Leaking Red Sea reefer

[Jhoussock]

I can’t get the down pipe to stop leaking in my redsea reefer 250 does this look like the bulk head is leaking? If the plumbing is connected and the return pump is running it’s a much faster leak...not sure what to do!

 

[Jhoussock]

ive tried tape and thread sealant with silicon on the outside I’ve got it to slow but now it’s dripping out of the uncured silicon into my sump ....how bad is this? Is it not enough contact to harm livestock and coral? Here’s an updated video

 

[Mark Gray]

That looks pretty bad, is it leaking from the theads on the bulkhead? You may have to replace it. Is the gasket ok? Have you taken it all the way out?

 

[Jhoussock]

It looks to be from the inner threads of the bulk head but not certain the only gasket I see is an o ring on the actual pipe. The bulk head is siliconed into the tank by redsea I believe, so I would have to remove and resilicone I guess. Hoping someone more experienced thank myself can give me a fix

 

[Peace River]

Lets see if we can get some help....

In the mean time you may want to check out this link to another R2R thread about a leaking RS Reefer to see if any of it helps.

#reefsquad @AZMSGT

 

[Dsnakes]

That’s a pretty good leak. Maybe a bad gasket or dust/debris that kept it from sealing? Is this a new setup?

 

[AZMSGT]

Red sea reefer leak troubleshooting

The thread referenced above has alot of good troubleshooting steps. I would take apart that entire pipe set up. Odds are the O-rings are in bad shape.

I would never use joint tape or sealer on Red Sea pipes. They are made to work with Orings.

 

[Jhoussock]

It’s a used system it must of always leaked a little because since I set it up a year ago it had a lot of salt creap build up at the bulk head. Is there anyway to replace the bulkhead on a reefer? Really regret messing with it at this point...I did order another pipe to see if that does it but I think it’s the bulk head. The oring looks okay. My biggest concern right now is the dripping water on the uncured silicone I put on thinking it would seal...will this be okay?

 

[tgrick]

The good news is that it's leaking from the plastic and not broken glass. The plastic parts and seals can be purchased from Red Sea. I would give them a call. I suspect a seal is bad or missing.

 

[Jhoussock]

The good news is that it's leaking from the plastic and not broken glass. The plastic parts and seals can be purchased from Red Sea. I would give them a call. I suspect a seal is bad or missing.

I’m not sure it’s that easy I think the bulk head is sealed with silicone from the top on all three bulk heads as one piece the pipe is an easy fix but I think it’s from the bulkhead

 

[MnFish1]

I think you're going to have a very hard time sealing anything - while its wet (though there are products that claim to do this - they do not seem to do that well). you need to have a dry area - while the silicone cures - that said - why rely on that when it shoudl be sealed without silicone - are you sure there isnt another problem?

 

[Jhoussock]

I think you're going to have a very hard time sealing anything - while its wet (though there are products that claim to do this - they do not seem to do that well). you need to have a dry area - while the silicone cures - that said - why rely on that when it shoudl be sealed without silicone - are you sure there isnt another problem?

any easy access (Lowe’s homedepot) reef safe products I can at least try until my new plumbing gets here?

 

[AZMSGT]

My suggestion is call Red Sea and ask them for advice on what to use. I know my Local Fish stores, Petco and Pet smart all sell silicone for fish tanks. I would look there before HD or Lowes.

 

[MnFish1]

any easy access (Lowe’s homedepot) reef safe products I can at least try until my new plumbing gets here?

There are those products that can seal underwater - whether they are reef safe or not - I am not aware.

 

[NewGoby]

I used to have this issue on my Reefer 250, I replaced the upper outer drain pipe (costs like 10-15 €, can image its about the same in USD) & I put new rubber in the lower inner drain pipe, although the latter isnt your issue.

I now keep spare parts on hands at all times.

Lower outer pipe with the valve is more expensive, because the valve isnt cheap was 65 €

 

[BraxtonF]

Bulkhead needs replaced, better to replace small pieces early

 

[NewGoby]

Bulkhead needs replaced, better to replace small pieces early

You can't just replace the bulkhead, atleast not over here, you replace the bulkhead + the whole pipe.

 

[RyanHoan]

That happened to me when I set my 250 up. For me it was the O-ring that was a bit shredded. I went to Home Depot and found one that was about the same size and that did the trick.

 

[Jhoussock]

So I woke up today to the leak stopped....very odd. Plan is to replace the top pipe when it comes in and in the meantime slather up the bottom with some silicone while it’s dry Just in case it’s the bulkhead that’s permanent in the tank....seem like a good plan?

 

[Frtdrmrose7]

So I woke up today to the leak stopped....very odd. Plan is to replace the top pipe when it comes in and in the meantime slather up the bottom with some silicone while it’s dry Just in case it’s the bulkhead that’s permanent in the tank....seem like a good plan?

IMO patching it like that isn’t a good idea unless it were for a short time (waiting on parts). I would order the replacement parts and fix it correctly. I know that’s not what you want to hear but it’s right.