Drilling Tank: Small chunks

[spedly]

I'm drilling an aquarium this morning to upgrade my 55g to a 150g. When I was drilling one of the holes for the overflow some small chunks came out when the drill exited the other side. They're not that bad - maybe 1/8th of the way deep - and the glass is 1/2" thick. Assuming I use plumbers lube with the rubber basket, you think I'll be OK? Probably only one way to find out, hey?

[spedly]

Meh. Nevermind. They're just at the surface. They barely dip into the plate of glass. Nowhere near what I thought. I doubt there will be any problems.

[Frank Infanti]

Always make sure to use a good quality diamond hole saw & water for a wet cut.

[gregzz4]

If the chip-outs are on the outside of the tank then no worries. If they are on the inside where your gasket sits that's another issue. But even on the inside many have gotten away with it.

Don't lube your seals. When you tighten them they will squish out.
Use some spit or even just water to make them wet but that's it.

[Doug]

I find clamping a wood piece on each side, one with a predrilled hole and limited pressure on break through helps with chipping.

[e46er]

silicone the bulkheads.
Ive never not siliconed them but glass cracks so easily when pinches Id rather silicone and hand tight than no silicone and wrench them...........

[gregzz4]

But when you use silicone sealant you can't re-tighten the bulkhead once the silicone is cured.
So what happens if it's not tight enough to start with? Or starts to leak a week later? Your method works for you, but the next guy may not do it the same as you and end up with a difficult fix.
IMHO silicone on bulkheads is messy and not necessary.

Just wet the gasket before installing to ensure it doesn't bind during tightening.
Hand tight, then a quarter turn and you're done.

And if it ever needs to come apart later on there's no grief.

[sphelps]

You have to drill from both sides to avoid chipping on the breakthrough. Also silicone on bulkheads is just silly.