Resealing a tank - Should this cause concern?

coach_z

coach_z

AC Members
Jan 12, 2009
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NJ - Northern
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Chris
I am in the process of resealing an old tank and while doing some final cleanings i ran across this strange bubble type thing where two panes but together. There is a small chip in the corner of the tank that corresponds to the location of this bubble.

I am sure that i did not cause this while removing the silicone from the tank as i had no slips while using the blade.

Should this cause concern in the integrity of the tank?

Edit: pictures got rotated somehow, this is a vertical seam that i am talking about
Edit: yea, you cant see anything in the 2nd picture, hopefully the first one is good enough.

-chris

bubble.jpg bubble 2.jpg
 
Did you try to get the silicone from between the glass? That's a mistake a lot of people make and a lot of times they end up with chips/cracks like that.

Since it's a small tank, it should not be a problem.
 
Nolapete said:
Did you try to get the silicone from between the glass? That's a mistake a lot of people make and a lot of times they end up with chips/cracks like that.

Since it's a small tank, it should not be a problem.
Click to expand...

I made no attempt to get the silicone from between the panels, in fact i made sure to stay as far away as possible from the silicone between the panels. since the 30 that i currently use needs a reseal i might just pick up the silicone and do a dry run on this tank to see how i am at resealing a tank.
 
i would reseal it and see how it does. I don't think with that size it should be a huge issue. If it was a larger tank I wouold be alot more aprehensive.
 
Cuncur. Since there is glass that has been removed and the chip is on the vertical portion of the pannel, adding sealant from the inside will be as good a repair attemp as resealing the enitire perimeter between the panels.If however the chip had been done on the bottom where pressuer is greatest, flipping the pannel and the chip to the top would work far better and is what I had to do to fix my problem as my side pannel chips were huge and leaking.
If it dose leak after inside repair, I wouldn’t mess with it any further and get a replacement panel or you can try a small square internal glass patch.
 
Last edited:
A few things about resealing.

Clean the tank with water and distilled white vinegar. This will remove any finger oils and any other residue from the glass. Distilled white vinegar 100% is good for removing any hard water spots too.

100% Silicone. Do NOT uses Silicone II or any other type of caulk. Silicone II has mold/mildew inhibitors in it that will leach into your tank. Silicone I is fine.

The bead is the most important. You don't need a thick bead. 1/4" max. and one continuous bead.

Have plenty of paper towels handy.

Run your finger or caulk tool ONCE the length of the bead to spread. Wipe the excess off your finger with paper towel.

If you get any on the glass where you don't want it to be, wait for it to cure then remove with razor blade. Don't try to wipe it while uncured as it will just smear all over.

Glass has pores that silicone will penetrate, so wiping uncured is bad.

Be sure to run a bead under the top rim while you're at it. That takes care of the hard water creep.
 
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