My sump is leaking what to do.
- Thread starter Basile
- Start date
StirCrayzy
Well-Known Member
Silicone failure, or crack?
Basile
Well-Known Member
Silicone failure, left bottom panel pretty sure.
StirCrayzy
Well-Known Member
Or, ... the much easier method of cutting narrow strip of glass and silicone over the bad joint. It's not a cosmetically nice fix, but in a sump, no big deal, and way easier than stripping and fully resealing a panel
Basile
Well-Known Member
I had trouble sleeping last night because of the sump.
I found a manufacturer that gave me quite a high estimate($800) on a new thermaformed polyethylene sump; no seams.
Oh its an upgrade alright, but its just an estimate. he has to see the plans, and i suspect it wont be that much once he sees how simple it is.
I was thinking about some refinement i'll be able to do with a totally new sump.
-First it'll be in one part so their wont be a chance that a leak will spring from the bulkhead.
-Second no chance of leak since their wont be any seams anywhere, its one piece. Thermaformed polyethylene.
-Third it'll be less of an eye sore since the thing is white and we wont see the accumulation of gunk(still removing it at water change time) .
-In the new sump i'll reduce the height by one inch to give myself more room to remove my skimmer at cleaning time .
-i'll no longer will need styrofoam under the sump to protect it from the floor and give it equal support everywhere.
-I've modify the design to have my pipes come in directly into the socks, giving me more room for the skimmer and reactors.
Those are all new reasons ; safety , efficiency , and cleanliness of the new sump.
-Most of all peace of mind.
I found a manufacturer that gave me quite a high estimate($800) on a new thermaformed polyethylene sump; no seams.
Oh its an upgrade alright, but its just an estimate. he has to see the plans, and i suspect it wont be that much once he sees how simple it is.
I was thinking about some refinement i'll be able to do with a totally new sump.
-First it'll be in one part so their wont be a chance that a leak will spring from the bulkhead.
-Second no chance of leak since their wont be any seams anywhere, its one piece. Thermaformed polyethylene.
-Third it'll be less of an eye sore since the thing is white and we wont see the accumulation of gunk(still removing it at water change time) .
-In the new sump i'll reduce the height by one inch to give myself more room to remove my skimmer at cleaning time .
-i'll no longer will need styrofoam under the sump to protect it from the floor and give it equal support everywhere.
-I've modify the design to have my pipes come in directly into the socks, giving me more room for the skimmer and reactors.
Those are all new reasons ; safety , efficiency , and cleanliness of the new sump.
-Most of all peace of mind.
Up grading the sump isn't a bad idea, but it's going to take some time and some installation work. Even if you bought an off the shelf sump, there is still the plumbing changes needed to install it.
I'd order the new sump, but at the same time, repair the existing one. Yes, this means tearing the whole filtration system down, because your going to need to reseal the existing section, and this is going to need to be completely clean and dry before you start the reseal job.
I had something similar happen to me a couple of years back. I ordered an off the shelf sump, and installed that. This turned out to be a much more massive project than I though it would be. I found a lot of other things, like my skimmer, heater, ATO, that had problems, and needed replacement. It's amazing what you find when you tear something down. It's like a "This Old House" project. You got it apart, so you "might as well" correct anything else you find. The good part was now I have almost a new filtration system, using all DC controllable pumps, and all the cool stuff. The downside was the hit my bank account took.
I'd order the new sump, but at the same time, repair the existing one. Yes, this means tearing the whole filtration system down, because your going to need to reseal the existing section, and this is going to need to be completely clean and dry before you start the reseal job.
I had something similar happen to me a couple of years back. I ordered an off the shelf sump, and installed that. This turned out to be a much more massive project than I though it would be. I found a lot of other things, like my skimmer, heater, ATO, that had problems, and needed replacement. It's amazing what you find when you tear something down. It's like a "This Old House" project. You got it apart, so you "might as well" correct anything else you find. The good part was now I have almost a new filtration system, using all DC controllable pumps, and all the cool stuff. The downside was the hit my bank account took.
Basile
Well-Known Member
Actually i wont have to change any plumbing at all, the size of the sump will also be bigger, and since its a thermalform their is no seams to seal, its like a rubbermaid but with a white clear finish and its very sturdy. My pumps are working very well still i just hope the skimmer do as well as them which i don't think it'll be an issue. But the money thing is unavoidable ; i don't want a sump with seams or moving parts so i'll pay for it , for my peace of mind. The only down side i can think at this point will be the time laps before its delivered.
This
Instead of this
Made of this
That will look like this, lol I've already factored in the pipes and flex so the sump will be 57inch long instead of 48 like the plan said. That is to accommodate the flex pipes.
