Question For The Fellas Who Have Re Caulked Tanks

[Luke.]

I’m wondering and would love to hear your story , I do windows and doors for a living , I wouldn’t call myself the caulking master .. but I’m definitely good at it.

But I’m even still I little worried, on something that’s 75 gallons and under I would feel confident, but what about 125 + gallons something that’s long and something where if you aren’t fast or do something the right way the caulking will start to set before your tape comes of.

Anyways please share your story , mistakes and tips , I would really appreciate it , because buying used or new eventually all of us will need to possible recaulk our tanks .

 

[Alexanneka]

I’m wondering and would love to hear your story , I do windows and doors for a living , I wouldn’t call myself the caulking master .. but I’m definitely good at it.

But I’m even still I little worried, on something that’s 75 gallons and under I would feel confident, but what about 125 + gallons something that’s long and something where if you aren’t fast or do something the right way the caulking will start to set before your tape comes of.

Anyways please share your story , mistakes and tips , I would really appreciate it , because buying used or new eventually all of us will need to possible recaulk our tanks .

I did a 4x2x2, 120 gallon and was nowhere near as bad as I had expected. I just made sure everything was very well prepped and cleaned before I taped. When it came time to lay the bead I put it on fast and furious, and then went around beginning back where I started with a caulking tool to give me fairly clean lines and fast. Normally I'm a spit on the finger kinda guy but didn't think I had it in me to pull this off. So I went with a bucket of water and some paper towels to keep things clean. Pulling the tape wasn't too bad afterwards either as the bead was thick enough that it hadn't really started to setup too much. Start to finish i believe i was just shy of 20 mins and a full tube of ge type 1 clear silicone. Worst part of the whole ordeal was removing the overflow weirs. Thought I was gonna shatter the tank with my oscillating tool as their was no way to cut and remove those suckers....So i busted out the power tools. It's not really as daunting as it seems once you get to the prepped and ready to lay stage. Just make sure everything is ready to go. Ill try to pull some pics off my old computer when i have the chance and upload them. If you do this as a profession Im sure youll be ok.Best of luck!

 

[Luke.]

@Alexanneka did you use some sort of residual to get the rest of the little caulking bits off the glass ? I’ve watch a few vids and seen that people use a blade on the tank without water , won’t it scratch the glass ? And also did it hold water fine after the test and how long has it been filled with 0 leaks ?

 

[Alexanneka]

@Alexanneka did you use some sort of residual to get the rest of the little caulking bits off the glass ? I’ve watch a few vids and seen that people use a blade on the tank without water , won’t it scratch the glass ? And also did it hold water fine after the test and how long has it been filled with 0 leaks ?

I let the little bits dry and took rubbing alcohol too them, same way I cleaned the residual from removing the old bead. I let the tank set for a good couple of weeks before I filled it with water, I know it says 48 hours or something like that but I have a very old house with very high humidity. Figured better safe than sorry. The tank held water for close to two years without problem, right up until I tore it down and sold it.

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[TORX]

Get a pack of new good straight edge blades
Old blow dryer or heat gun
Old Guitar string or thin strong wire

Silicone
Dish soap

The razor will not scratch the glass so long as you are mindful of it. Remove the bead with the blades and if one chips or dents, switch it right away. Those chips or dents will scratch the tank. Use a heat gun to warm the silicone making it easier to separate the panes. I use a dozen different techniques to seperate the panes.

I normally don't use tape at all. Lots of practice and a good bead of silicone. I dip my finger in dish soap to smooth the bead. Takes just a few minutes to put it back together.

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[Matt1997]

I’ve done a few re seals on a 180, 65, 200, 135, 75, 20s, 40s lots of tanks. put together a 750 and 300 glass. Best advice I can give for a reseal is buy a lot of razor blades. I buy the ones for a carpenters knife and just hold them in my hand with a glove. I can take off a seam all at once then just clean up the edge. Make the edge as clean as possible

 

[Luke.]

@TORX can you get away with not taking the glass apart ?

 

[Matt1997]

I wouldn’t take the seam apart unless it’s split

 

[TORX]

@TORX can you get away with not taking the glass apart ?

Yes as long as you are just doing the seems, typically done for cosmetic reasons. If it is leaking, then rip er apart.

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[Luke.]

Okay thanks fellas

 

[dale]

first of all its "caulk king", not caulking master... second be selective on your silicone, i and many others use ge scs1200 , there is another one out there but i cant remember the name... they both have adhesive strength for construction.. better for assembling bigger tanks that need the bonding power... and yes, if its not leaking , re-seal , if it is then remove the easiest panel or all of them , .. a complete rebuild is a lot more difficult, but if you do it right it will last longer...

 

[dale]

and i use acetone for cleaning the glass..

 

[Matt1997]

The other one your looking for is RTV. Personally the silicone you use I would base off of tank size. If I was doing a small job 40 gallon tank I’d use the regular home hardware brand silicone for aquariums. 3 pack is $8. I’ve resealed some larger tanks with just regular home hardware aquarium safe silicone and they definitely hold for years and are still going. SCS1200 I would use on a bigger build or any tank that is being built. The 750, the rimless 135s and 300 were all built with scs1200.