How Do You Make a Seal on an Acrylic Viewing Window?

[nolapete]

What can you use to seal an acrylic viewing window?

Regardless of whether you use a pond liner with hard rubber gasket, Pond Armor epoxy, or this new Blue Max elastomeric liquid rubber nothing really sticks to acrylic.

Acrylic tanks are solvent welded, but you can't solvent weld acrylic to any of the coatings used or pond liner.

What have people used to seal it?

 

[vaine111]

not sure but i have seen rubber and bolts. not totally sure but i'm sure bolts and glass dont mix well so it was probably acrylic.

 

[nolapete]

You still have to have something between the acrylic and the surface you're sealing it against right?

Would that just be a rubber gasket?

Could you make that gasket by using silicone?

I'm used to working with silicone and glass, but that's it.

Does silicone bond to Pond Armor?

 

[vaine111]

i'm sure you can use silicone. the "gasket" aint playing as much of the sealing duties as the bolt placement though... the 4ftx2ft window i saw it on had like 20 bolts in it.

 

[vaine111]

then just put some trim on the front to hide the bolt heads.

 

[mdb_talon]

I have seen quite a few plywood tanks with acrylic windows without bolts. Never did an acrylic front myself so just going based off other stuff I read. The pressure of the tank it seems is the only thing used to hold it in place. With silicone between the two even though silicone dont stick real well to acrylic it still creates a water tight gasket. Would probably want the acrylic resting on something on the bottom in this case.

Also have heard of people using an epoxy that works well with acrylic and silicone. Putting it on the acrylic first and then using silicone between the epoxy on the acrylic and the sealed tank. Dont remember the details of this.

 

[nolapete]

I wonder if you could do a coated metal frame on the inside of the tank and attach it with lag bolts into the frame of the tank then put whatever coating over the recessed heads.

 

[nolapete]

I have seen quite a few plywood tanks with acrylic windows without bolts. Never did an acrylic front myself so just going based off other stuff I read. The pressure of the tank it seems is the only thing used to hold it in place. With silicone between the two even though silicone dont stick real well to acrylic it still creates a water tight gasket. Would probably want the acrylic resting on something on the bottom in this case.

Also have heard of people using an epoxy that works well with acrylic and silicone. Putting it on the acrylic first and then using silicone between the epoxy on the acrylic and the sealed tank. Dont remember the details of this.

So silicone bonds to epoxy well?

Acrylic | Epoxy | Silicone | Epoxy | Wood

 

[mdb_talon]

So silicone bonds to epoxy well?

Acrylic | Epoxy | Silicone | Epoxy | Wood

Sorry I cant say for sure what type of epoxy or even guarantee how well it works; I just remember reading about someone doing it that way so threw it out as an idea to think about not really suggestion.

 

[basslover34]

Silicone will work with Acrylic Windows as it acts as a gasket and holds firm for the Most part (not super strong) so the water pressure is what does the majority of the holding, the Tanks you see with Bolts holding the windows in place are because they are using a Pond Liner and the silicone won't hold to that worth a crap!