sump plan-imput needed - Page 2

wanareef · 08-06-2004, 03:31 AM

The silicone is aquarium grade and it's just "in the hole" no where else. Just a little bead. It'll squeeze out and that is ok, as far as removing the BH, just push it out and use a razor to clean the sopt and you can reuse the gasket. Some vinagar will clean the sopt on a rag.

It's just a little trick to use in case if the BH leaks. You can only put so much torque on a BH before it breaks. (every once in a while you get one that doesn't seal

)

OodleyBoodely · 08-09-2004, 12:42 AM

Darn!

Looks like I will have to back up and re-think my plans here. I've been playing around with an acrylic box that I thought would make a good surface skimmer if I cut it down in height and cut a slot to fit around the bulkhead. This is also my practice piece. Well, I never realized what a problem cutting acrylic would be. I only have a few hand tools but I thought I would be able to cut the bulkhead holes and the pre-skimmer and sump division parts with them. I may have been very wrong.

(Oh, no! Say it ain't so!)

I started with my Dremel mototool, but it is an old model and has a set speed. I was able to make a few small cuts but the tool was nearly impossible to control and it melted the plastic and sprayed the molten acrylic all over. Next I tried a jigsaw. This cut through faster and I could control it better, but it melted the acrylic worse than the Dremel and actually resealed the cuts behind the blade leaving a long thick solid scar. The last tool I tried was my Dad's electric drill. This at least has some speed control, but it is difficult to control the direction of the cutting. I think I can do the surface skimmer with the drill (maybe), and I guess I'll have to get the dividers for the sump cut for me, but I'm worried about doing the bulkhead-that one I'll have to do.

Anyone with any pointers on finding a way to work with what I have? I can't afford to buy new tools other than maybe a new bit or hole saw. Any recommendations? Please keep in mind this tank is already set up and will only have the water level dropped to work on it.

Krux · 08-09-2004, 02:48 AM

it is going to be hard to keep the plastic shavings out of the tank when you go to put in the bulkhead, but the only way to do it so that it will not leak is to buy the hole saw that the manufacturer recommends. hole saw bits at home depot or true value will run you 15 to 20 dollars. if you are drilling from inside the tank, while there is water in it, you would win a darwin award if you didnt take precautions to run the drill on a gfci extension cord

as for the rest of the acrylic, i dont know, wanareef is my acrylic man, i only know about tank drilling (just did my new tank a couple days ago).

look aroud a bit for a fellow reefer in the area, or ask at your friendly neighborhood shop. someone probably has a hole saw for your sized bulkhead (every 1" bulkhead manufacturer is different btw, you need to get the right size for yours specifically) and might loan it to you if you ask. i think the best took for cutting acrylic for baffles and stuff is a router, and a table saw as a second, but if wanareef sees this he can answer more specifically. either way, probably out of your budget... so i highly suggest meeting some diy friends :P

Geoff · 08-09-2004, 02:17 PM

ahh, cutting acrylic.

you either have to take your time and cool the jig saw blade frequently or line up the cut and push like *&$% and cut as much as you can before the blade heats up and melts the acrylic.

personal preference, but i do not like to drill my returns. i like to run my returns over the edge of the tank and and drill an anti-siphon hole on it. this keeps the amount of water flowing back into the sump to a minimum.

G~

Eric P · 08-09-2004, 06:18 PM

A circular saw cuts acrylic great. Hole saw for the bulkhead.

Eric...

Geoff · 08-09-2004, 11:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eric P

A circular saw cuts acrylic great. Hole saw for the bulkhead.

Eric...

make sure you have more than 40 teeth. if you have less teeth it can really chip out the acrylic if you push to fast.

G~

Krux · 08-10-2004, 03:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Geoff

make sure you have more than 40 teeth. if you have less teeth it can really chip out the acrylic if you push to fast.

G~

i know there is an arkansas joke in there somewhere.

OodleyBoodely · 08-12-2004, 04:00 AM

Thanks for all the help, guys. I'm on hold 'til next week now 'cause I have company visiting this weekend but I will resume this again when it is politically acceptable here at home again. In the meantime, if I get a chance to visit HD, I'll check out the hole saws. I made a bit of moolah selling frags at the MAS meeting tonight so I might just be able to get a hole saw.

chumpp_308 · 08-21-2004, 03:11 PM

a hole saw would be ur best bet probly the easiest to use too

OodleyBoodely · 08-21-2004, 04:13 PM

Thanks, Chumpp, and welcome to TRT!

I have not made it out to HD yet, but am planning a trip tomorrow.

OodleyBoodely · 08-28-2004, 05:50 PM

Well, I think the time has finally come! I bought a hole saw and have practiced on a 1/4" piece of acrylic and it works pretty well. It melts some around the hole but I found I can pick and sand the mess off for a clean smooth finish.

Tonight I will remove some of the corals and rocks and lower the waterline. I won't drill it until tomorrow, but when I am ready, I will tape a plastic sheet inside the tank above the water level to catch the bits and (hopefully) keep that side of the tank somewhat dry for the 'operation'. I also need to glue my standpipe together and finish the return spraybar.

Dividing up the sump tank into compartments will have to wait awhile, but, I want to go ahead and use it until then. I think just the added water volume will make a big differance to my tank.

Well, wish me luck! (I think I'm gonna need it!)

OodleyBoodely · 08-30-2004, 01:19 AM

How anti-climatic can it get!

After all the worries and carryings-on, that bulkhead drilled just as smooth and easy as can be, and, there was no melting at all like on my practice pieces! The only thing that didn't go as planned was that the tank was too close to the wall for my standpipe to fit into the bulkhead, so, I ended up breaking the whole tank down (like I didn't want to do!) so I could move the stand and tank further from the wall. Since I had to go that far, I decided to take the opportunity to do a few more upgrades while I can. I ripped the vinyl background off (I have come to hate that ugly thing!) cleaned the tank up, pulled out my fine art acrylic paints, and, painted the back a beautiful cerulean blue.

It looks soooo much nicer! Tomorrow I will add one more coat of paint, and, once it has dried thoroughly, I'll install the bulkhead, standpipe, and return spraybar.

Now that it's done, I don't know why I was so scared to drill it.....this was a piece of cake!

Geoff · 08-30-2004, 02:43 PM

the first time you drill a tank is always the scariest. glad it all worked out well. most of my projects all seem to escalate into a full tank takedown.

lets seem some before and after pics.

G~

OodleyBoodely · 08-30-2004, 03:41 PM

Quote:

lets seem some before and after pics.

Actually, I did snap a couple while I was working on it, but, I can't upload the pics yet, because the camara cable is disconnected from my computer at the moment and getting to the back of the computer to reattach it would require more effort than breaking down my tank and drilling it did.

I'll see if I can borrow my sisters laptop tomorrow to upload the pics on.

OodleyBoodely · 09-05-2004, 03:15 PM

Just a quick last question on bulkheads... Is there any reason I could not use pvc cement to seal the bulkhead to the acrylic tank? It sure works great on the pvc and plastic parts I've been playing with (see my new thread '55g upgrades') but will work on acrylic, too?