Superglue Acrylic In Sump

[Ippyroy]

I am trying to put a coarse filter pad in my sump to stop chaeto and bristle worms and sand from getting into my sump chamber. I currently have a small piece of egg crate with a piece of the filter zip tied to it. That is a temp solution, it works, just not very well. My plan is to use some thin acrylic, old T5 cover, to make strips from the bottom of the sump to the top of the pad so that I can add and remove it quickly and easily. It will also help with he light spill from the fuge light. My question is will superglue gel work, and are there any tricks to keeping the strip in place while it cures? My sump is a trigger systems. Thanks for the help.

 

[fishguy242]

i would say no,use an acrylic weld

 

[mav3rick478]

Like said above, acrylic weld. Super glue will not bond to acrylic very well.

 

[bluprntguy]

Superglue will be temporary at best and when it fails you’ll have a mess in the sump.

Do it right. Drain the sump and use acrylic weld.

 

[Ippyroy]

OK. How long does the weld take to cure and be safe to return back to use? And which one is safe?

 

[bluprntguy]

OK. How long does the weld take to cure and be safe to return back to use? And which one is safe?

Weld-On SciGrip liquid. You use a TINY amount. Put the pieces together and use a hypodermic needle to apply a tiny amount to the joint. The liquid will run inside the joint and fuse the pieces. It’s probably ready as soon as 15 minutes, but I’d leave it dry for a few hours.

 

[Ippyroy]

Weld-On SciGrip liquid. You use a TINY amount. Put the pieces together and use a hypodermic needle to apply a tiny amount to the joint. The liquid will run inside the joint and fuse the pieces. It’s probably ready as soon as 15 minutes, but I’d leave it dry for a few hours.

Thanks. I can do that.

 

[Billdogg]

I'd suggest weldon 16. It's a gel type solvent designed for acrylic. I've used it and put the piece in service in under an hour

 

[Ippyroy]

I'd suggest weldon 16. It's a gel type solvent designed for acrylic. I've used it and put the piece in service in under an hour

How long does take to set? Do I just apply, put it place, and tape it?

 

[Softhammer]

Weldon sets very quickly. The solvent evaporates almost immediately. The gels are easier to work with for that reason. If you use the liquid set your pieces first, tape them up or whatever and you use a needle to flow the solvent into the joints, capillary action draws it in. keep it clamped until you don’t smell solvent. Gel works like regular glue but again clamp until the smell is gone and at that point it’s cured, I wouldn’t hesitate to put it right in the tank then.

 

[flampton]

Why not just fashion a pad with waterproof neodyniums and affix to baffle that way? Or am I not understanding the problem?

 

[Ippyroy]

Why not just fashion a pad with waterproof neodyniums and affix to baffle that way? Or am I not understanding the problem?

I could do that, but I have the piece of acrylic already and the glue is under $15. I will also have a ton of acrylic after this pandemic is over and I would like to learn a bit more about cutting and gluing it.

 

[Ippyroy]

Weldon sets very quickly. The solvent evaporates almost immediately. The gels are easier to work with for that reason. If you use the liquid set your pieces first, tape them up or whatever and you use a needle to flow the solvent into the joints, capillary action draws it in. keep it clamped until you don’t smell solvent. Gel works like regular glue but again clamp until the smell is gone and at that point it’s cured, I wouldn’t hesitate to put it right in the tank then.

How do I clamp it? I don't have anything nearly that big. It will be a 1 inch strip about 12 inches long attached on the side of the sump.

The filter will be on the right side of the baffle, next to the skimmer. The acrylic pieces will be about 1 inch away from the baffle.

 

[Softhammer]

I’d trim it for a pressure fit and use magnets if possible. For that you want the Weldon gel.

 

[Ippyroy]

I’d trim it for a pressure fit and use magnets if possible. For that you want the Weldon gel.

Ahhh! Genius! Thanks a ton.

 

[bluprntguy]

I'd suggest weldon 16. It's a gel type solvent designed for acrylic. I've used it and put the piece in service in under an hour

Probably fine for this application, but the gels create joints that are about 20-25% less strong so I’d generally not recommend for things like sump construction. I also find that I get less air pockets and smears on the acrylic with the liquids, which is pretty critical to things like sump construction.

How do I clamp it? I don't have anything nearly that big. It will be a 1 inch strip about 12 inches long attached on the side of the sump.

The filter will be on the right side of the baffle, next to the skimmer. The acrylic pieces will be about 1 inch away from the baffle.

Flip the sump over and place books, water jugs, or anything else that is relatively heavy on the piece of plastic that you are trying to secure. The pieces of plastic just need to be tight while they set. In this case, you can hold them for 10 minutes if there isn’t another way.