LEAKING Red Sea Reefer - Multiple Failed Seams

[Joseph Gagne]

I'm relatively new to the reefing world. Love the Reef in Wilmington, MA is my local reef shop. I recently purchased a Reefer 650 Peninsula with all the extras from them and had it installed by their service division. The system went in nicely and has been running great for the past couple months.

I chose the Red Sea brand after months of research and talking with the staff at LTR. This is their preferred brand and they've installed many of them over the past couple years. From our conversations, Red Sea is a brand that they trust and are confident providing to their customers.

Unfortunately, every so often there is a problem..and that is fine. That is fine as long as the problem is taken care of properly and in a timely manner.

This past weekend, the display tank itself began leaking from one of the vertical seams. I woke up to our new hardwood floors covered in water and buckling at the seams. Water made its way through the floor and down the basement walls. Upon further inspection, it was clear that MULTIPLE seams were failing. Images below show separation of the glass panels and sealant peeling away.

The tank drained about 1/4 of the way down and then stopped.

The install company is assisting us by breaking the system down and relocating the livestock for the time being. We will reinstall the new system after the floors in the house have been replaced.

Now the question is...how will Red Sea make this right?

Yes, we've begun the warranty process and contacted our representative from Red Sea.

We've been reassured that Red Sea will ship us a replacement tank "soon". But, as you know, there is much more to this than just a replacement tank.

There will be dozens of hours spent on the breakdown, relocation and re-installation. The floor boards need to be replaced as well as the drywall in the basement. The damage caused from this defective BRAND NEW aquarium has already cost thousands and thousands.

At this point, we are waiting to hear from Red Sea. Its been 2 days with NO information or replies to our emails with questions. It is not my intention in this thread to post private correspondence with the manufacturer or provide details regarding cost etc. That will remain private as it should.

My goal is to provide Red Sea the opportunity to show R2R members that they stand behind their products AND their customers.

I'd like nothing more that to close this thread by writing - "Everything has been taken care of! Thanks Red Sea for the great support and quality products!"

We shall see...

 

[I luv coralz]

Just bought a Red Sea REEFER 250. Comes in two days! Please keep on posted on the situation. In the meantime what will you be doing with your livestock?

Best of luck!

 

[Gil03]

I'm cycling a Red Sea reefer 525xl right now and after reading this I'll be keeping a closer eye on the tank. I like that you posted your experience on this forum because not only does it give fellow reefers a heads up it also gives the manufacturer that extra push to do what's right and get things taken care of in a timely manner or they risk their reputation. If their product indeed is faulty then by all means they should reimburse every last cent that you've paid to repair anything that is related to the leak, on top of that they should do it in a timely manner with adequate communication. IMO you should continue to post your experience with them on this board and inform them that this community is also taking notes lol.

 

[blkhwkz]

I'm cycling a Red Sea reefer 525xl right now and after reading this I'll be keeping a closer eye on the tank. I like that you posted your experience on this forum because not only does it give fellow reefers a heads up it also gives the manufacturer that extra push to do what's right and get things taken care of in a timely manner or they risk their reputation. If their product indeed is faulty then by all means they should reimburse every last cent that you've paid to repair anything that is related to the leak, on top of that they should do it in a timely manner with adequate communication. IMO you should continue to post your experience with them on this board and inform them that this community is also taking notes lol.

I'm sure they'll replace the tank, but I seriously doubt they would pay for any of the repairs. Hopefully the OP will hear back soon. Warranty covers tank replacement and homeowners insurance hopefully will cover the rest of the damage.

 

[andyg1960]

I Don't think they're going to pay for the ancillary damage to your home. The warranty is for the tank not your house. They're fairly protected that way. I know it sucks, but I don't think Red Sea or any other aquarium manufacturer would pay for that damage, other than to replace the tank and whatever else if anything of their products failed. Hopefully your homeowners insurance will cover the rest of the damage. Good luck.

 

[3mm3]

I'm relatively new to the reefing world. Love the Reef in Wilmington, MA is my local reef shop. I recently purchased a Reefer 650 Peninsula with all the extras from them and had it installed by their service division. The system went in nicely and has been running great for the past couple months.

I chose the Red Sea brand after months of research and talking with the staff at LTR. This is their preferred brand and they've installed many of them over the past couple years. From our conversations, Red Sea is a brand that they trust and are confident providing to their customers.

Unfortunately, every so often there is a problem..and that is fine. That is fine as long as the problem is taken care of properly and in a timely manner.

This past weekend, the display tank itself began leaking from one of the vertical seams. I woke up to our new hardwood floors covered in water and buckling at the seams. Water made its way through the floor and down the basement walls. Upon further inspection, it was clear that MULTIPLE seams were failing. Images below show separation of the glass panels and sealant peeling away.

The tank drained about 1/4 of the way down and then stopped.

The install company is assisting us by breaking the system down and relocating the livestock for the time being. We will reinstall the new system after the floors in the house have been replaced.

Now the question is...how will Red Sea make this right?

Yes, we've begun the warranty process and contacted our representative from Red Sea.

We've been reassured that Red Sea will ship us a replacement tank "soon". But, as you know, there is much more to this than just a replacement tank.

There will be dozens of hours spent on the breakdown, relocation and re-installation. The floor boards need to be replaced as well as the drywall in the basement. The damage caused from this defective BRAND NEW aquarium has already cost thousands and thousands.

