Purchasing a 3/4" bulkhead fitting locally

[Spudsly]

Filling my tank last night and I found the hard way that my return bulkhead has failed (if I was smart I would have filled the overflow first). I happened to have one on order already but it won't arrive till Saturday. Anyone local have one for sale or know where I can get one? I should mention I'm in Worcester.

 

[CAPSLOCK]

You could give Krystal Klear aquatics in Auburn a call.

 

[s_kelley]

Kind of a haul but Greg at Underwaterworld in taunton keeps a bunch of sizes in stock. Come Saturday for the meeting then go to his shop and grab one

 

[Spudsly]

Thanks everyone. I called up Tropic Isle Aquarium in Framingham (somewhere I thought I had been before but I hadn't). They had them (in a wide array of sizes and couplings and so were super friendly! I'm happy to report we appear to be water tight again and I'll sleep well tonight knowing that my overflows seal isn't the only thing keeping 180 gallons of water off my hardwood floors.

 

[bill120mph]

Pool stores also carry them.

 

[Spudsly]

I may have spoken too soon about being totally water tight. They all seem to be dripping down the threads (not up at the flange. Not sure why yet.

 

[this is me]

Maybe a picture of it?

 

[Spudsly]

I'll post a picture tonight. It may be the kind of thing that seals itself over time but all 5 are dripping, but I think some might be internal (I can't find wetness on the threading) where as two of them are clearly wet on the threads. I'm surprised the new one is dripping although maybe it's because I couldn't get in there to really clean out the area I installed it in. Or maybe I just need to tighten it, I did do it by hand.

 

[Jim Tansey]

They will drip through the threads if the gasket is not installed between the flange of the feedthrough and the glass NEVER put the gasket on the side with the nut it will LEAK!!!

Jim

 

[Spudsly]

The gasket is on the flange side (the wet side, in this case). One thing I was unsure of is that one side of the gasket was totally flat and the other had two concentric ridges. The way the bulkhead came, these ridges pointed down (away from the flange). I kept it that way but I wasn't sure that was correct.

 

[Jim Tansey]

Ya many of them do have a couple of concentric ridges I usually put them toward the glass side but even if they were the other way it would not cause it to leak. If the gasket is on the correct side it must just be loose, snug it up then about an additional half turn with a wrench. Its plastic so don't over do it.

Jim

 

[Spudsly]

Ok. I'll try that when I get home. You hear so much about not overtightening I might have just wussed out. I'm also worried that because I couldn't clean the surface well before installation that there's just too much junk under it (although in principle it should be sitting in the same footprint as the old one which would have been clean.

 

[Spudsly]

Here's a picture:


The one on the left is the prime leaker. It's the one I just reinstalled. It seems to have a slow drip on the threads. Although there's no water between the nut and glass or on the nut in general.

 

[Spudsly]

I disassembled the bulkhead again, I hadn't noticed the first time that there was a ton of silicon or rubber or something in the hole. I scraped it all out and cleaned off the landing area of the gasket. So far as good.