Anyone that could help with plumbing

[FSU]

Need some help with the plumbing on my tank....leakage again. I am on the NE side of San Antonio, Universal City. Could also use some ideas to clean up my wiring and what not. Anyway, anyone that may be able to come over and help would be appreciated! I can pay if needed too, just want to get this taking care of once and for all!

Thx, Rick

[SKNR]

Where is the leak coming from,how did you connect the pipes and what kind of pipes?
ex. PVC pipe, threaded , glued, clear tubing

[FSU]

Where is the leak coming from,how did you connect the pipes and what kind of pipes?
ex. PVC pipe, threaded , glued, clear tubing

It's coming from the tubing that inserts into the sump. It's the cheap threaded tubing that comes with a wet/dry. I have the ends glued, (which I was told by some others to start over lol, but didn't listen) into the bulkheads, but it's not leaking at the connection. The bottom of one of the tubes looks as if it is split in the threaded portion, so my quick fix glue job won't work!

[RICKY81]

what kind of pipe r u using, i used pvc pipes on mine, and cleaned it real good around the pipe and inside, and then used some silicone inside, and then around the trim to prevent it from leaking. left it to dry for a good 48 hours and that did the job...then got kind of lazy and bought some cement glue at lowe's and glued it together "i know it was not right thing to do but just used small amounts and silicone on the outside.

[SKNR]

It has been my experience that if something has a split get rid of it and start over. I would be glad to help but this week is really busy for me and would not be able to help out till next Monday. It's going to be hard enough for me to get away to this months meeting on Sat. If some time opens up I would be happy to help.

[FSU]

It has been my experience that if something has a split get rid of it and start over. I would be glad to help but this week is really busy for me and would not be able to help out till next Monday. It's going to be hard enough for me to get away to this months meeting on Sat. If some time opens up I would be happy to help.

That's cool, if you can you can, if not I appreciate the offer anyway!

[ismvel]

And I am right down the street, so if you need help, just give me a shout.

[caferacermike]

Ricky what's wrong with using the same cement we use in our drinking water systems?

Actually using silicone inside the joints and outside is an absolutely abysmal method for securing pipes. Using silicone shows a complete lack of understanding of how the PVC system works. Allow me a moment to explain. The inside socket of a fitting is slightly tapered towards the inside, meaning it gets harder to push a fitting onto pipe the farther it travels. Using cement actually welds pipe by combining melted pipe and fitting together creating a bond that can actually be stronger than either the pipe or the fitting by themselves. The idea is that the cement works like a solvent to actually melt a small amount of the surface of both the pipe and the socket. This allows the pipe to finally push in easily and seat at the bottom of the socket, unlike when you attempt to dry fit them. At this point the melted surface of the socket and pipe begin to bond. The solvents quickly dry into the atmosphere allowing for a very quick, think seconds, bond. In fact waiting more than about 5 minutes for a clean weld to take hold is basically pointless, even more so for our fish tanks that are not pressurized systems. By this I mean that since our systems are open at the end you don't build any pressure into the pipe joint itself.

Allow me to point out the negatives of using silicone.... Besides that it makes for the ugliest most unprofessional looking joints. Using silicone does not melt the surfaces down to allow for a more precise fit inside the tapered socket. Basically what you've done is force fit the the socket to the pipe to the point that friction is all that is holding them together. This is bad as over time vibration can cause them to separate, always 5 minutes after you left for that week long vacation. Using a bead of silicone on the outside of said joint shows proof that people using this method realize that it does not work and that it leaks. It's like a band-aid, and we all know that after time passes that a band-aid will eventually let go and fall off. Over time the water working it's way up from underneath the silicone will eventually find a weak area and leak between the silicone and PVC as there is absolutely no mechanical or chemical bond between them, might as well use duct-tape. Ever notice that aquariums have the silicone on the inside of the tank? Ever ask yourself why that is? That's because the weighted pressure of all that water inside the tank forces the silicone into the corners of the tank and creates an even tighter seal. If it were on the outside the weight of the water would be forcing the silicone away from the glass and eventually the strain would allow it to let go.


I'd love to go on and on about the special bond of PVC but alas I've run out of time. This is my line of work and has been for a decade and a half. Don't skimp, just use the system that was designed to work. There is absolutely no reason not to.