ordered a little window, just need reassurance

ITHURTZ

Piranha
MFK Member
Apr 11, 2007
1,841
30
81
Antioch IL
So I got tired of looking at the top of my 180gal tank. So for a starter I just ordered on ebay a 39x8" acrylic window. NOW my plan was to drill holes every 2" (would 3" be more appropriate?) and stick some stainless steel bolts, with nylon washers on the inside then something like a metal washer and a lock nut on the outside.

I would then leave a 1" boarder so the viewing window would end up being 37x6 (fine by me I just want a dam window!). Now the plan was to just figure out a way to cut the wood, drill the holes then slap the silicone on the window and bolt it into place. I would of course fill up the holes with silicone and put the bolts in then put silicone on the nylon washer and the bolt head itself just for a peace of mind.

I think that made sense, so now for the peeps out there, would a 1" boarder be enough? Shall I go 1 1/4, 1 1/2"? Shall I scuff the acrylic where the silicone will go just for hopes in a better "grab"?

Acrylic is 1/4" fyi. I thought it was more than thick enough since it is 8" tall.
 

5am

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Jul 7, 2006
327
0
0
lalaland
fiy, silicone doesnt bond too well to acrylic/plexiglass... i had a panel siliconed to 1 side of my 90g, and it just started leaking 1 day....overtime the silicone lost its seal and water leaked right through and then onto my carpet...
 

timeneverfreezes

Gambusia
MFK Member
Jun 11, 2008
407
0
16
charlotte,nc
Im here to reassure you!
(Disclaimer: I have never done this before :naughty:)

Ok, Just common sense on my part dictates that you put it a little more than an inch overlap. Also scuffing the acrylic is good because it will def. help the silicone to keep a water tight seal. With the bolts, silicone and water pressure you should be all set!

Now.. you might want to wait for a second opinion.

Also, i would form some silicone around the bolts from the inside.
 

ITHURTZ

Piranha
MFK Member
Apr 11, 2007
1,841
30
81
Antioch IL
5am;2672807; said:
fiy, silicone doesnt bond too well to acrylic/plexiglass... i had a panel siliconed to 1 side of my 90g, and it just started leaking 1 day....overtime the silicone lost its seal and water leaked right through and then onto my carpet...
yup i know this, hence why I am bolting the acrylic to the wood.



So maybe a 1.5" boarder? Ill still have a 5" window then lol. Still fine.

As for silicone on the inside, u mean between the acrylic and liner? Where the holes will be drilled is where the silicone will end up being. I guess I will end up with a 1.5" "gasket" all around. One big bead then sandwich into place.

Now when i tighten this down, should I leave something like 1/16" between then acrylic and liner, or tighten down as much as I can?
 

timeneverfreezes

Gambusia
MFK Member
Jun 11, 2008
407
0
16
charlotte,nc
As for silicone on the inside, u mean between the acrylic and liner? Where the holes will be drilled is where the silicone will end up being. I guess I will end up with a 1.5" "gasket" all around. One big bead then sandwich into place.
Yeah it should be like a big silicone gasket. For the inside i meant smearing some on the bolt heads and washers.

Now when i tighten this down, should I leave something like 1/16" between then acrylic and liner, or tighten down as much as I can?
I cant give you a definite answer but I wouldn't absolutely crank the pieces together completely.

Something you might want to think about is when you cut the liner, not cutting it flush with the square hole. But instead taking it out a little bit more, just overlapping i guess but outside.
 

ITHURTZ

Piranha
MFK Member
Apr 11, 2007
1,841
30
81
Antioch IL
As for cutting the liner, in my mind I was just going to cut the wood, drill and bolt up the window then cut the liner. i guess now just not cut it flush with the wood
 

Dr Joe

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Mar 8, 2006
10,664
9
0
72
Sixty Miles South of Tampa Florida
I use a 1/8" x 1" flat SS bar stock on the inside against the acrylic to spread out the mounting forces of the bolts. Since it's wood, you may want to consider something on the outside too so the bolts don't sink in and vary the torque on the bolts.

Every 2" is good.

Snug the bolts, don't over-tighten!

Use a torque wrench to tighten all the bolts uniformly (minimum warpage).

After it's installed and tightened, run a bead of silicone around the edge of the window (inside) and press in place as an extra seal.

Dr Joe

.
 

ITHURTZ

Piranha
MFK Member
Apr 11, 2007
1,841
30
81
Antioch IL
Ah very good idea on the bar stock dr.

I have a tq wrench but I beleive it starts at 20 ft lbs. I am guessing that is to much for this, so I guess Ill have to break out my mini ratchet and hand tighten, then so a few spins of the ratched equally on each one.
 

5am

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Jul 7, 2006
327
0
0
lalaland
ahh ok... ur securing it with screws and bolts... i would say 1.5-2" border... nothing less than that or else there could be a potential leakage problem..
 
zoomed.com
hikariusa.com
aqaimports.com
Store