resealing questions

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
K

ken 429

Candiru
MFK Member
Apr 14, 2007
394
0
46
central florida
well the old 7 footer sprung a leak yesterday luckily it waited till i got home from work.after a late night of moving fish and cleaning up water im going to attemt to reseal the tank.ive read several of the sticky post and im still a bit confused on what is the best choice of silicone to reseal with. the sticky seeemed to be more centered on what to build with. im leaning toward rtv 108 or the scs 2000 sil pruf. is there some kind of primer i can use to help with aheshion?any tips on how to get all the silicone off the bottom as this is a 30" deep thank would greatly help. sorry for the rambling as some can tell you this is one harrowing expierience. thanks guys-K :)
 
I have used GE I for windows and doors with success. My best advice as far as cleaning of the old stuff is to go to Lowes and get two scrapers for razor blades a big one and a small one. Also get the 100 back of blades. Use the bigger one to get the the bulk of the old silicone off then uses the smaller one to get the remainder off. When your think you have it all of get a new blade and go over everything again. The whole key is to get as much of the old silicone of as possible so I would do it in several sittings once to do most of the work then walk away for a while and then come back and work again and again. This way you keep looking at it with fresh eyes. I used a very bright flashlight to look for more silicone that was still on the tank.
 
I have used both I think either are safe if rinsed well. If you use acetone be very careful and make sure its just acetone and not nail polish remover with other stuff in it. Either is not really gonna get rid of silicone but instead to get oil and stuff from your fingers.
 
i used ge1 silicone and alot of razor blades if you take your time it will turn out awsome also try using masking tape on the glass to make nice uniform width beads and i used a credit card with the corner niped out to smooth the silicone
 
just cleaned the first corner where i think the leak is and almost all the silicone came off in one piece is this a sign that bond was not good? i know the leak is a sign of a poor seal but could the manufacturer not have clean the glass well enough?
 
It usually comes in nearly one piece or at least big chunks thats just the silicone breaking apart from the silicone stuck to the glass. I would not use tape by the way. Instead practice on cardboard boxes using cheap caulk until you get good at laying beads and smothing them down. Tape can cause all kinds of problems.
 
ive never had a problem with the tape ofetn silicone bottles will recomend the tape use and so will many window installers but to each there own
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
MonsterFishKeepers.com
Top Bottom