530g Tank Setup and Plumbing Help :)

nzafi

Goliath Tigerfish
MFK Member
Mar 14, 2008
2,177
1,236
179
USA
Wipe off with a towel you dislike or even a large stack of paper towels. It isn’t nearly as hard as it may seem. It’s doesnt have to be spotless just make sure you gotten all the large harder pieces that may mess with your new seal.
My biggest problem is that I can literally not get the pvc out of the pump. I’m turning as hard as I can and it doesn’t budge.
 

nzafi

Goliath Tigerfish
MFK Member
Mar 14, 2008
2,177
1,236
179
USA
Managed to get the intake plumbing, but still working on the output. Doesn’t want to budge at all.
 

nzafi

Goliath Tigerfish
MFK Member
Mar 14, 2008
2,177
1,236
179
USA
At this stage I’m thinking if I can get the return to move at all I should maybe just put a glop of thread sealant at the top and hope for the best. :(
 

JK47

Retired MFK Admin
MFK Member
Aug 4, 2008
11,112
3,478
2,555
Washington
At this stage I’m thinking if I can get the return to move at all I should maybe just put a glop of thread sealant at the top and hope for the best. :(
You certainly can. Do y expect it to dry or seal while full of water though. Empty the line and let it dry overnight if you do that approach.
 

nzafi

Goliath Tigerfish
MFK Member
Mar 14, 2008
2,177
1,236
179
USA
You certainly can. Do y expect it to dry or seal while full of water though. Empty the line and let it dry overnight if you do that approach.
After much swearing and using a wrench I got it off. I completely emptied the pump and the union ball valves have kept water away from the pump. I have resealed both the intake and return with a ton of sealant and planning to leave it to dry over night before leak testing again.

Tons of work left. Currently have tape as support and need to drill my stand and install the straps. Additionally I need to install the drip line and drain line. Hoping to finish by tomorrow.
 

JK47

Retired MFK Admin
MFK Member
Aug 4, 2008
11,112
3,478
2,555
Washington
After much swearing and using a wrench I got it off. I completely emptied the pump and the union ball valves have kept water away from the pump. I have resealed both the intake and return with a ton of sealant and planning to leave it to dry over night before leak testing again.

Tons of work left. Currently have tape as support and need to drill my stand and install the straps. Additionally I need to install the drip line and drain line. Hoping to finish by tomorrow.
Make sure it dries in place. As in threaded back in. If not it will leak again when it’s put in place and settles.
 

nzafi

Goliath Tigerfish
MFK Member
Mar 14, 2008
2,177
1,236
179
USA
Make sure it dries in place. As in threaded back in. If not it will leak again when it’s put in place and settles.
Yup. Reconnected everything in place ASAP so I can avoid the prior issues.
 

nzafi

Goliath Tigerfish
MFK Member
Mar 14, 2008
2,177
1,236
179
USA
The pump thread sealant is likely because the slip portion was done after the thread sealant. You want no movement after thread sealant. The amount you used looked perfect. You want a nice solid bead around the top. Turn the valves off and unthread the union nut. You don’t have to empty the lines but may need to temporarily support them while the pump is out. Should only take a half hour or so.

The elbow can be fixed by emptying the line, drying the leak area and applying some weldon like mrrobxc mrrobxc suggested or even more of the cement you have now. It will not look great but applying more cement over the top may stop it as well if small. There are other products like putties etc that can be used as well.
Decided to move forward and use the existing pvc cement to try and seal. I’ve ordered the Weldon regardless as I’m sure it’s good to have on hand.
 
  • Like
Reactions: mrrobxc

nzafi

Goliath Tigerfish
MFK Member
Mar 14, 2008
2,177
1,236
179
USA
Well everyone, the hmf filters seem to running like a charm and the remaining two leaks have been tackled and are drying. Tomorrow I will do another leak check and get started on the support straps. Once that is done I’ll then finish the 24/7 drip drain, and then reconnect the backflush line. Not sure when I will test that.

The plan is to get the aimara into the tank tomorrow. Hopefully the water temp gets up to 77 and the leaks are solved.
 
  • Like
Reactions: mrrobxc and JK47

nzafi

Goliath Tigerfish
MFK Member
Mar 14, 2008
2,177
1,236
179
USA
Forgot to say this is one of the most difficult projects I’ve done and probably the most difficult physical job. I’m not handy at all and this has been a huge undertaking for me. I would really like to thank JK47 JK47 and others that have given me support. There were several times over the last 1.5 weeks that I wanted to quit and just do hmf. Almost there.
 
zoomed.com
hikariusa.com
aqaimports.com
Store