silicone on OUTSIDE of bulkhead?

[xxoczukxx]

Hey everyone, on my new tank, the holes that my drains go into on the stand are kinda small so itll be hard to access the bulkheads once everything is set up. The pvc elbows also wont fit through the holes so if i ever need to do anything with them ill probably need to cut the pvc from the bulkhead and replace them completely.

With that prefaced, is there anything wrong with siliconing the outside/dry side of the bulkhead for extra insurance? i know not to silicone the wet side but is there any issues siliconing the outside?

my thought process is that if i need to do anything with the bulkhead im gonna need to cut them out anyway so at this point removing silicon to fix em is only one more step so its not that much more in exchange for some extra assurance/security.

Are there any legitimate reasons not to silicone the outside of my bulkheads shut like there are for not siliconing the wetside?

 

[Webslinger]

Silicone is not needed or recommended (Seal will leak over time). Install the gasket on the flange side of the bulkhead, never on the nut side

 

[kevin_e]

No need to. Why do you want to?

 

[xxoczukxx]

No need to. Why do you want to?

like i said in my post, extra insurance. I wont be able to access the bulkheads in the even of a leak without fully disassembling the plumbing, cutting the pvc and physically moving the tank so id end up having to replace the bulkheads in the event of having to do anything with them anyway

 

[Daddy-o]

If your bulkhead is installed correctly water will never make it to the silicone

 

[Ultra Aquatics]

like i said in my post, extra insurance. I wont be able to access the bulkheads in the even of a leak without fully disassembling the plumbing, cutting the pvc and physically moving the tank so id end up having to replace the bulkheads in the event of having to do anything with them anyway

You should install unions close to the bulkheads if you’re concerned about taking them apart. Never silicone a bulkhead! One thing that really helped me on my 80g was these.

Bulkhead Nut Tool

Makes Installing Bulkheads Easier and Quicker Compatible with Bulk Reef Supply ABS Bulkheads Installing bulkhead nuts can be tough, especially when they are in the back corner of your tank. Barr Aquatic's Nut Tool is perfect to slip over the bulkhead nut and give you a textured surface to turn...

www.bulkreefsupply.com

I could never get my bulkheads tight enough because of how close they were to each other and the small hole I made in the stand.