darn bulkheads
- Thread starter snick1734
- Start date
Snick, I was warned years ago about bulkhead fittings getting loose over time and you've found that out first hand! I was told that it has to do with contraction and expansion do to various things and I'm sure some vibration would assist with that as well. Whatever the reason(s) its not bad practice to check on them every so many months 
OP
OP
snick1734
Non-member
Snick, I was warned years ago about bulkhead fittings getting loose over time and you've found that out first hand! I was told that it has to do with contraction and expansion do to various things and I'm sure some vibration would assist with that as well. Whatever the reason(s) its not bad practice to check on them every so many months
heres the kicker they do vibrate every now & then because of the flow maybe pushing through them But I will now keep A eye or 2 on them for now on just glad we fixed it before we go on vacation next week. some day I want to do some changes to the plumbing here & there
steve
MikeG
Non-member
So far no leaks & the nerves are still in the dryer on high heat
mike that birds nest has now doubled in size & colors are sweet
steve
It is a quick grower. How bout some pics of the tank?
OP
OP
snick1734
Non-member
I have the hardest time uploading pictures to here nicole is the smart one when it comes to resizing pictures, It has been a while since we posted a pic or 2 . I will have her post some up.
doh 1000 posts now I can retire, well back to trying to figure out these vhos & why they work one day then nuttin the next .
steve
doh
1000 posts now I can retire, well back to trying to figure out these vhos & why they work one day then nuttin the next .steve
That doesn't hurt and is probably IMO a good idea. Some people do it, some don't. If you do use silicone, I would put it on both sides of the gasket to keep that sealed. I suppose you could also but a little on the threads and or under the nut to keep that from moving.
Best bet, just check them every now and then. About as tight as you can get with your hand, but not tool tight.
NateHanson
Non-member
I definitely wouldn't do this, unless you just mean to put some on the threads to lock the nut in place.
If you mean putting silicone on the gasket, don't do it. This just causes misery down the road. Once the silicone is set and sealed, if the bulkhead gets bumped, or needs tightened, or touched in any way, it will leak. Then the cured silicone will interfere with the seal, and you'll never get it to stop leaking.
Jim Tansey
Well-Known Member
The silicone also causes the rubber gasket to squeeze out from its proper position, it really is not required and will cause more harm than good.
Jim
Jim
I'll defer to what Nate and Jim said, I don't do the silicone thing anyway, and they both raised good points on why not to bother....
OP
OP
snick1734
Non-member
Update all looking good at this point no issues so far
heres what i did for now till we get some new bulkheads, drained the overflow side that was leaking took off the pest bulkhead cleaned & wiped down the glass both sides, put some teflon tape on the bulkhead threads snugged it all back together ONLY used a bit of silicone on the bottom of the threads its not leaking only a temp fix seems to be doing well.
steve
heres what i did for now till we get some new bulkheads, drained the overflow side that was leaking took off the pest bulkhead cleaned & wiped down the glass both sides, put some teflon tape on the bulkhead threads snugged it all back together ONLY used a bit of silicone on the bottom of the threads its not leaking only a temp fix seems to be doing well.
steve
