Leaking Overflow Grrrr!!

playa0069u

New member
WHY IS IT LEAKING????? I cant get it to work without leaking!!! i am going to get rid of the o-rings, and get those big rubber washers. think that will work?
 
Did you tighten the bulkhead enough. Be careful so you don't crack your tank though. You could also silicone all around the bulkhead on the inside of the tank.
 
inside of the over flow you mean. its a hang on overflow. if i tighten it to much the o ring slips. if the washers dont do it then I got your o- rings right here baby <holds up silicone gun> lol.
 
Do you have a picture of the plumbing that leaves the overflow? Is it plastic glued into the box or a bulkhead? Is the bulkhead leaking or the connection between the overflow and the pipe to the sump?
 
you must have the o ring or gasket on the wrong side or you are overtightening and moving the gasket out side the edge of the bulkhead or into the middle falling into the hole. my money is the gasket is on the wrong side cause water to leak through the threads. I could be wrong of course . put the o ring / gasket on the flange of the bulkhead and not the nut and see what happens.
also if it's not a new tank make sure the glass where the gasket goes is perfectly clean
 
its acrylic, and there is an oring on each side just like on the sump. although the sump is just a capped hole though. but it holds their. i am going to try using rubber washers tonight. if it doesnt work, I will probably throw a fit and break something lol.
 
I would use 1 o ring on the flange side only. one on each side will let it move around. rubber washers are better I believe also. I always use aquarium silicon on both sides of the gasket as per john at ichthy. it works very well .
 
leak

leak

WHY IS IT LEAKING I CANT FIGURE IT OUT..............no - f'ing - comment...
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should I use the o ring or the washer? they both work.... the washer has more extra on it to ddeteriorate in my tank is what Im thinking anyone else?
 
not the greatest pic but it looks broken. thats not really a "bulkhead'' either. it looks like a 3/4 inch male adapter.
 
Forgive me if I'm overdoing this but I find it helps to solve problems by backtracking...

I'm assuming your overflow box is like this: A box inside the tank, a tube going over the side of the tank to an outside box. Inside the outside box there's a hole in the bottom. In that hole is some pvc-like parts - either it's fused to the box or there's two pieces that screw together with the lip of each side bigger than the hole in the box and the rubber o-ring between the lip of the box-hole and the lip of one side of the pvc-like parts. Those pvc-like parts are a "bulkhead" (which you might already know).

Are you sure the leak is from the bulkhead and not
* A crack in the box or pipe
* Coming from the pipes connected to the bulkhead. If a threaded PVC pipe is screwed into the overflow box, did you use teflon thread sealant paste or tape? That could definitely be the problem.

In my experience with bulkheads where the hole is in the side of the tank and not the bottom of an acrylic overflow box here's what's been the cause of leaks for me:
* It's not tight enough (hand tight should be enough)
* The o-ring (or rubber seal) on the wrong side of the glass - I think you want it on the side where the water is so the water pressure is pushing it into the hole, not away.
* The o-ring is cracked or broken
* There's a deep scratch on anything that contacts the o-ring.

If the water is leaking around the o-ring and it's a tight fit I'd try putting a thin layer of teflon sealant on the o-ring.

That's all I can think of without seeing the thing.
 
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