HELP! Leaky Bulkhead on Oceanic. How do I fix it?

[FishyMel]

We bumped the drainpipe in the overflow box today while servicing my oceanic reefeady tank and it made the bulkhead leak underneath. A constant drip, drip! How can I make the bulkhead stop leaking quickly. The tank is full with animals and water so draining it and rescrewing the whole thing is not an option. Any quick way to seal a leaky bulkhead??? TIA

 

[Overstocker]

If you shut off the pumps won't it just drain the overflow box and not the tank? Then you could rescrew/reseal the bulkhead without draining the entire tank....

 

[kidkameleon3]

for sure like he said, turn off the pump then just pull the drain assembly from the bulk head all the water will go to hte sump then you can redo it.I suggest using pliers even though they say not to jsut dont get crazy.Are you sure it is hte bulk head and not the drain pipe going into the bulkhead?

 

[FishyMel]

Thanks. We are attempting to unscrew the bulkhead, but now it is jammed and won't unscrew. Any hints for this. WE are trying pliers and it isn't working since the top part in the tank turns while we are trying to turn underneath. It is really stuck on there. Have been working for an hour trying to unscrew it. Yes, it was the bulkhead, not the drainhose leaking. I am really upset.... Any hints on unjamming a bulkhead that is screwed on funny would be appreciated.

 

[reefrunner69]

Pair of channel locks on the bottom of the bulkhead and a pair on the nut.

 

[kidkameleon3]

ya channels , I thought that was the only kinda pliers you should be able to hold the bulk head from the bottom with a second pair of pliers until the thing breaks loose anyway

 

[FishyMel]

Thanks everyone fpr all the good advice!
I dunno how dh(dear husband) did it! He was cussin' too much for me to be in the room, and I was getting too nervous with the thought of my poor fishies being sumpless through the night. But somehow he did get the bulkhead unscrewed(after an hour of wrenching) and since we had bought two extra overflow plumbing kits, we were in luck and had a new bulkhead too replace the one that had gotten jammed. (We bought the extra overflows to get the new durso that Oceanic is making. I cursed for the extra hundred bucks it cost, but don't you know we have used most of the parts from the extra kits.)We were a bit concerned that the old bulkhead might be leakier, after getting jammed crooked and then being wrenched off. 8O We then put an extra rubber washer on the underside of the bulkhead as well as in the tank under the nut where one is spose to go (?). WAhlaaa! We aren't dripping anymore so not only did he fix the leak, but also the little drip we had from the drainhose that had never gotten solved over the last month of cycling. Gosh! I hope we don't get anymore problems. This new 150g tank has been overwhelming this past month as we have been starting it up. It makes my cichlid tanks look easy!

 

[kidkameleon3]

ya you can buy just the bulk head for like $5 or less

 

[FishyMel]

Cheap bulkhead?

How can you get just the bulkhead cheap??? Our LFS just has 3/4" bulkheads for sale. The Big ones that Oceanic uses only come in the whole overflow kit which is 50$ Didn't hurt to buy the whole extra kit once since we have used all the spare parts for setting up our refugium, but I would love to have some extra bulkheads available just in case...and I don't want to buy the whole kit over again.

 

[Overstocker]

I believe you can get them at a hardware store, in the PVC section.....

 

[gibbiceps]

oh i just had that same problem too. i had an extra bulkhead that i replaced it with. im such a handy man jk

 

[pecan2phat]

With the Oceanics, she needs the double threaded bulkheads which you might not find at a Home Depot or Lowes. But most online fish supply vendor will have them for a lot less expensive. Your drain bulkhead should be 1" ID & your return should be 3/4" ID. The bulkhead will be bigger because the inner diameter is either the 1" or 3/4".

http://www.marinedepot.com/md_viewItem.asp?idproduct=FT1135

http://www.marinedepot.com/md_viewItem.asp?idproduct=FT1133