Leaking 180 gallon.

shelbybmc

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Mar 12, 2013
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Few months back my tank sprung a leak. I honestly was so discouraged when it happened I drained out whatever was left and put the dang thing away so I really don't know where it was. I have now finally got around to looking into it. There are no cracks at all on any of the glass and I've scraped out all the interior silicone. After further inspection I still cant even see where the leak would be in the seams so it must not be that big. I don't have a stand right now either to do some water tests. Should I just reseal the inside of the tank or should I dismantle the entire thing? I have no experience taking the entire tank apart and I'm honestly leery of doing so.
 

that_fish_Guy

Peacock Bass
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Jul 29, 2013
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No need to dismantle. 90% of leaks have to do with the silicone so you if have already taken off all the silicone you have in a sense removed any area that would have been the portion where it leaks. The glass is usually never a factor when it comes to leaks unless it's chipped, cracked etc. If you have removed the seal, thoroughly clean the area where the silicone would go with alcohol. Let that completely dry and then reseal the entire tank in one session because old silicone won't bond to new silicone that well. Once you have resealed all seams, wait about a week or two if you can before filling. I KNOW some people and some products may say that in only 24-48 hours it's cured enough to fill but trust me.... Easier and less of a hassle just to wait as long as possible up to a week or two .... You don't want to end up with any defect in the seal and if it's worth the effort to reseal its worth the time to wait. I have resealed several tanks from 20 gallons to 180 gallons never have had any issue.

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shelbybmc

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Alright great, Yeah I have removed all the visible silicone around the seems. Should I be stripping the silicone down flush to the glass seems or digging right into it? I could cut into the seem with a razor and remove more silicone but how far is to far? Is there some hard adhesive in between the glass? Forgive my ignorance here Ive never had to do this and I need it done right lol.
 

that_fish_Guy

Peacock Bass
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Alright great, Yeah I have removed all the visible silicone around the seems. Should I be stripping the silicone down flush to the glass seems or digging right into it? I could cut into the seem with a razor and remove more silicone but how far is to far? Is there some hard adhesive in between the glass? Forgive my ignorance here Ive never had to do this and I need it done right lol.
Don't dig in between the glass panes just remove ALL and I mean ALL visible silicone so that all that is there is flat glass and you can see the glass panels meet at a point where the seams used to be. There shouldn't be any silicone visible in the tank all panes should be scraped clean with a razor and cleaned with alcohol to ensure all particles and debris are removed. Do NOT mess with the silicone in between the panels. You will cause more trouble for yourself than its worth. Just leave the in between areas alone

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xraycer

Arapaima
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Sep 5, 2013
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The structural seal is compromise. It is the adhesive layer that holds the glass panes together. Not good. Resealing just the in-tank silicone bead is just putting a bandaid on a potential time bomb. If this tank will be set up in an area where flooding isn't an issue, then it may be worth the risk, but otherwise you should dismantle the entire tank and rebuild it.
 

shelbybmc

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Mar 12, 2013
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Alright sweet thats right where I am currently, Gonna go through again tonight with the alcohol. NOW lol the big question. I dont have enough cash right now for the RTV 108 that ive heard great things about but my local hardware store has GE Silicone 1 which ive also heard good things about. Any suggestions?
 

that_fish_Guy

Peacock Bass
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You can remove the panels however he said he was not experienced with this whatsoever and with nobody to help him out it would be just as fine to just reseal the inner seams. Imo. I see no need. He will get some of the bead in between the panels when he smooths the bead down. I've done many tanks like this with no issue although I guess it's something to consider.

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that_fish_Guy

Peacock Bass
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I used GE1 window and door several times no issue

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Jacunaba

Candiru
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May 23, 2012
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No need to dismantle. 90% of leaks have to do with the silicone so you if have already taken off all the silicone you have in a sense removed any area that would have been the portion where it leaks. The glass is usually never a factor when it comes to leaks unless it's chipped, cracked etc. If you have removed the seal, thoroughly clean the area where the silicone would go with alcohol. Let that completely dry and then reseal the entire tank in one session because old silicone won't bond to new silicone that well. Once you have resealed all seams, wait about a week or two if you can before filling. I KNOW some people and some products may say that in only 24-48 hours it's cured enough to fill but trust me.... Easier and less of a hassle just to wait as long as possible up to a week or two

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Bad advice is bad advice. Sometimes it's better to not say anything at all. 99.9999999% of leaks are due to the main seal being compromised.
The filet joint used by manufacturers is there to protect said main seal. It has no structural support.
On smaller tanks, sure it'll work strictly as a band aid. I wouldn't risk it with 180 gal, simple as that. I'm not saying you won't have a tank that holds water, it's how long it holds water is the question.
Ticking time bomb is the only real way to put it.




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that_fish_Guy

Peacock Bass
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Jul 29, 2013
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Bad advice is bad advice. Sometimes it's better to not say anything at all. 99.9999999% of leaks are due to the main seal being compromised.
The filet joint used by manufacturers is there to protect said main seal. It has no structural support.





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Sorry if I've mislead or gave "wrong advice" just sharing what has worked for me countless times. I understand that the inner seams matter as well. Just any time I've resealed I've done it without dismantling the tank most of the time unless it was a big major leak with no issue.

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