been reading alot on these plywood builds. almost every build has a leak or leaks weather its a 200g or a 3000g. im just wondering is there a general area that this always happens. is it the corners or bulkhead fittings or the areas around the window panes rather it b glass or acrylic. i just want to make sure that i am able to put a little more care in the area that even the pros can over look. thanks for any info
ply tank leaks
- Thread starter flip_mode
- Start date
seems like your right i guess its not filling it up to see if it leaks but to fill it up to locate the leaks.
My tank was for the most part leak free. However after time I noticed some moisture around the bottom of the glass area. After analyzing it I figured that it was because I didn't put a thick enough bead of silicone on the bottom. Since the pressure is highest on the bottom I should have really gooped it on. At the top a 1/4" is good enough but on the bottom I would go 1" or more just to be sure where the glass rests against the frame. Then another bead in the bottom corner on the inside of the tank for another layer of protection.
Just another note as you are running the silicone make sure you don't have any gaps. It should be one continuous thick bead without any breaks.
Just another note as you are running the silicone make sure you don't have any gaps. It should be one continuous thick bead without any breaks.
would there be better luck using liquid rubber over an epoxy or fiberglass resin as far as leaks go??
i have really been looking at the liquid rubber tanks and i think i will go with that. it looks easy to apply and seems pretty durable and affordable.
My tank has been up and running for almost a year now, with no leaks or issues at all. I went with the liquid rubber option it was cheaper by far and very easy to apply. used 3M 5200 to seal the glass as regular silicone won't bond to the rubber. Only issue is that the rubber turns a brown color where it is submerged and it was very hard to get it to cure properly except in direct sunlight. It also never fully cures and even months later will stick to anything left sitting on or against it. Regardless I sealed a 250 gallon ply tank with about a gallon and a half and at $25 a gallon here in Canada that was about 1/10 of the price that expoxy would have cost me.
Epoxy is brittle and unless you can build a tank in such a way that it won't settle over time (just about impossible with construction lumber). We are literally talk about tons of water here. It is eventually going to crack in the corners. Remember most pond epoxy is designed to cover concrete. The only way to avoid that happening would be to use enough layers of cloth and epoxy resin that it would alone support the weight of the water without the wooden frame, ie..as thick as a boat hull. (Or build your tank and stand out of steel)
Epoxy is brittle and unless you can build a tank in such a way that it won't settle over time (just about impossible with construction lumber). We are literally talk about tons of water here. It is eventually going to crack in the corners. Remember most pond epoxy is designed to cover concrete. The only way to avoid that happening would be to use enough layers of cloth and epoxy resin that it would alone support the weight of the water without the wooden frame, ie..as thick as a boat hull. (Or build your tank and stand out of steel)
good info. is there another way you would have done it different with the glass application? what if you had left the area where the glass would go with the silicone clear of liquid rubber?