Bulkhead + silicone = ????

[twentyleagues]

So I have never had to do this.....until today.
Bulkheads wouldnt stop leaking. Hope this works.......

Anyone ever try it?

 

[Troy1015]

Good luck. I almost wemt this route a few months ago. Found 2 teflon rolls fixed my leak.

 

[BIG-G]

Usually if the rubber ring is in good condition it’s just a matter of tightness.
But if it still leaks there isn’t anything wrong with adding some silicone.

 

[Oughtsix]

If you put the gasket on the wrong side the bulkhead will leak through the threads. The gasket always goes on the side of the bulkhead with the flange... not on the nut side.

 

[twentyleagues]

Yeah they were brand new. Yeah the gaskets are on the right side. I kept tightening and never did stop. Had to drain 250g. We will see tomorrow.

 

[Guinness]

I've done it. Silicone inside tank. You're using the silicone as a gasket. Put the silicone on, tighten the threads but not all the way down. Let the silicone dry then finish tightening the threads. It makes a perfectly formed soft gasket.

 

[esoxlucius]

The inside of my fibreglass tank has minor imperfections in surface flatness so when i fitted my bulkhead i knew i'd need to extra tighten it to give me a proper seal, which isn't always a good thing long term when the threads are plastic. They can fail overtime when overtightened.

So i just hand tightened it as you usually would, with an extra quarter turn, but then added a bead of silicon around the rim where the bulkhead pressed against the fibreglass.

Not as much as a single drip has leaked out.

 

[takagari]

I put a lil dab of silicone on both sides of the ring on every one I have ever done.
I've never seen a drop from a bulkhead.

 

[celebrist]

I have never use silicone on any of my bulkheads and I've never seen any issues

 

[thebiggerthebetter]

The tightening sequence stated above is crucial IME. If you try to tighetn uncured silicone, the rubber gasket may just slide out altogtehr.