resealing with black silicon
- Thread starter McPhish
- Start date
I'm actually not recommending he or anyone else totally break the tank down or fix the leak at all. I'm just saying that if he is going to attempt the repair then to do it correctly. Repairing leaks can be a huge pain in the butt and can be difficult to do correctly, but I'd sleep better at night knowing it was done right. But I do understand most people dont have the money to just replace a leaker.
But in the case with leaks, just stripping out the corner bead and replacing it is just putting a band aid over the real problem, the seam between the glass. It may be holding for now but if there is a flaw now the pressure on the seam will eventually have it give more and more.
Sure, may not happen for a while, but it can and does happen.
But in the case with leaks, just stripping out the corner bead and replacing it is just putting a band aid over the real problem, the seam between the glass. It may be holding for now but if there is a flaw now the pressure on the seam will eventually have it give more and more.
Sure, may not happen for a while, but it can and does happen.
You dont think the acetone used to clean the old silicone off will damage the bond between the glass? With as much as you should be using to clean it is bound to get on the remaining silicone. Plus I certainly wouldnt trust my hands with a razor to not get too close to the bead between the glass and puncture it.
I just want to clarify a couple of points that have come up in this thread:
1. RTV stands for Room Temperature Vulcanizing. All single tube silicons available to us are RTV's. Momentive RTV 100 series is one of the strongest silicons for our application.
2. The difference between the seam between the glass panels and the corner bead is the direction of the forces acting on the silicone. Though there is a component of each force in both joints, the silicone between the glass panels is under more tension and the silicone in the corner bead is experiencing more shear. If you check the datasheets for any of these products, they will list the tensile strength and shear strength for that product. Here is the datasheet for Momentive 100 series silicons: http://www.momentive.com/Products/ShowTechnicalDataSheet.aspx?id=10289. Please note that the shear strength is half of the tensile strength.
3. It was stated that the corner bead protects the joint between the panels. This is correct. Saltwater attacks and degrades silicone adhesives. In saltwater applications the corner bead buys you more time before the whole tank has to be torn down and re-siliconed.
Will the tank fall apart if you just redo the inside corners? I don't know. I hope I have provided enough info for you to make your own decision.
1. RTV stands for Room Temperature Vulcanizing. All single tube silicons available to us are RTV's. Momentive RTV 100 series is one of the strongest silicons for our application.
2. The difference between the seam between the glass panels and the corner bead is the direction of the forces acting on the silicone. Though there is a component of each force in both joints, the silicone between the glass panels is under more tension and the silicone in the corner bead is experiencing more shear. If you check the datasheets for any of these products, they will list the tensile strength and shear strength for that product. Here is the datasheet for Momentive 100 series silicons: http://www.momentive.com/Products/ShowTechnicalDataSheet.aspx?id=10289. Please note that the shear strength is half of the tensile strength.
3. It was stated that the corner bead protects the joint between the panels. This is correct. Saltwater attacks and degrades silicone adhesives. In saltwater applications the corner bead buys you more time before the whole tank has to be torn down and re-siliconed.
Will the tank fall apart if you just redo the inside corners? I don't know. I hope I have provided enough info for you to make your own decision.
Just two more pointers:
1. The joint between the glass panels needs to be about 1/8 inch. Any less and there won't be enough silicone to hold it together.
2. Do not apply the silicone at thickness greater than 1/4 inch or it may never cure completely. This type of silicone cures by absorbing atmospheric moisture. Water vapor may not be able to fully penetrate applications greater than 1/4 inch so watch how thick you go in the corners.
1. The joint between the glass panels needs to be about 1/8 inch. Any less and there won't be enough silicone to hold it together.
2. Do not apply the silicone at thickness greater than 1/4 inch or it may never cure completely. This type of silicone cures by absorbing atmospheric moisture. Water vapor may not be able to fully penetrate applications greater than 1/4 inch so watch how thick you go in the corners.
Well, you know what they say, there is the right way, and then there is the way everyone does it that still works just fine 99.999% of the time and is way easier. It’s like working on your computer without a grounding strap with grounding mat… because you know.. that is the right way to do it. But myself and 100 other people I know have successfully worked on them without it with no issues for 3 decades doing it that way.
Add to that the hundreds of people on this site that resealed with no issues without a full breakdown. I have done a couple myself.. no issues.
Add to that the hundreds of people on this site that resealed with no issues without a full breakdown. I have done a couple myself.. no issues.
And there is also what I said, it isn't my home that will eventually get wet. You, the OP and everyone else out there are welcome to do it however they like, I just gave the correct way to do it and made an attempt to stop some of the misinformation that goes around this place like hot cakes. I'd rather spend the few extra bucks and few extra hours to be sure about my tank.
