internal overflow questions

reef6414 · May 4, 2015

I have a 90gal with an internal corner overflow. I am slowly adding water (as my RO unit allows) and I am at the point where I am spilling into the overflow. No leaks where the bulkheads meet the glass. But i do have a slow drip in my return line, as if the PVC going into the bulk head does not have a tight seal. Without gluing the pipe into the bulk head, any suggestions on stopping this leak? In your opinion is this a big deal? This leads me to my follow up question...Aprox how many gallons does a corner overflow of this size typically hold? I could to the geometry, but figured someone would know off hand. My concern, is if I cannot stop this drip..I will be away for a long weekend and will have a power outage. Not only would I have to contain the water in the lines and top inch or so of the DT, I will also have to contain the view gallons in the overflow.

I'll post a few pics in a bit

AZDesertRat · May 5, 2015

Did you take the time to smooth out any rough edges, flashing or mould marks on and in the bulkhead before installing it? A little preparation time really goes a long way. I go into detail in the Bulkhead Installation Tips sticky here:
https://www.reef2reef.com/forums/eq...iltration/34973-installing-bulkhead-tips.html

Any rough edges from the plastic moulding process will provide a path for water. I much prefer and recommend thread by thread bulkheads and LaCo PVC thread lubricant for this reason.

You can try a wrap or two of teflon tape on the end of the PVC return pipe before you insert it in the bulkhead but I would not consider this a permanent fix. It is far easier to fix this leak now before your tank is stocked than to have to do it in the future. Did I mention I hate slip bulkheads?

reef6414 · May 6, 2015

They are barbed on one end and slip on the other. They were the bulk heads that came with the tank, new. I figured I would go with them. If I had the option I would have gone threaded. With all the $$$ I am spending getting this tank set up (forgot how expensive this hobby can be) I thought I would save a few bucks and use what I have. Anyway, I've had a tube hooked up to the leaky bulk head and run into a 5 gal bucket. The drip was so slow, I still have water in the overflow, and have about 2 gallons in the bucket.

With my 30 gal sump, i should not have an issue with spillage. I will try the teflon tape to attempt to stop the leak. As I mentioned before, the leak is where the PVC is inserted into the bulkhead so no salt creep or water on the floor to worry about. water goes into the tube.

Nice write up above BTW.

Gopi · May 6, 2015

I bet we got the same tank my 90 also had barbed bulkheads. I had problems with leaks too at the return bulkhead. Turned out my plumbing needed to be supported and was acting as a lever pushing the bulkhead up. A j screw and a couple zip ties fixed it.

If you're talking about the pipes inside the overflow, mine aren't tight either. My extended power outage scenario has the overflow area emptying (takes about 2hrs). I have enough space in my 29 sump to contain that as well as top inch or so of DT. Its close, but there is still some wiggle room. When the return pumps are flowing, there isn't any backflow.