Replacing a cracked bottom on a 92 corner bowfront

[smithcreek]

I posted this pic over in reef talk, now I'm looking for some advice on fixing it.

Had no idea a tank with 2 holes drilled in the bottom could be tempered, but apparently they must temper it after they drill it.

So, questions are:

-how much of the tank do I need to disassemble?
-just take bottom off?
-must take everything apart?

-can I rebuild it without tempered glass?
-how thick?

-Is it worth it in the end? Will I spend more time and money than it's worth and end up with a tank that has a high probability it will leak?

 

[JCheung]

probably not worth the time and effort, not to mention the cost of fixing it. But it is a good DIY project just so we know how it goes.

 

[Kevin McG]

Not sure I would trust a fix job. Probably better to just start over with a new tank

At least that's just me and piece of mind is important to me

 

[ChemDumb]

Man that sucks. Would you be able to cut a piece of glass with those dimensions by hand? I know I couldn't. Tracing out what you need would be the easy part, but the actual cutting of the bow, man, I don't know.

I don't know what thickness you would use, but if you're going with non-tempered I'd probably go wtih 3/8 inch glass because it is the bottom and will be supporting a ton of weight.

Actually, come to think of it, you could build a jig that would allow you to easily cut that shape. A piece of plywood could be cut to that shape and size, then you could mount rails on the two straight sides and make an "arm" that is the length of either of the straight sides. Mount the arm so that it pivots right at the corner and then using a Dremel, mounted so that the bit is where you want to cut, patience, water and a lot of time, you should be able to just slowly rotate that arm back and forth over the same line until you are through the glass.

That's the best I can come up with, if you want to give it a shot. If not, hey, I wouldn't do it either.

Lou

 

[smithcreek]

The original tempered glass was 3/8", so I'll go 1/2" non-tempered to be safe. I wouldn't cut it myself, I'll have a glass shop do it. I'm sure they cut radiuses all time for window.

I'll drill all the holes I need before installing it. I was able to get the plastic rim and all the old glass off, so now I guess I just need to see how much a new bottom will run me. 1/2" is going to be expensive, but better than a whole new tank.

 

[ChemDumb]

I hope it works out for you. That's a really nice tank, I would hate to see it go to waste for one broken piece of glass.

When joining with the new silicone, remember, cleanliness is next to godliness. Do not skimp on the removal of the old silicone unless you want leaks. Also, you might want to check out that black silicone that SMcNally used on his rimless tank. It looks really nice. Also, don't forget to mask off where you're siliconing.

Are you taking the whole tank apart or just pulling the bottom and refitting te bottom?

Lou

 

[smithcreek]

I hope it works out for you. That's a really nice tank, I would hate to see it go to waste for one broken piece of glass.

When joining with the new silicone, remember, cleanliness is next to godliness. Do not skimp on the removal of the old silicone unless you want leaks. Also, you might want to check out that black silicone that SMcNally used on his rimless tank. It looks really nice. Also, don't forget to mask off where you're siliconing.

Are you taking the whole tank apart or just pulling the bottom and refitting te bottom?

Lou

From what I've read, it's only necessary to refit the bottom, and looking at how it came apart that looks like it would work fine. You're right, getting every bit of silicone off is a real bugger. I was already thinking about giving Steve a pm once I get the glass. I called a glass shop and it looks around $150, so a lot cheaper than a new tank.

 

[ChemDumb]

so how long before you get the glass and start with the installation? I'd love to see the progress you make on it. Any plans on making sketch-up models of the tank ;-)

Lou

 

[JayM]

Is 1/2" untempered glass going to be strong enough?

Good luck either way......

 

[smithcreek]

so how long before you get the glass and start with the installation? I'd love to see the progress you make on it. Any plans on making sketch-up models of the tank ;-)

Lou

It's going to take a while to get the glass. There's no one here is Westerly that can do it, so they have to send it out. Plus I'm going on vacation for a week, leaving Sat. I think the hardest part is done, cleaning the silicone off the tank. What a pain that is.

I found a glass thickness calculator, but it would have taken me weeks to figure out how to use it, especially since all the formulas dealt with rectangle tanks. I checked out a bunch of other articles by people who built tanks and even much larger tanks were built with less that 1/2" non-tempered. So I guess I'll cross my finger when I fill it with water.

I'll post some pics once I get it together.

 

[smcnally]

I used 3/8 non tempered for the bottom of my tank. When I test filled it, the wood it was on was uneven and the glass seemed totally straight under pressure.

 

[smithcreek]

I used 3/8 non tempered for the bottom of my tank. When I test filled it, the wood it was on was uneven and the glass seemed totally straight under pressure.

Good to know! Thanks. I'm toying with the idea of figuring out a way to support the bottom a bit, like foam. Just to take some of the pressure off it.

 

[ChemDumb]

So, have you gotten the glass yet? Has it been mounted? Anything?