At this point, we are waiting to hear from Red Sea. Its been 2 days with NO information or replies to our emails with questions. It is not my intention in this thread to post private correspondence with the manufacturer or provide details regarding cost etc. That will remain private as it should.

My goal is to provide Red Sea the opportunity to show R2R members that they stand behind their products AND their customers.

I'd like nothing more that to close this thread by writing - "Everything has been taken care of! Thanks Red Sea for the great support and quality products!"

We shall see...

Did you notice any visible defects prior to seam splitting?

 

[AQUAM]

Bump & +1 on Love the Reef, Yorgos and his store are just delightful.

 

[Fizzicks]

As a reefer 170'er. Ill be paying close attention to this thread to see how well RS handles this for future confidence in the brand. I hope they do the right thing here.

 

[Joseph Gagne]

Thanks for feedback.

As of this morning, I have no ship date for new tank...going on 4 days. Called Red Sea again yesterday, they picked up, was promised a call back, so far nothing.

The tank was inspected thoroughly before install and stand was leveled properly prior to filling it...also level was checked through the filling process. The tank is installed up against an exterior wall in a relatively new house on new floors...I dont think the support under the tank was the issue.

 

[Joseph Gagne]

UPDATE: After a few calls to support in TX, I have confirmation that they will be shipping new tank/stand out today/tomorrow...currently awaiting tracking info.

 

[Porpoise Hork]

Couple possible things that could have caused this that I can think of. Since the tank was leveled prior to and during filling, it is possible that there was some slight shift in the foundation in the house after the tank was filled. The other is the stand itself. Depending on the construction, the stand could have also caused it by being over-built. I have seen over engineered stands that use 2x4 or 4x4's as the frame and the ply-wood is just a skin. Stands made this way are too rigid and with the the weight of the tank and water it causes an excessive amount of torsional stress to the the tank because the stand will not give to the weight and will invariably cause seams to fail or the glass to crack. That is why the vast majority of commercially available stands are nothing more than ply-wood boxes with little to no support in the corners. The stands are designed to flex just enough to keep the tank from doing so. I'm not saying that this is what specifically caused this failure, but it is the most likely of culprits based on where and how the tank failed.

Hopefully this gets sorted out quickly.

 

[madweazl]

Couple possible things that could have caused this that I can think of. Since the tank was leveled prior to and during filling, it is possible that there was some slight shift in the foundation in the house after the tank was filled. The other is the stand itself. Depending on the construction, the stand could have also caused it by being over-built. I have seen over engineered stands that use 2x4 or 4x4's as the frame and the ply-wood is just a skin. Stands made this way are too rigid and with the the weight of the tank and water it causes an excessive amount of torsional stress to the the tank because the stand will not give to the weight and will invariably cause seams to fail or the glass to crack. That is why the vast majority of commercially available stands are nothing more than ply-wood boxes with little to no support in the corners. The stands are designed to flex just enough to keep the tank from doing so. I'm not saying that this is what specifically caused this failure, but it is the most likely of culprits based on where and how the tank failed.

Hopefully this gets sorted out quickly.

The plywood stands would be even more rigid. There should be any flexing.

 

[Porpoise Hork]

The plywood stands would be even more rigid. There should be any flexing.

All of the weight of your tank is transferred to the stand on the corners and thus to the floor. If the stand is using 2x4 or 4x4's as the core frame they will not flex and even the slightest bit shift in the foundation will transfer up to the tank causing added torsional stress to the seam and this is why seams fail. a plywood box style stand will flex enough accommodate for any foundation settle that occurs when adding nearly a half a ton of water over a given spot. Leveling mats also help with this as they keep the tank level despite the stand or foundation shifting.

 

[Joseph Gagne]

Still no ship date from Red Sea in TX...this is 4 days after I was promised a tracking number the same day...I am sure they will send us a new one, but it is very clear, this is not a priority for them.

 

[Dsnakes]

Thanks for the update. This is a fear of mine with any tank!

 

[madweazl]

Still no ship date from Red Sea in TX...this is 4 days after I was promised a tracking number the same day...I am sure they will send us a new one, but it is very clear, this is not a priority for them.

Likely only one day for them (Friday) though.

 

[Joseph Gagne]

New tank arrived in about 2 weeks...it is now installed and looks good so far.

I'll keep this thread updated as needed.

Thanks for all the info and comments.

 

[blazedmasta]

I know this is an old posting but wanted to let everybody know the experience I had with that exact same issue. My Red Sea reefer 525 Xl have been up for about 2 years. The tank started leaking in the same location as the OP. The front glass started to come apart from the side glass panal and was leaking all over my carpet. A HUGE LEAK. I was able to stop leak by applying pressure with a ratchet scrap.I contacted them and was told the tank is our of warranty and that it's normal to have silicone leaks and for me to keep my case confidential.



I think everyone should know the kind of quality that's being sold and the customer service received and it should not be covered up to sell more high price products. I was told to buy a new tank since the silicone damage is non-repairable. I will be staying clear of Red Sea reefers tanks and going with a waterbox for my replacement. Be careful they will leak and it's not normal.

 

[piranhaman00]

I do not understand why people continue to buy these large rimless aquariums, they all have such a short life expectancy , Red Sea just appears to be the worst,

Rimmed tanks look better anyway and will last much much longer.

 

[MONTANTK]

I might have missed it but did they pay for any of the damage? I had a Miracles aquarium leak (one of their stock tanks) and they paid for the damage no questions asked and built me a brand new custom tank.

Sorry to hear your tank failed. Hope they make it right.