Bulkhead question

[zanski]

Okay real quick question...

First drilled tank and for some reason I cant get the bulkheads to NOT LEAK! AHHH!!!

lol Ive got the rubber seal on top and it leaks then i put it on bottom and still leaks. Do I need seals on top and bottom? what is going on here?! :help:

 

[mitchelliii]

Is silicone an option? It worked perfectly for me.We screwed the bulkhead on TIGHT trying to make sure no leaks and still had to use silicone. No problems since. Also - how much leaking is it? Would the salt seal it up if it were a drop here and there?

 

[flyingarmy]

A good way to tighten the nut is to use some of the teflon tape. It will help seal and leaks and make the threads tighter. Silicone is good but is a huge pain if you ever decide to change out the bulkhead. Good luck!

 

[zanski]

well they get wet fast so im sure its a serious leak. Silicon is probably out cause ive never used it before. I guess I could go with some better bulkheads. anything in mind?

 

[cameron]

I use liquid teflon sealant. It comes in small cheap tubes right where the teflon tape is. You just squirt a little out on your finger (gloves makes clean up easier), then onto the threads of the bulkhead and it helps tighten the bulkheads and will seal them very well. You can use it on the other side.

 

[zanski]

cool cameron ill try that today. Thanks everyone!

 

[jmaneyapanda]

perosnally, I think overtightening may be part of the problem. bulkheads really only need to be hand tight. When they are really wrnched, they can wrinkle the seal, and voila- leak. Totally undo the bulkhead, clean the hole, put the seal on the flange side (not the nut side), and hand tighten, and see what happens.

 

[cameron]

A good bulkhead seal should work like a compression gasket which simply means they give you that wrench for a reason. What you don't want to do is tighten it so much that it pops the nut off the threads. This is plastic so you do have to be somewhat careful. You can hand tighten in salt water with some success as salt creep itself will practically self seal any small folds or leaks, but as a general rule hand tighting a bulkhead isn't necessarily a good idea in all situations.

 

[jmaneyapanda]

Cameron;56921 wrote: A good bulkhead seal should work like a compression gasket which simply means they give you that wrench for a reason. What you don't want to do is tighten it so much that it pops the nut off the threads. This is plastic so you do have to be somewhat careful. You can hand tighten in salt water with some success as salt creep itself will practically self seal any small folds or leaks, but as a general rule hand tighting a bulkhead isn't necessarily a good idea in all situations.

well, it has worked for me with my 12+ bulkheads in my past two tanks. In fact, the only time I had trouble was when I wrenched tightened one. Just my thoughts. Good luck.

 

[zanski]

okay Ill go get new bulkheads and try that first. thanks

 

[cameron]

jmaneyapanda;56926 wrote: well, it has worked for me with my 12+ bulkheads in my past two tanks. In fact, the only time I had trouble was when I wrenched tightened one. Just my thoughts. Good luck.

Some bulkhead installs it doesn't matter much as pressure from the water pushes down on the seal. However, some bulkhead designs such as those mounted vertically on acrylic it is better to get a good tight seal as acrylic can flex a bit over time.

 

[zanski]

okay im good, I just took the bulkheads off and cleaned them with a tooth brush. Hand tightened and used the tool for a 3/4 turn and everythings great. all set up and running... thanks for the help all