Replacing a pane of glass

[dogum1999]

Back story is i bought a 200g deep dimension tank it was dirty found a crack on the back panel. I am in it too deep to sell it now. Getting mixed results of what I should do. So I will post here and get some more opinions. Do I just remove the cracked piece of glass and re silicone?? Or do I tear the entire tank appart and rebuild it.

 

[Scffvariable]

I am in the same situation, except it the bottom pane. Most of the info I have found says to leave the rest intact if it's in good condition and only replace the bad panel.

 

[Dashiki]

I am in the same situation, except it the bottom pane. Most of the info I have found says to leave the rest intact if it's in good condition and only replace the bad panel.

I know a few people that have had bottom panels break. it probally the easiest one to repair.

you can either get a new bottom piece and silicone to the outside of your existing panel or get an inside piece cut and silicone the inside it depends on the extent of the crack.

 

[nemosworld]

tear the entire tank apart and rebuild it.

anything else is asking for potential problems. you do not know the integrity of the other panes, they may have become weak or may do so when you remove that single pane. you may also get lucky and it works out great.

there is a saying, it's not if it will leak, but rather when.
you could have it for years before something happen, or short term.

I had this happen, replaced front pane and then the rare pane leaked months later. there was other issues involved, like the center brace was missing, but I bought the tank used and did not realize that it needed it, giving the fact the glass was 3/4 inch thick.

does your tank have euro bracing or center bracing?

 

[oakes]

Do you have a picture of the crack? I have seen some hobbyist drill out each end of the crack and silicone another piece of glass over top of it. The drilling should stop the crack from spreading.

I am in the same boat, I just picked up a cracked tank but the crack runs from the bottom on the pane up and then back down so I am having to replace the whole piece. I will be redoing the entire tank just to be on the safe side.

 

[uncleof6]

Do you have a picture of the crack? I have seen some hobbyist drill out each end of the crack and silicone another piece of glass over top of it. The drilling should stop the crack from spreading.

I am in the same boat, I just picked up a cracked tank but the crack runs from the bottom on the pane up and then back down so I am having to replace the whole piece. I will be redoing the entire tank just to be on the safe side.

Absolutely not. This works for windshields, but not for a pressure vessel. I don't care how many hobbyists think this is a viable solution, there are the same number of hobbyists begging for catastrophic failure that will cost them way more than the cost of a replacement tank.

The solutions are: rebuild the entire tank, if you have the skill set required, or have it rebuilt; replace the tank.

 

[dogum1999]

Razorblades, acetone, silicone, new pane of glass and painters tape. any other supplies I need for this project? How many tubes of silicone should I need for a 3' x 4' 27' H tank?

 

[Russell F]

tear the entire tank appart and rebuild it.

+1

I've never had good luck resealing. Your always better off tearing it down and starting fresh. And while your at it you can check integraty of the other panels and add any holes you may need more easily.

 

[Ryan2013]

What type of bracing does your tank have? If it has the plastic type, I would suggest having a professional rebuild the tank or at the least take the brace off. It is much harder to take those type apart than you would think.

 

[Ryan2013]

Also, to do the whole tank, I would buy 10-12 tubes of silicone and then return whatever you don't use. The last thing you want is to get close to being done and then realize you don't have enough for that last seam.