Chad C. Posted August 30, 2021 Share Posted August 30, 2021 I recently purchased a used 125 gallon. The sides have obviously been resealed as they look in good shape and are black vs clear around the bottom. Question is should I redo all the seals or just worry with the bottom? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveO Posted August 30, 2021 Share Posted August 30, 2021 I would never trust a used tank. I made that mistake once and won't again. It was a 75 gallon that let loose in the living room of a condo I was renting. The water made it into the neighbors house. UHG. What a mess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott P. Posted August 30, 2021 Share Posted August 30, 2021 On 8/30/2021 at 3:25 PM, Chad C. said: I recently purchased a used 125 gallon. The sides have obviously been resealed as they look in good shape and are black vs clear around the bottom. Question is should I redo all the seals or just worry with the bottom? I would redo all of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B1gJ4k3 Posted August 30, 2021 Share Posted August 30, 2021 (edited) I had good luck resealing a 75 gallon that I got for free recently. I completely redid the seals on the bottom and just the corner seals on the corners (rather than completely taking them apart--they seemed solid enough). It held water nicely for a good 3 or 4 months in my garage. My approach was to do as much as I was comfortable with at a time since I was doing it anyway. The beveled edges on the sides made me nervous, so I stayed away from them. Everything else I made sure to completely clean and reseal. Pro tip: these work 1000 times better for removing old silicone than a razor blade: https://www.amazon.com/TILAX-Cleaning-Stripping-Abrasive-Attachment/dp/B07Z4NLJ2Y/ref=sr_1_3?crid=3PUWU4H24I4C9&dchild=1 Having said that, though, I wouldn't have trusted a tank that big anywhere other than my garage. No matter how good of a job I thought I did, I would always be extra nervous about it leaking. I'm nervous enough about my new tanks leaking after I also had a bran new 75 gallon fail on me... Edited August 30, 2021 by B1gJ4k3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aquachris Posted August 30, 2021 Share Posted August 30, 2021 On 8/30/2021 at 4:05 PM, B1gJ4k3 said: Pro tip: these work 1000 times better for removing old silicone than a razor blade: https://www.amazon.com/TILAX-Cleaning-Stripping-Abrasive-Attachment/dp/B07Z4NLJ2Y/ref=sr_1_3?crid=3PUWU4H24I4C9&dchild=1 This didn't scratch the glass? I would be nervous on the glass on the inside and accidently rip out the seal between the glass panes. I have a 75 to reseal and not looking forward to the time in labor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B1gJ4k3 Posted August 30, 2021 Share Posted August 30, 2021 (edited) @aquachrisNope, didn't scratch the glass. It's not really any different that using a razor blade. The metal is just smaller, more segmented and and moving really fast. It's also worth noting that I did use a razor blade to remove the bulk of the silicone. I just used those for that stubborn film that you can never really seem to get off with a blade alone. I was careful to keep it out of the seals between the beveled panes in the corners as much as possible, but I was also putting new silicone in there anyway, so I wasn't too concerned about it. Edited August 30, 2021 by B1gJ4k3 Additional clarification on my use of wire brush 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aquachris Posted August 30, 2021 Share Posted August 30, 2021 On 8/30/2021 at 4:46 PM, B1gJ4k3 said: @aquachrisNope, didn't scratch the glass. It's not really any different that using a razor blade. The metal is just smaller, more segmented and and moving really fast. It's also worth noting that I did use a razor blade to remove the bulk of the silicone. I just used those for that stubborn film that you can never really seem to get off with a blade alone. I was careful to keep it out of the seals between the beveled panes in the corners as much as possible, but I was also putting new silicone in there anyway, so I wasn't too concerned about it. May have to give this a whirl (hehe) next time. I have some of those for my Dremel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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