Reconditioning 2nd hand tanks

[band_width_band]

Hi - once saw a really good thread (or maybe it was an article?) on buying and reconditioning 2nd hand tanks.

I can't find it - does anbody know where it is?

I have a friend who is looking to do this and want to help them. Want info on what to look out for, how to re-seal etc.

thank you!

[Nolapete]

Resealing tanks is not for the novice and should be left to experts. I've done it a lot and it's a very tedious time consuming task. Every bit of silicone must be cleaned from the inside of the tank. The glass must not have any residue on it or the seal won't take. I used vinegar and water to clean after stripping out the old silicone.

[J double R]

curious.. but how do experts get to be experts? by trying it as a novice, no? ;)


he's right. absolutely NO silicone must be left. NONE. not even the teeniest smidgen.

[DarkSoul]

curious.. but how do experts get to be experts? by trying it as a novice, no? ;)


he's right. absolutely NO silicone must be left. NONE. not even the teeniest smidgen.

how many tanks must suffer before the expertise is gained?? :)

[zachjohnson65]

Is it just as hard(risky) to repair chips?

[ThePBM]

if there is to be no silicone left, does that mean the tank has to come into pieces and you'll be re-forming and resealing the tank as if you were building a tank from 5 panels and trim pieces?

[Mexican Racoon]

if there is to be no silicone left, does that mean the tank has to come into pieces and you'll be re-forming and resealing the tank as if you were building a tank from 5 panels and trim pieces?
Today 08:00 PM

I have resealed the conrners of a tank without removing the top and bottom trim pieces. I only did it once, but it has been sealed for 2 years now.

[loaches r cool]

Are we just automatically assuming everyone to be novices that cant handle anything that takes a little skill?

I'm curious too as I have a large old thirdhand tank in my garage that I am feeling a little unsure about.

[ThePBM]

i too have a tank that already had some of its silicone removed by its previous tenants (rats/mice i'm guessing). i will be experimenting with painting it, so if that turns out nice then i will want to recondition it with fresh silicone.
hope someone can give some definitive answers here.

[Cyberpaddy66]

I managed to re-seal and make good a 4 foot tank for my parents with little or no experience...

Remove ALL the silicon from the inside and the outside of the glass (leaving the panels stuck together) using a SHARP blade something like a window scraper or such and then clean it well with vinegar or methylated spirits (my preferred option is meths).

Let it dry well before carefully applying the new silicon to all the inside joins of the tank and smoothing it down into a nice curve with either a spoon end or your wetted (saliva works well) finger then for good measure go round the outside of the joins with a think smear of silicon.

LET IT CURE FOR 2 DAYS!

As long as you fully test the tank somewhere safe by filling it to the brim and leaving it for several days to see if it leeks you should be fine, if it leaks then do it all again, if it still leaks after that you need to get professional help!

Good luck and don't forget the cardinal rule - MAKE SURE IT'S FULLY CLEAR OF ALL SILICON AND CLEANED THOROUGHLY BEFORE RE-APPLYING THE NEW SILICON! :evil_lol:

[Kuhlifan]

Ok ok ok, let me get this straight....

I've read an online article about this before, so I want to make sure I have this right.

The article said to remove all of the silicone from the INSIDE of the tank, but that it was not necessary to remove it from between the glass panels or from the outside. Basically, clean off the old stuff from the inside, clean it well and then reapply your new silicone. You guys are saying that you have to completely remove everything, even from between the glass panesl?

[Cyberpaddy66]

Not necessarily, that's what I did but you could just re-seal the inside and hope that the joins between the glass is good enough to keep it together (when I took mine apart it cost me a dozen scalpel blades so I probably could have left it alone).

Just make sure the glass is really clean before applying the new silicon and you should be fine.