Red Sea Reefer Chip

SinisterKestrel · Feb 3, 2023

Picked up this used Red Sea 250, in transport one of the corners got chipped, seems cosmetic to me but want a second opinion before I bother to leak test

Big G · Feb 3, 2023

The problem with a leak test is that a brief filling of the tank appears to signal that it's just fine to use long term. The Navy studied glass fracture. Here's a brief part of the summary to ponder:

"This paper has summarized the strength and fracture data on glass,
emphasizing the phenomenon of static fatigue. In summarizing the strength of glass, it was noted that glass is characterized by extreme brittle behavior. The practical strength is much less than the theoretical strength because of the presence of cracks in the glass surface. The growth of
these cracks caused by water in the environment leads to the phenomenon of static fatigue, which is characterized by delayed failure under constant load, or a loading rate dependence of strength."

vetteguy53081 · Feb 3, 2023

SinisterKestrel said:
Picked up this used Red Sea 250, in transport one of the corners got chipped, seems cosmetic to me but want a second opinion before I bother to leak test

This is a type of crack that under pressure may spread. Some chips are non-structural and a good risk but when they get too close to the seam- risk increases. I've repaired many tanks and this is one that is borderline if a customer bought it to me for repair.

SinisterKestrel · Feb 3, 2023

vetteguy53081 said:
This is a type of crack that under pressure may spread. Some chips are non-structural and a good risk but when they get too close to the seam- risk increases. I've repaired many tanks and this is one that is borderline if a customer bought it to me for repair.

Is there any repair short of a full panel replacement that you would trust in this case?