I've completely cleaned out and resealed the inside of this tank. This was a learning experience as this was the first tank reseal I've done. The tank held for about 30 hrs then began to leak in the the same place around the bottome edge. The tank is put together with the outside pieces all extending past the bottom glass about 3/4". Should I reseal around the entire bottom or is this a waste of time? Does the entire tank need to be broken down and redone?
220gal glass tank still leaking. Need HELP!
- Thread starter mwilson
- Start date
It would help to know where the leak is. Put some food coloring in the area of the leak and then lood for where it is going into the silicone. When the dye dissipates, it should still be visible in the silicone (hopefully). When you have it located, drain the tank down to just above the leak and then saturate the area. Let it soak in and then drain it completely. The thicker dye will highlight exactly were it is traveling in the silicone. From there, you can plan how much silicone to remove or what plan of action to take.
I used food coloring it looks like the on just one side most of the seam between the bottom and side has seperated except for the about 6" from each end. I can apply pressure and see the water/air in the seam. Should I:
1.just take that side off and reseal it to the bottom and other walls.
2. redo the the whole thing?
3. Reseal the inside as well as the outside of the bottom glass
1.just take that side off and reseal it to the bottom and other walls.
2. redo the the whole thing?
3. Reseal the inside as well as the outside of the bottom glass
Remove all of the silicone in the area of the separation. I am assuming that you mean that it is also separated between the panes of glass. If this is so, remove the silicone there too. It is not necessary to remove the whole pane of glass. Do not use GE Silicone II (Door and Window); it will not give you maximum strength. Use GE 1200 silicone or Boss 310 (my favorite). There are other high strenght/ high solids formulations but I just can't quote them all.
Someone is going to say that silicone will not bond to cured silicone. This is a falacy. It just won't bond to silicone that has a film of dirt (bacteria or dead algae, etc.) on it. Silicone will in fact bond seamlessly to cured silicone. This information comes directly from a Dow chemist.
Someone is going to say that silicone will not bond to cured silicone. This is a falacy. It just won't bond to silicone that has a film of dirt (bacteria or dead algae, etc.) on it. Silicone will in fact bond seamlessly to cured silicone. This information comes directly from a Dow chemist.
thank you for the reply. how would you get all the silicone out from between both panes of glass without actually seperating the panes? is there suppose to be bracing under this center pane of glass or is it entirely held by the silicone? it is siliconed in place about 3/4" above the bottom of the outside panes? thanks again.
Yep...
However, I just used a razor knife to remove the silicone between the panes. It was already lose on one side, so I only had to cut the other.
However, I just used a razor knife to remove the silicone between the panes. It was already lose on one side, so I only had to cut the other.