210 leaking

[specsirl]

My 210 is leaking around the bottom seam in the front. What is the best way to repair this? To just reseal the whole inside or completely take the tank panels apart order new top and bottom frames and start from scratch? Any input would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Wryknow]

You're going to have to take the seam apart completely and completely re-do the silicon it I'm afraid. If one seem went bad you're going to want to re-do all of them IMHO.

P.S. Is everything out of the tank yet? A leak might be a pre-cursor to a blown seam.

 

[Bender]

What brand is the tank and how old is it? Any chance that it is still under warranty?

 

[thor32766]

any pics?

 

[specsirl]

I have the tank completely empty and sitting waiting for repair. I was just wondering if I should just redo the inside silicone or tear apart the panels from each other and redo the whole thing.

My thinking was that if one seal was bad enough to leak that there might be others that are on their way?? I was thinking that the best way would be to order new top and bottom frames, tear the tank apart, clean everything and reassemble. Has anyone done this?

The tank is only a few years old and is an AGA tank, however I had purchased it from someone else so I'm not the original owner and am not aware of any warranty.

I do not have any photos as you can't see where the leak was.

 

[sidd129]

Sry to hear about your tank. If you need a hand later on this week let me know.

 

[specsirl]

Anyone have any ideas? Is it better to completely take apart the whole tank or just where the leak is?

 

[prugs]

Since the tank was not yours originally, & you don't know how it was supported/handled. I would at least remove the bottom frame to get a good look at the glass to glass seams on the bottom. Tanks just don't start leaking, unless there was enough stress on it to jepordize the integrity of the joint.

 

[specsirl]

I think that just to be on the safe side I'm going to disassemble the whole tank and redo it. I'll order new top and bottom frames since they're cheap enough.

I know that you scrape the silicone off and use denatured alcohol to wipe off any residue. Should I be lightly sanding the edges of the tank where the primary seal was just to be sure that all of the residue is gone or will using the alcohol and cleaning it good be sufficient? 210 gals is a lot of water to be on the floor.

 

[t-bone2]

i would reseal the whole thing better safe than sorry

 

[prugs]

A razor blade will be fine for cleaning up the glass. I wouldn't use sand paper on the glass. Maybe a fine scotchbrite pad on the cut edge that butts up against the side, if you have any silicone residue left.

 

[specsirl]

thank you!

This will be a great project for those cold days outside!

 

[specsirl]

I got the tank and started to tear it apart...man is silicone tougher than it looks.

My next question is any tips for reassembly? I noticed that the bottom panel seems to be "floating" ie the panel is siliconed a little ways up and inside the side panels if that makes sense. How do I redo this? Make some sort of prop to set the bottom panel on the hight off of the ground that it needs to be?

Any suggestions would be great!

 

[asm481]

I've never done this so no good tips here except for use the right silicone. Lots of posts here about what is good not good. Get the AGA silicone. Might have to order it but I believe it would be worth it. Now I am gonna get flamed and told GEI or GEII for window and door with out mold killers. I just don't see why people don't use the reccomended sealant right from the get go.

 

[Zimboy]

usually dowels are placed under the bottom pane of glass to keep it off the ground while putting the side panels on. You can get dowels in many different thicknesses which will help you to get the glass the right height off the ground. Check your LHS.

 

[jim.l]

Make very sure that the old silicone is completely gone. Silicone won't bond to cured silicone.

 

[specsirl]

Thanks guys for the tips. I might be having more questions as I go.

 

[shelburn61]

how did this turn out?

 

[Krazy]

How old was that 210 before it started leaking?

Did you buy it new or used?

and my last question is, was the tank level ?

(if u see what I have in my sig, u will know why I'm so curious)

 

[LisaD]

I just posted in a separate thread, but since you are talking about a used AGA 210, I'll ask here as well... When using a "stock" AGA stand, which in my case is black painted wood, do you place anything between the tank bottom and the wood, or just set it on the stand?

My tank is set up and ready to fill. The stand is the kind where the tank sits on the edge (not inside a frame). It was my mom's reef tank - she had it set up beautifully, but had to give it up due to health issues. I took it down and drove it from NJ to NC in late 2005. She had it sitting directly on the stand (no foam board or plywood between bottom of tank and stand).

Am I asking for trouble if I set the tank right on this stand?