Rats, Got a leak...

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
I did'nt think about the leak originating elsewhere; but when I examined the tank the 1st time she leaked, I only found a water stain in that one corner. The 2nd leak was more pronounced; I could actually see a drop of water well up about every minute; a couple of inches above the puddle on the edge of the 1x4 (see pics). After I drained her, I checked the bottom and found a water stain in that one corner only. My 1st assumption is that I have a pinhole leak in that one area, otherwise would I not have water stains in other spots as well? Being the rank amateur I am, I am probably wrong. To be on the safe side, would I be better off stripping all the silicone and starting over? Thanks for all and any advice, Tom:)
 
Sorry< I missed your post. Waht did you decide to do?

THo is's probably to late, I agree with your last statement, you should take out all the silicone and start over and touch up any bare unpainted areas. I know it's a pain, I've had to do it more than my share of times. But something worth doing, is worth doing right...over & over & over...:D

Keep us posted...I've got my fingers crossed for you.

Dr Joe

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Darn I was rooting for you to get lucky,but yea any time a tank is leaking you gotta strip all the silicone and reseal the whole thing
 
Well today I will strip it all out when I get home from work. :irked: :irked: I am wondering- could the rough, gritty surface of the Drylock cause adhesion problems with the silicone? After I re-touch the the corners with the Drylock, should I lightly sand them? Perhaps coat the corners first with something to smooth out the surface before applying the silicone? I just want to be sure I cover any possible angle before doing this all over...In any event, I won't be ready to reseal until Thur or Fri, so that will give you guys/gals plenty of time to heap wisdom upon me!!:idea: :idea:
 
either the sweetwater or marine paint are both made for wood, fiberglass and such, plus I don't know if drylock is meant to be underwater for extended periods of time. Lots of waterproofing products will work for a while but will begin to peel and flake away from constant moisture. That is why marine paint is good as well as the pond stuff like sweetwater. It might also leech out chemicals. Anyway my suggestion would be to take out the whole side and resilicone the actual contact joint. That is what actually keeps tanks from leaking not the bead along the inside. When my friend builds wood and acrylic tanks for people he uses extra thick material even though the thinner stuff will hold the pressure fine. The thicker material gives you more surface area on your contact points in the joints and they seem to hold alot better.
 
Shame about the leak, hopefully ya get her sorted out. The tank looks amazing and I'd hate to see ya scrap it.

Drylock isn't ment for wood or constant submersion, add both together and the outlook isn't to great. People have guessed it should last around 5 years before it fails. A couple people are testing it now, but I'm guessing TheFishGuy did it best by using it over hardyboard.
 
Dr Joe;648359; said:
Hey people...

Who used drylock on their DIY tanks?
Click to expand...

Sorry Nero, I bumped this trying to get to the people that have actually used drylock and if they had any problems with the silicone. I used drylock before but have lost track of the tank several years ago (client moved). I've got an email into UGL to seal what they say too, I was just hoping to get one of our guys so we could have an honest answer.

Dr Joe

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Thanks for all the help people; I really do appreciate it. I am going to strip the silicone tonite and all the rest, per my earlier post. I was thinking about using some Quikrete hydraulic water stop in the corners; maybe that will provide a better bonding surface with the drylock coating. A thin bead of that, then the silicone afterwards maybe?? I am still mulling that one over...:confused: :confused:
 
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