bulkhead leak in new setup- stress levels up

[Burrito]

just finished plumbing my new 100g INT tank and all my pipe work (first time) was great, no leaks and everything is dry. only area i was getting ALOT of drips was from 1 of the 4 bulkheads drilled into bottom of the tank. the main drain was leaking alot through the nut, i tightened a little more and still leaked. drained the tank (tap water) and since i cant remove the bulkhead anymore since a union is glued to the other side, i wet some paper towel and alcohol'd both sides of the glass and the gasket.

take 2, leak is present but forms at about a drop or 2 every few minutes. i drained it again before heading to bed for peace of mind.

what should i do? what is "finger tight"? i am tightening by hand only to where i cant tighten it anymore (i'm a reasonably strong guy)

should i try teflon tape? clean with alcohol again and hope it seals this time? anything else. this is my first non AIO tank

 

[TheEngineer]

Which side of the glass is the bulkhead on? Sometimes switching it helps, but I recognize you’re glued in at this point...

 

[tdileo]

I’m going to guess that the rubber gasket is installed upside down. That’s what happened when I first set up my newest tank and it took me a while to figure out the problem.

 

[Crabs McJones]

Which side of the bulkhead fitting do you have the gasket? Inside the tank or outside the tank? Are you sure you didn't accidentally overtighten it and crack it. Sometimes they can be hairline cracks that are extremely hard to see.

 

[kdino]

following for sure. silicone? Or is everyone against that?

 

[Burrito]

i have the gasket on the tank side flange -> gasket -> glass -> nut ill take all the water out later after work and inspect when i can move the tank away from the wall a bit. short of ordering a new bulkhead and redoing the few inches of piping, is there any thing i can try before cutting the plumbing? i've read a bead of silicon or smear of something could help... advisable or not

 

[redfishbluefish]

Which side of the bulkhead fitting do you have the gasket? Inside the tank or outside the tank? Are you sure you didn't accidentally overtighten it and crack it. Sometimes they can be hairline cracks that are extremely hard to see.

What is critical with the gasket, regardless of how the bulkhead is installed, is that it ALWAYS goes on the flange side......NEVER on the nut side.

In your application, with the nut visible from below, the gasket needs to be on the inside of the tank (that's where the flange is).

 

[Burrito]

it is on the flange side..

 

[Crabs McJones]

it is on the flange side..

Then I would start checking for cracks in the bulkhead itself. Like I said above they can be hairline cracks that are very difficult to see, especially on the threaded portion of it.

 

[WVNed]

Slip joint pliers. Put a 1/8 - 1/4 turn on it. At this point you have nothing to lose.

 

[BZOFIQ]

Then I would start checking for cracks in the bulkhead itself. Like I said above they can be hairline cracks that are very difficult to see, especially on the threaded portion of it.

You're right; sometimes when people over tighten, the threads or flange itself may start separating.

 

[ca1ore]

Although it is somewhat counterintuitive, over tightening the nut can actually make the drip worse - particularly if you crack the fitting - hand tight plus a 1/4 turn should be the most you do. It is generally unwise to glue any pipe that goes into the wet side of the bulkhead - not sure if that is what you meant. If you mean the union on the dry side, you can cut it out with a pair of PVC snips. The best answer is to remove the bulkhead and reseat it. If that is not easily done, as it sounds like, another option is to just wait and let the drip self-seal. One drip every 2 minutes is very small, and it WILL self seal. The only downside really is you may get a bit of salt creep there.

 

[Burrito]

Video of leak. It’s very exciting. Lol

 

[lancesmith1]

I agree with ca1ore. I have had the same issue in the past and it will eventually seal itself. still its a PITA.

 

[nrupaw]

If the drip isn't too bad i'd recommend just keeping an eye on it. Once bacteria build on the inside and salt creep takes over, it will stop leaking by itself (or atleast it should).

 

[Burrito]

Looks like at least one part of the gasket had a small divit in it.

So I took it out. Which side should be flat against the glass? The flat side or side with a few ridges. See pic below.

 

[Burrito]

once i get the new bulkhead to "try again", anyway i can test the plumbing before gluing? duct tape or something over the opening?

 

[Retro Reefer]

A very small amount of lubricant on the gasket may help, you want to use food grade/diving silicon or molykote 111.. just a very thin film helps keep the gasket from binding or twisting as it’s being tightened down

 

[redfishbluefish]

...........Which side should be flat against the glass? The flat side or side with a few ridges. See pic below.

The ridges go up against the glass......flat side against the flange.

 

[DesertReefT4r]

Ihad a few drips to fix when I leak tested too. Dam sch40 bulk heads suck. I never had this problen with sch80.