jaggedfire Posted August 13, 2012 Share Posted August 13, 2012 As noted in my tank leaking thread, http://www.austinreefclub.com/topic/23516-tank-leaking-anyone-have-water-storage-contained/#entry169878 ( and thanks everyone!), I am now looking to repair this sad leaker. I had thought of not tearing the bottom apart and only bracing with a bar stock glass around the bottom perimeter to seal. However, I can not find a dealer that stocks > 3/8 thick glass, much less cut it to square. Was looking for 3/4 x 3/4 bar stock. SO, now I am looking to tear down and reseal the entire bottom leaving the walls intact. I have ordered some Momemtive RTV 108 and 103 for silicone. Big question now is, what are my chances of success with only resealing the bottom? The side seals "appear" perfect. Another trick to this tank is the sides sit around the bottom glass, not on top. I dont think this is typical is it? Above all, I only want to have to do this once, ideally not at all, so I value quality above all else. My window for time is around 1-2 weeks as the family wants the kitchen back! Thanks in advance everyone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sherita Posted August 13, 2012 Share Posted August 13, 2012 Personally, I wouldn't risk it. New silicone will not stick to old silicone, so in the corners where the side seams come down will always be a "weak seal" point. To do it right, you need to tear the tank completely down and rebuild it. That being said, it might work just fine. But if it doesn't then you will have some pretty serious water on the floor. Good luck, no matter which way you go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sifuentes31 Posted August 13, 2012 Share Posted August 13, 2012 I would say take it to HYdro (Stephen/WYSIWYG) but not sure he is in town anymore. I know Shane from Fishy Buisiness can reseal it for you but will probably cost some cash. Maybe ask Offroaddodge see if he can help. I think he put a tank together once also. But if you can't find anybody to help you i'll give you a hand with it. I've repaired two tanks already by cutting and replacing some broken panels but IN NO WAY I'M NO EXPERT!! Hope you get the answers you need. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaggedfire Posted August 14, 2012 Author Share Posted August 14, 2012 Well, a buddy of mine and I moved the tank and started decon on the attached lower surrounding molding and plywood base. It went well but slow as I used wood shims to slowly separate the siliconed and nailed molding away from the glass. The leak runs the entire lower back wall. The corners look good though. I am at a junction for a tough decision. This is basically a euro braced tank with siliconed wood base, lower molding and top molding. Has anyone reassembled a brace (euro)? Any suggestions? What is the typical cost for someone else to reassemble? I am pretty confident about my work, I'm just incredibly short on time now, and so short on work space my entire family is suffering.... not cool! Silicone should be here on Wednesday. I ordered two tubes and should be enough For ~700 linear inches. I also ordered two black for another project, so in case I run out, I'll be covered too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaggedfire Posted August 14, 2012 Author Share Posted August 14, 2012 Here are some photos of the process. Pretty hairy in the beginning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timfish Posted August 14, 2012 Share Posted August 14, 2012 I would make sure you get all the old silicone off. I've resiliconed tanks and had good luck but if you completely take apart the tank to resilicone it it is a lot of work and I would consider just replacing it. Have you checked for glass rod? Also tanks I've seen with reinforced bottom joints use two inch wide strips which you should be able to get easily. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
offroadodge Posted August 14, 2012 Share Posted August 14, 2012 so i dont know if HYDRO is up to this project for sure, i talked to him a week ago and he is VERY busy. I cant speak for him but you can try and call him. It realy difficult to see the euro braceing in the bottom of the tank but if it truly is then i would cut all of the silicone from the inside of the tank and reseal the whole thing. You can dissassymble the whole tank and clean all of the silicone off then put it back together but it one HELL of a project and will be time consuming. You can cut the glass bracing for the botton as long as its all straight, it easy. I could reseal it but cant tell you a time line. Also i WOULDNT use the silicone youve ordered, dont know much about it. I use DOW 732 and it military grade. i put my tank together in my tank build and worked great. PM me and i cant give you a call and talk about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timfish Posted August 14, 2012 Share Posted August 14, 2012 FYI All Momentive silicones are GE silicones. I wouldn't worry about using RTV 108. RTV 167 is very expensive ($60 + for 10 oz cartridge) but is much stronger. