Need advice, not so slow leak in sump

[christyf5]

Hey guys, so I'm at a bit of a loss here. Not only do I not really know whats going on other than the fact that there is water on the floor and under one corner of the sump (continues to well up after wiping with a towel). There are no visible cracks in the tank glass nor are there any "breaks" in the silicone. Underneath the sump is dry as well. There is trim on the sump both top and bottom and I suspect that there is a slow leak where the trim is, so basically where the glass comes together. I can't even tell how bad the leak is as there is a small space between pieces of plywood on the base of where the sump sits and I suspect all the water is on the concrete under that and only starting to ooze out where I can see it now. At best I'd say theres probably only a couple gallons there.

So, I drain the sump and what, cut the silicone out for that section and redo it? Can I just goop more on? How long do I have to leave it for to cure? Do I need to rinse it afterwards or let it sit in water (guess I should do a water test or something?

Sadly the leak isn't slow enough to just collect salt and get plugged up like all the other leaks

Any and all advice welcome. I'm out of my element here and hope I'm on the right track.

[reeferfulton]

If you think you know the area .
You could maybe use some coral putty ?? Wirho7t draijing draining

Not sure if that would help temporarily or not.

[christyf5]

I just checked and the leak appears to be coming from the bottom seam. I can't get any putty onto it with the trim in place. Will have to hope for the best tonight and try draining it in the morning. Thanks, I'll have a look and perhaps I can just putty it if I can figure out whats going on. I did have a look at the silicone inside the tank, it seems to be intact so I'm not sure if the two glass panes are pulling apart at one spot or what

[gregzz4]

Not sure I can help but can you post a clear pic of the suspected leaking area ?

[trilinearmipmap]

Suggestions:

1. Assuming you have an auto-topoff, measure the salinity decrease to calculate the volume of your leak

2. Orca underwater glue (available at J & L) is supposed to glue and seal underwater. I don't know how well it works, I keep a tube on hand

3. If it were me I would temporarily re-plumb to a rubbermaid or similar sump then take the sump out and either repair it properly or replace it

4. Not knowing the layout of your sump, you could even (temporarily) put a mini-sump inside your sump (ie. a bucket just big enough for the drain hoses to go into and to house a return pump) if you are worried about the leak worsening overnight

Best of luck

[Masonjames]

I would imagine if you try to putty it, your not gonna sleep wondering if it's holding up and any fix would be very short lived I would guess. You should be able to just cut out the inner seal and re silicone it no problem. Might as well re due the entire inner seal while your at it though. But that's assuming your sump does not hold a huge volume of water. If it's leaking through the seams the structural seam holding the tank together has been compromised and so has the structural integrity of the tank. The inner seal does nothing to hold a tank together, it's sole purpose is to protect the structural seam. So I defiantly wouldn't try to patch any leaking tank that holds any significant amount of water volume as I have stated above. But for the typical volume of water we run in our sumps, or a small tank, you should be fine re sealing it, and be able to sleep at night without a worry. But maybe check with denny and see what he recommends.

[Myka]

Christy, is there anyone in your area that builds sumps? I would suggest you get a new one made (or build yourself a new one out of a 75-gallon tank or whatever fits), then repair and sell the old one. In the meantime, your tank should be fine just running with powerheads for a few days while you wait for the new sump. In my experience, a "fix" doesn't last, and leaks require a complete re-sealing.

[Doug]

Originally Posted by Myka

Christy, is there anyone in your area that builds sumps? I would suggest you get a new one made (or build yourself a new one out of a 75-gallon tank or whatever fits), then repair and sell the old one. In the meantime, your tank should be fine just running with powerheads for a few days while you wait for the new sump. In my experience, a "fix" doesn't last, and leaks require a complete re-sealing.

Yup. Agree with Mindy. I would not even fool around with it.