External overflow leak

[N2SWIMN]

I have a small leak along one of the seams of the external overflow box. I drain and let it dry and then I used weld on 16 inside and out of the box. I then used waterproof silicone on the outside. Today, I noticed a leak again. Arghhhh!!
Any other ideas on what to try? The display is 150, the overflow holds about 15 gallons. When I turn off the main pump, the water from the overflow drains into the sump that is made to hold that in case of an outage.
Thx

 

[dattack]

probably replace it. need a pic.

 

[ERIC1975]

Glass or acrylic? also what type of waterproof silicon are you using? Workmanship quality is also important sometimes you might have applied too much. Also important for the area to be completely dry before the work ... Maybe use a hair dryer to dry it out real good and you might want to re-seal all the seams instead of just where you think the leak is. If all else fail....get a pro to help lol

 

[eulalio flores]

Show pic

 

[KarL]

+1 on making sure the overflow box is completely dry. Using a hair dryer to make sure.

 

[N2SWIMN]

Ok, going to try 1 more time tommorrow. The silicone I used was a shower waterproof one I bought at home depot. Is there a specific one I should be using? I'm glad I kept my back up equipment to lower the water level so I can let the overflow box remain dry.The leak is about 1 drop per second. I have funnel unde r it to catch the drops at the moment. I will also get in contact with the original owner to see what he did when he set it up.

 

[Goober]

Are you sure it's the overflow and not the bulkhead? Again pics of the leak would help

 

[ERIC1975]

The stuff from Home Depot is not gonna work for saltwater application. You better off using aquarium adhesive (at Petsmart for $10)
But most important is to properly diagnose the leak source! Could be a bulkhead. You can clean it up real good then pour some milk into the overflow then observe closely to see where the milk is leaking to the outside. Milk is easier to see then water.

 

[joseserrano]

you need to use 100% silicon. which they do sell at home depot. Also you have to let it cure/dry for a day or two.

 

[N2SWIMN]

Top view

Bottom view

 

[N2SWIMN]

Update: resealed seams using weld-on 40. Wow, this stuff is awesome. Water tested overflow and it's good. Bad part, leak detected on UV sterilizer. Used some weld-on 40 and now just waiting for it to cure. Hope this solves it.

 

[Six2seven]

do you know where the leak was or did you just slop the stuff all over it? It doesn't look like a long term solution.

 

[Arch4ngel]

My best experience with fixing leaks, has always included three things.

1. dry environment ( use air, hair dryer, vacuum etc "cracks hold moisture")
2. a shop vac of some kind ( you can make an attachment nozzle fit almost any shape with a razor knife)
3. appropriate adhesive (aquarium safe silicon, weld-on 4,16 never had to use 40 Wow)

dry the work area well use air, a hair dryer, shop vac etc, once your area is dry notch the nozzle to fit your shape and apply vacuum to get remaining moisture from the seam, apply adhesive to the opposite side of the seam from the vacuum, it will draw the adhesive in and displace any air.
this trick i cant take credit for personally, my brother works for a speed boat company and they use this practice for fixing cracks and imperfections in between sections of fiberglass hull. hope this helps.

Problem solved, problem staying solved!

 

[Azasb]

^^^ #1 I would agree is the most important. Make sure that the surface is not only dry but the immediate environment surrounding the leak is relatively moisture free. I know that this is hard when there is a big container of water a few inches away. What I would suggest is to use one of the portable butane torches and dry the surface that way. Make sure not to over expose the acrylic to the heat.

 

[N2SWIMN]

I also added gussets to the corners. Couldn't isolate the leak so I made sure to cover everything. I did wait for 96 hrs to fill as the label said 72 hrs for 80% bond. I was patient and waited. I did lose a lot of fish...so frustrating. I will restock soon, I hope.