• Folks, if you've recently upgraded or renewed your annual club membership but it's still not active, please reach out to the BOD or a moderator. The PayPal system has a slight bug which it doesn't allow it to activate the account on it's own.

Bulkhead on trash can

I wanted to put a bulkhead on a rubbermaid trash can. Will it seal and not leak since the can is curved? Do I just use the rubber gasket and nut and on a tank or sump, or should I use silicone?

Thanks,
Ken
 

JohnS_323

Officer Emeritus
Officer Emeritus
Yeah, I'm pretty sure you can do that. We generally use Uni-Seals, but I'm certain I've seen others using bulkheads.
 
Why do you need to put windex on the end of the pipe before inserting it? I would hate to have something toxic in contact. Any comments?
Ken
 
ken, do not put windex in the tank, you must likely kill everything in the tank, i dont think you need to do that at all

Gabe
 

panmanmatt

Officer Emeritus
Officer Emeritus
The Windex is to lubricate the pipe so it slides through the Uniseal easier. I found that plain old saliva works just as well and it won't harm the tank.

Also another trick when using the Uniseals is to bevel the edge of the pipe before you push it through, this will make it a litle easier and will also stop the reough edge of the pipe from tearing the rubber seal.
 
Thanks.
Of course I wouldn't put Windex in the tank. I was referring to putting it on the pipe. I was even concerned about that. I got the answer now though. Actually I won't let my wife spray window cleaner in the room with the tank.

Thanks,
Ken
 
Guys, the Windex near the tank thing is a little bit "Myth & Legend" type thing. It's based on real knowledge but has gotten blown out of proportion.

Windex and other blue window cleaners use Ammonia (3rd) as one of the main ingredients. This is the same Ammonia in the Nitrogen Cycle we all know so well (tank cycling).

A little bit sprayed directly into a 10 gallon tank isn't going to do much let alone a "normal" size tank. Now if you pour the bottle in that's a different story. Most tanks will convert the Ammonia to Nitrites quickly and then to Nitrates.

If you ever happen to get Ammonia directly in the tank, don't panic, let it circulate for a few minutes and then do an Ammonia test. No biggy.

BTW, It's fine to use Windex to clean the outside tank glass. Just do it smartly. Spray the paper towel away from the tank (your back to the tank) and down low. It's not hard to spray the paper towel without getting the mist flying all over.

Carlo
 
Top