How to repair a blown out CO2 reactor

[bshumake]

So if you have not seen what I did last night, click below
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1844973

And so I'm now at the repair stage.

First off I assessed the damage and decided it was "repairable" or at least I was willing to give it a try.

Side shot of damage. I ran a thin screwdriver through the gaps to clear them of any media.

These next two pictures show what I really hate to see in a break, incomplete sheering. This means I have to try and get solvent to wick into the slivers when, for the most part, it does not want to get in there.

 

[bshumake]

Well. After taking everything in I thought I would first try to position the broken sheet into as close to its origional place as i could. As i did this I took my pins (their actually lengths of the smallest guitar string) and wedged them into the break every few inches, or at the points of greatest need, i.e. places the weld-on would not want to go. the reason for the pins is that it creates the narrowest space between the two sheets and helps the solvent to wick into place. Then I positioned all my clamps and tightened them down until the pins were snug.

 

[bshumake]

More pins

Now comes the fun part. I would usually use a bottle to join sheets together, but because I need to control the flow and in some places force weld-on into the joint i'm using a syringe and weld-on #3. Its water thin and perfect for tight fits.

Now I went around the entire break pushing #3 into every nook I could. You know when it's flowing into the gap because the piece goes from cloudy to crystal clear.

When you clamp a project as tight as this repair the pins are nearly impossible to remove by hand. In this case I used needle nose plyers to get them out. The joint should flow together, sealing the hole the pin was holding open.

After that I went back around and retightened my clamps and moved some of them around to keep the proper tension where I needed it.

And now, it's just a matter of letting the solvent set. We'll pick back up tomorrow with a water test.

 

[Mako Shark II]

I'm sure Susan appreciates your doing the dishes first, too.

 

[bshumake]

Alright folks. Its been a bit since I thought I would be getting back to you. I'll give the description now and upload the pictures tonight.
After removing all of the clamps and testing the reactor chamber and plumbing for leaks I discovered a small leak at the top seam. its suposed to be an easy fix, so long as the acrylic gods are smiling on you. well, they don't smile on me often so at the pressure test the leak presented itself. not to worry, a little Weld-on 16 is thick enough to work as a patch so I applied a liberal line of glue and let it settle in on the seam to seal it up.
two days later I fill it back up and do another pressure test. it leaked at the same spot but only a pinhole. the inside angles of the reactor and the narrowness of the only access points available to me (the lid or the recirculator) meant I wouldn't be able to seal it from the inside, which I would have preferred. So I cut a strip of acrylic from a piece of scrap to cover the hole and at least 1/4 inch on either side of it. the patch was snugged down with C clamps after a liberal amount of Weld-on 16. and that is where i am now. just letting the glue set up. I plan to move the reactor and CO2 tank to my empty cabinet now that i don't need a chiller anymore. *Gotta love t5's!*

 

[bshumake]