leaking bulkheads

Dustin1231 · #1 09/30/2007, 09:31 PM

It seams that all four of my bulkheads are leaking.. Did i do something wrong???
I was so excited to start putting water into my tank that i forgot to clean the inside the over flows. I thinkn some sand or somthing is keeping it from getting water tight. Ive got them on so tight that now i cant get them off.(my luck)
should i use some cocking? any other ideas?

Aadler · #2 09/30/2007, 09:39 PM

is the rubber gasket on the inside of the tank?

You could go buy a wrench to help you get them off, as you are finding out it is bad to over tighten them. but if you can get it off you can put some silicon on the outside of the hole and tighten the bulkhead around the silicon.

darkcirca · #3 09/30/2007, 09:42 PM

We had issues with ours leaking, just little bits at a time. Then one day it stopped. Guess it just salt creeped up. Like said above, try getting a wrench to help get it off. Just be careful not to break the glass.

Jescd · #4 09/30/2007, 10:12 PM

Did you use teflon tape? (the orange/peachy coloured one)

Dustin1231 · #5 09/30/2007, 10:24 PM

Well i hope i can get it off..lol I didnt use any tape... how does it work?

Dustin1231 · #6 09/30/2007, 10:37 PM

I did use a wrench to put them on. never thought id get them too tight. Guess thats what happens with your a noob.

szwab · #7 09/30/2007, 10:43 PM

shouldn't need teflon tape with bulkheads. Just make sure the gasket is on the flange side. No difference if it's on the inside or outside of the tank as long as it's on the flange side. Also don't overtighten generally hand tight is good enough. if you get it too tight the gasket can get deformed and allow a gap which may leak water. I also use a small amount of silicone grease on the gasket to keep it from binding allowing a tighter fit.

Dustin1231 · #8 09/30/2007, 10:46 PM

ok, dumb question... but what side is the flange?

szwab · #9 09/30/2007, 10:48 PM

the side that does not have the nut.

szwab · #10 09/30/2007, 10:52 PM

in this pic the flange is on the right then the gasket then the nut on the left side.

in other words on a tank, it should be flange, gasket, glass, then nut. In that order regardless if the gasket is on the inside or outside of the tank.

Dustin1231 · #11 09/30/2007, 10:57 PM

ok, yeah its in the right spot. The leak is coming from between the glass and the nut. And i cant seam to get any of them off now...

szwab · #12 09/30/2007, 11:03 PM

wow, how tight did you get them

Dustin1231 · #13 09/30/2007, 11:10 PM

as tight as i could. I was kinda angry at the time...lol and was using brauns over brains... At one point i got it to turn alittle tighter, and then more water started leaking out... can i use silcone? or is that a big No No?

szwab · #14 09/30/2007, 11:16 PM

you can, but shouldn't have to. sounds like the gasket got twisted a bit, thus the larger leak also not a guarantee it won't leak later since the fix would be on the outside and would have constant pressure on it. I'd reccomend a wrench to loosen the nuts then check and reseat the gasket and hand tighten.

Dustin1231 · #15 09/30/2007, 11:19 PM

ok, ill give it a shot tomorrw. have had nothing but trouble with the tank since i handed over the cash..But hey thats life

JoeMomma · #16 09/30/2007, 11:20 PM

Dustin don't wprry. I'm at the same phase in my build as you and I literally had the same problem as you a couple days ago. The thread may still be fresh here as well.

My system is using 5 bulkheads. I started out with 2 leaks so I decided to teflon tape the inside of all the bulkheads even though I didn't need to. 2 leaks become 3 and now they have all stopped on their own. I had leaks between threads and between the gasket and the glass.

If your leaks are only by drops I'd say leave it as is and give it a couple days. They will probably fix themselves.

AZDesertRat · #17 09/30/2007, 11:40 PM

Bulkheads do not need to be that tight, thats probably a big part of your problem. Torqueing or flattening the gasket is not good. You want to take them out, clean the surfaces of both the glass and the bulkheads very good, let them dry completely and reinstall them hand tight using no silicone or teflon. You can give them another 1/4 to 1/2 turn as needed but not tight. Alos make sure you have the proper size bulkheads for the hole size, too sloppy and you will have problems. Another thing is do not support any piping with the bulkheads as it distorts them and they will leak, always support piping with something else like zip ties or brackets.

Puffdragon · #18 10/01/2007, 07:44 AM

Somethig to remember also on many bulkheads. They turn backwards. Lefty loosey/Righty tighty

Puffdragon · #19 10/01/2007, 07:46 AM

Sorry I got thet backwards many bulkheads are Lefty / tighty. Righty/loosey

Dustin1231 · #20 10/01/2007, 09:08 AM

lol, yeah found that out too.

Dustin1231 · #21 10/01/2007, 09:30 AM

so for the ones that what just a small amount of water coming out between the glass and nut. You think that the salt build up over time will stop it?

Dustin1231 · #22 10/01/2007, 02:45 PM

well im borrowing some much better tools from work. So maybe tongiht i can get them to stop leaking. And maybe get some water in the tank. Depends on if i go to school or not. lol

JoeMomma · #23 10/01/2007, 02:50 PM

I don't even have salt in my water and the leaks stopped. Must be magic...

Aadler · #24 10/01/2007, 03:06 PM

calcium build up will stop slow leaks over time as well, you will find this with the water line hooked up to your refrigerator, as calcium slowly builds up the slow leak will stop.

You would be best to get the nut back off and retighten it by hand and MAYBE a 1/4 turn with a wrench after it is hand tight.

Shagsbeard · #25 10/01/2007, 03:14 PM

One thing not mentioned yet is that bulkheads can't support torsion. They don't support weight. If the pipe that is attached to the bulkhead is causing uneven pressure on the gasket, it will leak. You need to support the pipe from the bulkhead with a clip of some sort.