well.
MichaelB
Supporting Member
Currently in concord for the swap tomorrow letting the kids swim at hotel pool, but I can give pictures when I'm back home. "Of course on the bulk heads don't crack glass and ruin the tank"
MichaelB
Supporting Member
Finally got it all cleaned up.
I can confirm their are however no cracks to the tank it self. Or actually pipes.
So starting to get the makings of a headache with the drips.
Special thank you to @Blaise006 he was kinda enough to take a quick look at my issue while picking up some equipment from me.he suggested hand tighting the screw for the return line and look for the gasket between the parts that screw to the glass.
To start I loosened it all the way up was able to see the gasket from the top through the overflow with a light shinkng down. From my observation it looks pretty new not shrunking cracked, split or corroded as far as I can tell. I was not able to pull the return pipe section thats in the overflow it'self out as its extremely tight and I fear bumping the tank and cracking it were i to apply enough pressure to forcefully pull it out. After that I tightened it up as tight as I could by hand current results is that section appears to not be leaking any more. I've only filled the overflow section of the tank as he recommended for the test and not entire tank.
The next issue is the drain line in the pictures with all the metal screw ring clamps. I propped the tank up to expose the bottom and I noticed water seaping up over one of the hoses thats clamped to the cut off vavle. I tighten all those tight as I could without cracking the pipes and it still seems to be slowly seaping over the top.
I've taken a few pictures hoping it better shows what i'm attempting to explain. And the clean tank and sump for the complete picture.
I can confirm their are however no cracks to the tank it self. Or actually pipes.
So starting to get the makings of a headache with the drips.
Special thank you to @Blaise006 he was kinda enough to take a quick look at my issue while picking up some equipment from me.he suggested hand tighting the screw for the return line and look for the gasket between the parts that screw to the glass.
To start I loosened it all the way up was able to see the gasket from the top through the overflow with a light shinkng down. From my observation it looks pretty new not shrunking cracked, split or corroded as far as I can tell. I was not able to pull the return pipe section thats in the overflow it'self out as its extremely tight and I fear bumping the tank and cracking it were i to apply enough pressure to forcefully pull it out. After that I tightened it up as tight as I could by hand current results is that section appears to not be leaking any more. I've only filled the overflow section of the tank as he recommended for the test and not entire tank.
The next issue is the drain line in the pictures with all the metal screw ring clamps. I propped the tank up to expose the bottom and I noticed water seaping up over one of the hoses thats clamped to the cut off vavle. I tighten all those tight as I could without cracking the pipes and it still seems to be slowly seaping over the top.
I've taken a few pictures hoping it better shows what i'm attempting to explain. And the clean tank and sump for the complete picture.
Attachments
If that's already leaking from the hose and it'snot even completely filled, then I'd plan on plumbing it with glued pvc fittings instead. If it was filled, the additional height of the water will increase pressure and it will continue to leak, likely worse.
If it were my project, I'd be using as many glued joints as possible with unions only where needed. PVC, fittings, and glue are cheap. The headache of a cleanup job because of a hose and clamps...no thank you!
If it were my project, I'd be using as many glued joints as possible with unions only where needed. PVC, fittings, and glue are cheap. The headache of a cleanup job because of a hose and clamps...no thank you!
Coral reefer
Past President
Use both holes for drains herbie style. Return over the back.
MichaelB
Supporting Member
Yea I was looking it over this afternoon there are probably no less than 4-5 potential leak points with all those hose clamps.
I'd definitely like to do what you suggest, do you think its possible to get peices that can connect it together and like still keep the the grey elbow from the tank itself, and the grey cut off value it screws directly into sump, all those black hoses is what seems to be a big mess. Just not fully sure how to go about it, or what peices or parts to buy to keep it simple.
MichaelB
Supporting Member
Never heard of it until you mentioned it. I read a few articles and diagrams of how it works. I will keep it as option two. If I can get something more simple between the elbow on drain line right under the tank to the cut off vavle of the sump it should be a bit easier for me. Considering the costs and plumbing side of things given my Ingnorce of plumbing.
Coral reefer
Past President
I bet someone here could do it for you pretty easy. If noise of the drain doesn’t matter maybe not worth it I guess
MichaelB
Supporting Member
The things I read about it was actually interesting. I just don't wanna get in over my head. Or risk flooding my apartment from a rookie mistake.
MichaelB
Supporting Member
I would be extremely grateful for some expert help. I have zero faith in how it currently is.
MichaelB
Supporting Member
So a continuation of the issue I had with water seaping over the plastic hoses that were clamped down with metal screw rings of the drain line to the sump. I dissambled the drain line. And took it to neptunes and the guys there examined the hoses and compared them to the same size hoses but new. It was pretty obvious during the side by side the original hoses from the drain line had become very streched out and too plyable to make a solid seal.
So I bought 2 feet of tubing, only needed about a foot so I figured a little extra would allow for a little wiggle room with the sump.
The current plan is to simply loose the center 90 degree elbow and the confusion of trying to connect multiple hoses (making several potential leak points) and use one hose from the bottom ridged elbow of tank's baffle directly to the riddge elbow of the union ball value that screws to the sump.
I was advised that with this new tubing it should fit tightly over the ridges without any water seapage and that if i bɔil water and dip the end of tubing for just a moment it will become soft enough to be pushed over the ridges and would become firm and water tight once it cools down.
I will attempt this later today and refill overflow compartment for another drip/ leak test of the drain line and return lines to and from the sump.
So I bought 2 feet of tubing, only needed about a foot so I figured a little extra would allow for a little wiggle room with the sump.
The current plan is to simply loose the center 90 degree elbow and the confusion of trying to connect multiple hoses (making several potential leak points) and use one hose from the bottom ridged elbow of tank's baffle directly to the riddge elbow of the union ball value that screws to the sump.
I was advised that with this new tubing it should fit tightly over the ridges without any water seapage and that if i bɔil water and dip the end of tubing for just a moment it will become soft enough to be pushed over the ridges and would become firm and water tight once it cools down.
I will attempt this later today and refill overflow compartment for another drip/ leak test of the drain line and return lines to and from the sump.
