RDWC leaking issue

GBAUTO · Nov 13, 2019

louiedogg said:
, tightened them as tight as possible n i got lil leaks

This will guarantee a leak. If you tighten the gland nut so much that the rubber gasket squeezes out, that's too tight. I just finished reassembling my UC rig upstairs for this years run and all I use is a film of RTV silicone on each side of the rubber gasket and assemble the fitting. I let the RTV cure overnight. You will need to use some force to get the fittings apart if you do it this way.
Edit: make sure that the rubber gasket is on the side of the fitting, not the nut. If it's on the nut side it will twist as you tighten.

louiedogg · Nov 13, 2019

thanks for the replies everyone, i just sprayed the flexseal on the outside of the tubs not the inside.

if i overtightened them should i loosen them up and retighten slightly less? not sure how well thatll work since i applied the flex seal.

ill giver a try tomorrow and hopefully it just doesnt leak but out of 5 totes i think 4 were leaking? i did everything exactly as OP

rkymtnman · Nov 13, 2019

louiedogg said:
thanks for the replies everyone, i just sprayed the flexseal on the outside of the tubs not the inside.

if i overtightened them should i loosen them up and retighten slightly less? not sure how well thatll work since i applied the flex seal.

ill giver a try tomorrow and hopefully it just doesnt leak but out of 5 totes i think 4 were leaking? i did everything exactly as OP

are you sure your gasket on the bulkhead is centered on the hole? maybe trace the gasket onto the tub and then install to make sure it's on point.

etownpaul · Nov 13, 2019

louiedogg said:
thanks for the replies everyone, i just sprayed the flexseal on the outside of the tubs not the inside.

if i overtightened them should i loosen them up and retighten slightly less? not sure how well thatll work since i applied the flex seal.

ill giver a try tomorrow and hopefully it just doesnt leak but out of 5 totes i think 4 were leaking? i did everything exactly as OP

Your gasket is likely deformed if you over tightened it and will always leak. Buy a new bulkhead fitting and use that gasket to try again. That gasket just needs to be snug, not compressed.

louiedogg · Nov 13, 2019

etownpaul said:
Your gasket is likely deformed if you over tightened it and will always leak. Buy a new bulkhead fitting and use that gasket to try again. That gasket just needs to be snug, not compressed.

idk i got medium sized channel locks that cant quite get a great grip on them, i did maybe half a turn after hand tightening. is that too tight? i was thinking of getting new pliers and tightening more

etownpaul · Nov 13, 2019

louiedogg said:
idk i got medium sized channel locks that cant quite get a great grip on them, i did maybe half a turn after hand tightening. is that too tight? i was thinking of getting new pliers and tightening more

Just go loose at first, test, then tighten as needed. Bulkheads are kinda a PITA, there is a sweet spot where they don’t leak. Too tight, leaks. Too loose, leaks worse. You don’t need any additional sealant other than the gasket.

Airwalker16 · Nov 13, 2019

Tightening is usually the problem. It does NOT need to be way tight. Watch the gasket when you tighten it. Its most likely squishing out in the sides, and deforming. I suggest with bulkheads buying threaded on both sides. That way you can simply glue a male adapter on the end of your piping and screw them freely on and off from the bulkheads.
Sealant should not be needed.

Make sure the hole being drilled is on a completely flat surface. And I'm pretty sure 2" bulkheads use a 2 7/8" hole. Not 3" like a uniseal.

Airwalker16 · Nov 13, 2019

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louiedogg said:
idk i got medium sized channel locks that cant quite get a great grip on them, i did maybe half a turn after hand tightening. is that too tight? i was thinking of getting new pliers and tightening more

GBAUTO · Nov 14, 2019

etownpaul said:
You don’t need any additional sealant other than the gasket.

Airwalker16 said:
Sealant should not be needed.

Make sure the hole being drilled is on a completely flat surface. And I'm pretty sure 2" bulkheads use a 2 7/8" hole. Not 3" like a uniseal.

I agree that in a perfect world, sealant may not be needed. I've found that in the real world, fittings twist and may develop a leak unless you use a gasket material to physically bond the gasket to the fitting/tote. GUARANTEED NO LEAK
Permatex Ultra Series RTV is what I've used for decades in my automotive trade-extremely tough stuff when applied correctly.

louiedogg · Nov 14, 2019

so i undid all my bulkeads today n put a bit of silicone around while tightening the nut most of them are ok now.

i got one that no matter what i couldnt loosen the nut and i applied silicone around the nut? still leaks tho

GBAUTO said:
I agree that in a perfect world, sealant may not be needed. I've found that in the real world, fittings twist and may develop a leak unless you use a gasket material to physically bond the gasket to the fitting/tote. GUARANTEED NO LEAK
Permatex Ultra Series RTV is what I've used for decades in my automotive trade-extremely tough stuff when applied correctly.

if i applied this overtop of where its leaking would it work?

Axion42 · Nov 14, 2019

What size hole saw did you use for the 2inch bulkheads? If its the current culture bulkheads you got they say to use 2-7/8" hole saw. If you used that size there should be no reason they leak. I've even used 2 3/4" hole saw and had success. I hand tighten all of mine and not even hard. The hole must have a nice clean edge, no burrs.

GBAUTO · Nov 14, 2019

louiedogg said:
if i applied this overtop of where its leaking would it work?

Probably not. I would disassemble the fitting if possible.

louiedogg · Nov 15, 2019

Axion42 said:
What size hole saw did you use for the 2inch bulkheads? If its the current culture bulkheads you got they say to use 2-7/8" hole saw. If you used that size there should be no reason they leak. I've even used 2 3/4" hole saw and had success. I hand tighten all of mine and not even hard. The hole must have a nice clean edge, no burrs.

i used a 3" hole saw

louiedogg · Nov 15, 2019

GBAUTO said:
Probably not. I would disassemble the fitting if possible.

not possible lol

GBAUTO · Nov 15, 2019

I suppose you could attempt to 'spackle' some RTV around the fitting to see if you can seal it. Gonna look like hell, but it MIGHT hold...

Axion42 · Nov 15, 2019

louiedogg said:
i used a 3" hole saw

That's your problem right there. Hole too big

5BY5LEC · Nov 16, 2019

You should NOT be gooping shit on there and waiting 24 hours to see if its going to leak. Just no.
Bulkheads, when installed correctly will not leak even when they are just hand tightened.
Thread tape will NOT work on these threads because they are not NPT.

GBAUTO · Nov 16, 2019

One of the reasons I do an no-plant test run to make sure everything is working before I add plants to the mix.

louiedogg · Nov 16, 2019

GBAUTO said:
One of the reasons I do an no-plant test run to make sure everything is working before I add plants to the mix.

i..discouraged i feel like i just wasted 40$ in totes and 80$ in bulkheads and didnt even start seeds yet

5BY5LEC · Nov 18, 2019

Hey, at least you didnt start seeds.
I had to rebuild my first try due to a couple split uniseals.

RDWC leaking issue

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