silicon glue cure time?

[ebojo]

A wall on my sump recently came detached from one wall. I ended up draining 90% of the water out last night and re-gluing the wall. On the bottle of sealant, it says that it takes 48 hours to cure. Is the overkill? I hate to leave my system like this for 2 whole days.

 

[acroholic]

I've always heard 24 hours, but it may depend on the brand. What brand silicone are you using?

 

[ebojo]

I will have to look when I get home. Its the one from Home Depot that says it is aquarium safe.

 

[porpoiseaquatics]

Are you gluing acrylic or glass? If you're trying to use silicone on acrylic....it won't hold.

 

[ebojo]

Hmm. It is the same stuff that I used before, and all of the other baffles stay put, except for one of the walls dividing the fuge and return. The problem is that the ATO is not setup yet, so if the water gets too low in the last section, the baffle begins to flex that way and eventually comes off. The ATO should be setup within the next few days and will fix the problem.

 

[dons]

For a structural bond, 72 hours min. w/clean surfaces. (A SEAM REPAIR IN A GLASS TANK) The <u>bond</u> to the glass surface (if it's glass) takes the longest to occur and is the LAST TO HAPPEN even though the silicone looks 100% cured!
For a bond that's not holding any pressure ie. a sump baffle 24-36hrs should be fine assuming all surfaces are clean.
How do I know? 36+ years in the silicone industry!
Good Luck!

ebojo;654685 wrote: A wall on my sump recently came detached from one wall. I ended up draining 90% of the water out last night and re-gluing the wall. On the bottle of sealant, it says that it takes 48 hours to cure. Is the overkill? I hate to leave my system like this for 2 whole days.

 

[ebojo]

Ahh well I appreciate that. I let it cure for about 24 hours. It was as long as I could stand it. Lets hope for the best