Bulkhead for a 2in hole?

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Willard2.0

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Dwayne
I bought an 90g tank, stand and canopy off a guy from kijiji. It has 2 holes drilled in the bottom, but no bulkheads were included. I figured it wouldn't be a problem to get a bulkhead for it. It seems I was wrong.

After getting it home and cleaning it up, I discovered the holes are 2" diameter. From my research, a 1" bulkhead requires a 1-3/4" hole and a 1.5" bulkhead takes a 2-3/8" hole. Does anyone know of a bulkhead that fits a 2" hole? Can I silicone a new piece of glass over top of the existing hole and drill that with a 1-3/4" hole? Would that crack over time?

I will only be using a canister filter, so I don't really need the bulkheads. As a last resort, I could silicone a piece of glass over the hole, plug it and call it done. It would just be nice to avoid running the hoses around the back of the tank.

And the obligatory full tank shot lol
90g Tank.jpg

90g Tank.jpg
 

authmal

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Aug 4, 2011
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:iagree:

The "easy" answer is to get a premade bulkhead, but that's one of the things I'm aware of that you can DIY, and it shouldn't be too difficult, as long as you use aquarium safe components from your local (or not so local, as the case may be) hardware store, such as PVC and additive free (no colors/mold repellents blah blah blah) silicone. I'm not particularly handy, and I haven't *done* it, but between seeing threads here and hearing conversations at my LFS about it, I know it can be done.
 

Narwhal72

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It's an odd size hole and there won't be a premade bulkhead for it. You can use pvc and gaskets to make one but if they aren't necessary for your filtration you are probably better off siliconing a piece of glass over the hole. You don't have to use the same thickness as the bottom since it is not holding the weight of the tank. A piece of 3/16" thick glass would be fine.

Andy
 

Willard2.0

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I'll check HD today and see if they have any fittings that will work. How reliable are the DIY bulkheads? They are on the bottom of the tank, so there would be no going back to redo later.
 

Star_Rider

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the DYI are just as reliable if properly made..
btw PVC white is for use with potable water .
 

Narwhal72

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Keep in mind that the DIY bulkheads do not have the wide plastic lip that a normal bulkhead has that pulls down and compresses the seal ring. You want to get a pvc fitting that fits the hole as close as possible. That way the little bit of a lip that the pvc fitting has will be able to compress the seal ring.
 

aldiaz33

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I believe a schedule 80 bulkhead fitting will work. A 1" schedule 80 Bulkhead fitting calls for a 1.88" (1 7/8") hole, so that should work for you since the flange comes out well over 1/8".
 

Willard2.0

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I would just make one from parts.....

View attachment 208283

Your local Lowes or Home Depot should have what you need.

Dennis
I tried Home Depot, Rona, and a couple of plumbing distributors. HD and Rona both carry PVC up to 1in, nothing bigger. Rona did have electrical conduit fittings up to 2in. The 1.5" threaded fittings were the right size, but the threads weren't long enough to go though the 3/8" glass plus the 1/8" gasket. The plumbing distributors did not carry PVC, only pex and ABS (PVC isn't used for plumbing buildings around here). I have one more place to try tomorrow, I really hope they carry 1.5" fittings.

I believe a schedule 80 bulkhead fitting will work. A 1" schedule 80 Bulkhead fitting calls for a 1.88" (1 7/8") hole, so that should work for you since the flange comes out well over 1/8".
I didn't think about using sch 80, I'll see if I can find a pair of them somewhere.
 

Willard2.0

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Well, after weeks of searching I was able to find a store in town that was willing to help me out. They spoke with their supplier and were able to order me 2 1" sch80 bulkheads. $25ea and 2 weeks for delivery later, I have the bulkheads I need.

Thanks for the suggestions everyone!
 
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