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaggedfire Posted August 14, 2012 Author Share Posted August 14, 2012 Thanks for the replys eveyone. It isn't currently braced in the bottom currently, I was looking to do that in addition to or instead of reseal. I do realize the monumental undertaking..it will be difficult but not impossible. My limitation at the moment is space and time. I did extensive research on acetoxy one part silicone for resealing aquariums. I did consider the dc732, but it has 25% less tensile strength and 1/3 less tear strength of the momentive rtv 100series. There are even better silicone out there, but not at the same price point/availability that the rtv100 is. Specifically scs1200 was recommended,but difficult to find. The rtv167 has incredible tensile strength, but seems to only be available in grey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaggedfire Posted August 14, 2012 Author Share Posted August 14, 2012 Scraping silicone and cleaning with a remover is also not so big of a deal, just time consuming. I do have a few extra rolls of fine emory if edges need to be cleaned. Other than mineral spirits and acetone any other suggested cleanup and removal solvents? I have several 100 packs of razors ready to go. If I could get Hydro to reassemble for a good price I would definitely jump on that opportunity, but I understand his schedule will probably also be limited. @Tim: I didnt reallize Momemtive was GE products until after doing the silicone research. Turns out GE sold that division to another company and is raking in the dough. So my question now, should a 1"x 1/4" thick plate be sufficient for bracing the bottom? I had high hopes of just bracing instead of this, but that isnt going to happen now. Again, thank you everyone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Entropy Posted August 14, 2012 Share Posted August 14, 2012 Can you just add 1/2" thick by 2" wide bracing along the bottom? My old 58g was built like this and it was pretty much bullet proof as far as leaks go. That should provide a complete seal along the entire bottom edge without you having to take the tank apart at all?The previous owner of my old tank then filled the middle with star board so it was flat across the bottom. Your tank is not rimless so you wouldn't even notice from the outside. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaggedfire Posted August 14, 2012 Author Share Posted August 14, 2012 Entropy, This was my original idea. I wanted to brace the bottom perimeter with bracing to create a new seal. I however couldnt find it in stock. Largest I can get is 3/8 without special order. One thing to note that is not in this photo though, the bottom plate sits INSIDE the perimeter of the walls, not on top. To help with this I had planned to cut a larger base of plywood and continue the lower moulding around the back as well to help reinforce this seal. The leak seems to be a combo of plywood bottom bowing down(allowing the glass to do the same) and the back plate bowing out. Here is a new sketch: My fear here is the seal wasnt just weak in the back center, it is weak throughout the entire back seam. That includes the overflows, but the seal from the lower plate to the overflows is good as well as the sides and front, so I "should" be okay for just a patch. I am just nervous as !@#$ to leave that with the chance of failure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaggedfire Posted August 14, 2012 Author Share Posted August 14, 2012 I want to add some other info too. I went back and measured the top of the stand to see if that was or could be a point of failure. While it was not 100% flat, it's deck was flat within 1/16" with the center being the lowest. With a base of the tank also having a deck of ply, I didnt consider this type of failure possible. I am sooo wrong. I may add a center brace to the back of the stand as a non-permanent option as doing so permanently would limit my sump options. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Entropy Posted August 14, 2012 Share Posted August 14, 2012 My old 58g (Glass Cages) looked like: Well except all the silicone was old since it was a new tank when the work was done. I actually thought it was odd since it was only a 58 (30x30x15), but they went around the entire bottom except the overflow area (which is also glass). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaggedfire Posted August 14, 2012 Author Share Posted August 14, 2012 Entropy, how long was this running after the repair? I like the single brace option. I dont think I would need to use them around the entire bottom perimeter. Anyone else have success with this? My entire hesitation about a complete breakdown again is the front seals are beautiful and perfect from top to bottom. I dont want to sacrifice those. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Entropy Posted August 14, 2012 Share Posted August 14, 2012 I think I mislead you. My tank came this way from the factory (Glass Cages). They chose to add the bracing on their own. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Entropy Posted August 14, 2012 Share Posted August 14, 2012 Wow, I really suck at photography. Here is probably the most useful picture. You can see the bracing they added. It is actually probably 3/8" thick x1" wide. I don't have the tank anymore or I would take better pictures. It is designed like yours though with the outside glass surrounding the bottom pane. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaggedfire Posted August 14, 2012 Author Share Posted August 14, 2012 This seems that it would be good enough for my tank. I may remove just the bottom and then do this, but I dont feel the sides and top brace need to be replaced. Thanks Rich! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.