Drilling a tank in colder temperature.

[Deviant Nation]

Hi everyone! I have a 210 gallon tank that I finally have made the decisions of which overflow box and return sizes I will be using and now have everything I need to actually do the drilling.

The questions I have are about temperatures of the glass while drilling. The high temperatures outside this week are only going to be in the low 40s Fahrenheit and during the night it gets below freezing. Right now the tank is in my garage which is uninstalled so it is quite cold in there as well. My plan is to move it outside for a couple of hours mid day so it is as warm as it can be and then drill it. Is there a worry of drilling glass when the temps are this cold? Will it increase the chances of the glass breaking? Should I not do it that way and find a way to do it inside my house? Or am I being overly worried?

 

[Katrina71]

Good question.

 

[Sailfin11]

I would also be interested in an answer

 

[ca1ore]

I cannot say for certain that colder glass is more brittle glass, but I can say that I have ground holes in very cold glass in the middle of the Winter without cracking any tanks. If you take your time and use plenty of water I’d think you’d be fine. FWIW, the two tanks I did crack, both 10 gallons, were done in the heat of the Summer.

 

[Deviant Nation]

I cannot say for certain that colder glass is more brittle glass, but I can say that I have ground holes in very cold glass in the middle of the Winter without cracking any tanks. If you take your time and use plenty of water I’d think you’d be fine. FWIW, the two tanks I did crack, both 10 gallons, were done in the heat of the Summer.

That helps, Thank you!

 

[AdamNC]

I drilled my 40g in March in NC with temps about 40ish. Just run that hose water constantly and go slow. Take a 5 min break every few mins if needed.

 

[Deviant Nation]

I drilled my 40g in March in NC with temps about 40ish. Just run that hose water constantly and go slow. Take a 5 min break every few mins if needed.

Thank you!

 

[Deviant Nation]

Well it all worked out. It was about 43 degrees today. I decided it had to happen today because it is supposed to get colder and windy from here on out. I think I barely beat winter.