Plumbing help - Silicone or Epoxy to fix

[DMD123]

My UV sprung a leak. Timing was amazing, I had just started a water change on Sunday morning, went to open my cabinet to grab the mag-float and saw a very small puddle of water. Then I saw a tiny stream of water jetting out the viewing lens. I was able to clean up the water with just one paper towel so it really was that quick that it happened. I took the water pressure off it but have not removed it yet so dont know if the lens cracked or just developed a pin hole.

I contacted Coral Life and they have no parts for these. They commented about having some supply issues. Anyway they suggested a clear epoxy product from Locktite or Gorilla to fix it. I had thought about using aquarium silicone.

These units seem to degrade with the UV attacking the plastic. This unit has been running for years with no issues but now I either try to fix the leak or buy a new one for $199 at Kens. Thoughts?

Would you repair with silicone, epoxy or just replace altogether?

 

[DMD123]

I forgot to add that the 300 does have a tendency to get green water so I feel the UV is necessary.

I could also try a cheap brand like Jebao which runs about $110 on Amazon. But then I may have to make more extreme plumbing mods to fit in as opposed to the Coral Life Turbo Twist model.

 

[fishguy1978]

Is the clear lens plastic? I think I would go with the recommended clear epoxy. A 2 part would probably be best.

 

[sir_keith]

Is the clear lens plastic? I think I would go with the recommended clear epoxy. A 2 part would probably be best.

I agree; if it's plastic, I would go with epoxy, assuming you want to fix it. Any chance you could seal both surfaces?

But then again, $199 buys you some peace of mind. Tough call.

 

[sir_keith]

Do you know about these?

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000JOK11K/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[DMD123]

Is the clear lens plastic? I think I would go with the recommended clear epoxy. A 2 part would probably be best.

Yes its a clear plastic lens. Stopped leaking when pressure was taken off so if I epoxy from the inside it should seal up.

 

[DMD123]

I agree; if it's plastic, I would go with epoxy, assuming you want to fix it. Any chance you could seal both surfaces?

But then again, $199 buys you some peace of mind. Tough call.

Im tempted to buy new because I have other spare parts for this thing. A whole other ballast and some other stuff.

Do you know about these?

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000JOK11K/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1


View attachment 9246

lol, I have one.... in the package under the stand. Have not set it up yet.

 

[DMD123]

I think I will try epoxy on it from the inside and maybe see if I could also do a light amount on the outside too. That way it should seal everything with no chance of the seam around that clear window leaking. Its only like $6 for a tube of the clear Gorilla epoxy at Lowes

 

[DMD123]

Picked up a small tube of the clear Gorilla epoxy this morning. Will attempt to fix the original unit before I buy a replacement for $200. I guess Im just being cheap at the moment. I have about $200 in fish I want instead, lol.

 

[DMD123]

lol, here it is pretty much 5 months later and I finally fixed it. I did go with an epoxy repair with the Gorilla brand that dried clear. The inside where the lens sits has a considerable ‘divit’ that got filled with epoxy and I covered the entire outside of the lens too. I also installed plugs to unplug the ballast from the light portion.

 

[DMD123]

UV has been running for about 3 days solid and no leaks. Looked back at my records and saw my bulb has been running for about 10 months which is pushing the effectiveness. So I ordered two more so I can replace this one and have a spare.

Looking back at my set up, I cant believe it took me this long to install a plug for quick release of the cord for water changes.

 

[DMD123]

A couple months have gone by since the repair and all is well, no leaks or issues with the epoxy job.