Plumbing question - never-ending leak

[mudplo]

All,

We built our tank about 6 months ago, and despite my own misgivings about my lack of plumbing skill, we plumbed the thing ourselves with good results so far. However, there's one exception and I was hoping for some advice. For the record, I will acknowledge again my utter lack of plumbing skills, so apologies in advance for misnaming any parts.

On the return section, we have a leak where the sump portion connects back up to the tank. It doesn't appear to be the piece that actually connects to the tank (the washer seems to keep that area dry) but rather the little male adapter just below it. We've disconnected it several times and taped the hell out of the thing, but it always leaks.

This is not a substantial leak at all, but we end up having a lot of salt find its way out of this location. Once a week we have a salt stalactite that we need to knock off, and there's a solid amount sitting behind the tank as well.

I was hoping that the salt creep would eventually plug the thing itself, but no such luck. Again, this isn't causing severe pain, but I worry about the salinity staying constant and eventual damage to the stand and carpet with the salt dropping out.

Any ideas how I can solve this? If I put a bead of silicon there, would I be able to cut it well enough to remove the pipe for a move?

Thanks for any thoughts,

Clint

 

[chadfarmer]

does the bulk head have threads?

 

[mudplo]

Yes, it's threaded on the inside. We figured that was the easiest way to ensure we could remove the setup for moves, etc.

 

[sbeason]

The seal is supposed to be on the wetside of the tank. Not sure if thats how you have it or not.

 

[bradleym]

Sounds like you're doing everything right. It looks (from the pic) like it's coming out between the fitting and the short piece of PVC. That would make more sense too. But if you're absolutely certain it's the threads that are leaking, you can caulk it and it should be easy enough to remove later. Here's the rub though. If you don't let the siicone completely cure (usually 24 hours) it will reabsorb water from the leak and could leak again in time. I rushed a skimmer repair and found out the hard way.

 

[Mikeygo1]

I am in the industrial valve and fitting business and if I were you I would remake the fitting with the directions as follows, but do not use an anarobic thread sealent.

STEP 1: Inspect port and tting to ensure that both
are free of contaminants and excessive burrs and nicks.
STEP 2: wrap Teflon tape 1-1/2 turns in a clockwise direction,
viewed from the pipe end, leaving the first two threads
uncovered.
CAUTION: Teflon tape and some pipe sealants are
destructive to hydraulic components. Always use
extreme caution and follow manufacturer’s recommendations
for proper application of any sealant
in order to prevent contamination.
STEP 3: Screw finger tight into the port.
STEP 4: Wrench tighten the fitting to the correct
Turns Past Finger Tight position (See following table).
When installing elbows or tees, consider nal orientation
position as to not exceed the recommended TPFT.
A properly assembled fittings total thread engagement
should be 3.5 to 6 turn Never back off an installed pipe fitting
to achieve proper alignments.CAUTION: . Loosening installed
pipe ttings will corrupt the seal and contribute to
leakage and failure.Torque installation of pipe ttings is not a recommended
practice. Thread taper and quality, dierent
port and tting materials, plating thickness and types,
varying thread sealants, orientation, and other factors
reduce the reliability of a torqued connection. If
torque installation is required, refer to the following
table for suggested torque values.