Center Brace Failure

[Pennies2Cents]

Again Thanks to all who called, pm'd, or came by to check out the events.. lol

[Gseclipse02]

i would leave the clamps on for at least a week i took mine off after 2-3 days the first time and it popped again ...

this time around im doing it for 2 weeks to make sure not a process i want to do again

[princer7]

That is quite a job. I resealed a 210 a few years back... but it was empty and I was able to take my time.

Hope your corals and fish are doing ok. I agree with Gseclipse, I would leave the clamps on for a while.

[Mr Cob]

Glad this didn't become a huge proble!

[Pennies2Cents]

Just for future refrences here are the steps we took to put it back in place.

1..If your tank is full & setup you may want to remove about 4 inches of water so you have room to work with. Just think of it as a water change. Turn your system off.

2. Leave pumps on to allow circulation & water movement (ie) Maxijets,Seio's etc.
This will allow for circulation and water movement in your tank during the hrs of curing.
3. Place Clamps on tank with piece of plywood inbetween glass & clamp
4. Use razor to remove side of brace still attached
5. Use new razors to clean & remove old silicone from area where brace was attached all the way up to the trim
6. Use new razors to cleaned & remove old silicone from glass brace. It is a must to remove any and all silicone because new silicone will "not" adhere to brace and tank correctly
7. Begin to reseal with 33S 100% Silicone Sealant (Thank You Gabe's Fish & Exotic)
8. Place a beaded line on each side brace that will adhere to tank.
9. Put in place inside tank use clamps to tighten a little not to much as you still need to add more silicone to fill in the gap.
10. Use index finger or caulking tool to fill in extra space & level the amount of silicone on top & undernieth of brace. Dont forget the small sides.
11. After approx 24-36 hrs you may return water level back to normal and turn system back on (ie) Return Pumps etc.
12. Leave clamps on for a couple of days. 3-5 days or even a little more to allow silicone to dry, adhere & cure properly.

Just remember: Practice makes perfect. If it doesnt work the first time try steps 4-11 all over again. . As we will soon find out.

We hope this helps any and all who run into this problem in the future.

Again thanks to all who came to the rescue so early in the morning and throughout the day! lol

[Bill S]

I'd leave the clamps on for 7-10 days. It can take thick silicone a long time to cure out completely.

[Gseclipse02]

you can also use GE silicone 1 make sure to get clear ...its a lot cheaper 3-4$

[beareef19]

silicone takes a full 10 days to completely cure to the proper shore value.
Barry