Need to plug two small holes in a sump.

[BHF]

Okay, so I bought a used acrylic sump. Looked good. Suited my needs very well. The seller pointed out Two .25" holes that a previous owner had drilled in the side as part of his auto top off system. I wont be doing that with this sump. "No problem," says I "I'll just get a couple of plastic wing nuts, seal 'em with a bit of silcone, and we'll be good to go."

Yeah. Well. Problem.

I go to both the local HD and Lowes, tell 'em what I'm looking for, and I get looked at like I just sprouted a third arm out of my forehead. No joy at the hardware stores. Online searches find plenty, but none small enough for the holes in question (and frankly, dropping $7 in shipping on a $1 part just seems...well...stupid). So I'm brainstorming possible solutions.

One I've come up with, but I'm not sure will work: fill the holes with silicone a little at a time, and then smear more silicone over the holes on either side of the tank. Kind of messy. Certainly not elegant. But would this work?

 

[splateee]

Silicone will not work, it does not adhere to the acrylic. You can use the stuff that they use to bound acrylic with, i can't remeber the name of it.

 

[BHF]

Acrylic cement?

 

[RicGio]

Silicone WILL work! Fill the holes with silicone and sandwich a small square of acrylic over each side. Silicone sandwich worked for me!


Of course the best fix would be to drill/tap and plastic plug it.

 

[mfinn]

Just get a couple small pieces of acrylic and some weld-on 16 glue.

 

[BHF]

Not that I don't think the sandwich wont work (I've seen it done and don't know why it didn't occur to me from jump), trying the cement will be the primary method of attack (finding a dealer with scraps around here might be a bit time intensive). If that doesn't work, the sandwich makes a decent fallback (and I'll already have the cement to bond it with).

 

[wife no likey]

At Lowes's, did you look in the specialty fastner trays? All the ones that I've been to have nylon stuff there.

 

[BHF]

You know, I'm not certain. I "think" so, but I'll swing by there tomorrow, see what I find. Cement is on it's way, so it looks like I'm developing plans A, B and C.

Never a bad thing.

 

[BeanAnimal]

Epoxy will work.

However had some 1/8 holes I filled with acrylic cement and acrylic shavings.

Tapping and plugging them with an nylon bolt is also an idea that will surely work.

 

[jstraka1]

Get the nylon bolts that are used to attach the toilet seat to the bowl. I think they may be 1/4 inch. I would use some sort of gasket, tighten them down with the gasket on the inside and it will be a good seal.

 

[hllywd]

Nylon license plate bolts.

Tim