Cade Plumbing question. Leaking connection.

[Bacon and Eggs]

I am getting a new Cade 1800 S2 up and running. Things are going pretty well. I did have several slow leaks at various points in the plumbing. I have gotten everything to stop expect the main return down pipe still leaks a little right where two pipes screw together. See the water drop in the pic. It’s as tight as it will get by hand. Leaking is somewhat situational depending on how I adjust the return valve and how much pressure is in the pipe. What can I do to sure up this connection? The Cade plumbing was easy, but I don’t know how much I trust it yet. The connectors don’t get the seal as PVC cement gives that’s for sure.

 

[AustinReefer1]

Are you sure the o ring is installed at the connection? I’m assuming this is at a union?

 

[Bacon and Eggs]

Are you sure the o ring is installed at the connection? I’m assuming this is at a union?

So there are o rings at the interface with the bottom of aquarium both above and below, but that’s not the part leaking. It’s right where the water drop is in the pic. Those two parts screw together and no there is not a removable o ring that I have seen. There are multiple of the connectors that screw together in various parts of the plumbing. This one is the only one currently giving me problems.

 

[AustinReefer1]

I don’t see a picture, but every connection that has a union should have a gasket. Can you valve off and unscrew to check?

 

[SpyC]

So there are o rings at the interface with the bottom of aquarium both above and below, but that’s not the part leaking. It’s right where the water drop is in the pic. Those two parts screw together and no there is not a removable o ring that I have seen. There are multiple of the connectors that screw together in various parts of the plumbing. This one is the only one currently giving me problems.

I don't think a photo was uploaded.

 

[Bacon and Eggs]

.

 

[ronnie]

The unions have o rings in them. If you have them installed, that will continue to leak. Each union has an o ring.

 

[ReefingDreams]

Clean the oring inside the union as well as the groove it sits in and then the mating face on the other side. Rescrew together ensuring they are threaded together properly and hold the loose pipe as straight as possible while retightening. Retest.

 

[Bacon and Eggs]

I will give that a go. Thank you for your post!

 

[boogie79]

Did you get the leak fixed, currently have the same issue.

 

[Bacon and Eggs]

Did you get the leak fixed, currently have the same issue.

I did. I was going to take the connection apart again and clean per reefingdreams advice, but I found a position it wasn’t leaking in and it never leaked again. The issue seems solved.

There was initially a different connection leaking as well. Where the overflow pipes meet the bottom of the tank. That one I did take back apart. There is a little vinyl linear on the bottom side of the glass that was kinking and bunching up. I peeled it back to expose the glass just around the connection. Then reassembled. That fixed that one. ATO connection was also leaking. I just took that one apart wiped the o rings and cranked it back on to fix it.

Let me know how it goes. Good luck.

 

[boogie79]

I did. I was going to take the connection apart again and clean per reefingdreams advice, but I found a position it wasn’t leaking in and it never leaked again. The issue seems solved.

There was initially a different connection leaking as well. Where the overflow pipes meet the bottom of the tank. That one I did take back apart. There is a little vinyl linear on the bottom side of the glass that was kinking and bunching up. I peeled it back to expose the glass just around the connection. Then reassembled. That fixed that one. ATO connection was also leaking. I just took that one apart wiped the o rings and cranked it back on to fix it.

Let me know how it goes. Good luck.

Thanks for responding. I think I need to disconnect and wipe all my o-rings because I have a small leak on all three. Work has got in the way, but I plan on doing that soon so I can finally get this process started.

 

[rsaltzmann]

I had the same issue with my 1800 S2. I found that over tightening caused the leak and had to play with the placement and not overtighten for it all to settle in. I also had ATO leaks, same process. It seems there has to be a precise "sweet spot on there plumbing. The crappy part is it's all metric and cannot rip and replace plumbing with local store items here in the US>.