I was recently given a free 33g tank from a friend. It's been in their basement for about 20 years they said. It was covered in dust, but the sealant was in tact and had no visible cracks in the glass. It's been sitting in my backyard 1/2 full for a few days and there doesn't seem to be any leaks.
However, I did notice the the black rim at the top is cracked in two places: the middle and one of the corners. THe middle crack actually makes the rim discontinuous. it's about a 2mm gap, and the one at the corner is about to go, too.
Question:
- does the broken rim affect the integrity of a full tank?
- has the 20-year-old sealant gone dry and should I re-seal it? If so, can I just add the silicone on top of the old silicone?
- has keeping the tank outside in this week's weather affected the integrity of the tank/sealant? (i kinda forgot about it... soaking in dilute bleach)
thanks so much for any advice you can give me!
You can not put fresh silicone on top of old silicone. You have to completely remove the old silicon before you re-apply the new stuff.
I am not sure how long silicone should last, or more importantly how long silicone manufactured 20 years ago should last, but if it was my tank, I would be resealing it.
And no, the trim is cosmetic unless there are braces that run across the top of the tank.
re-seal it! JUST in case!!! you don't want to wake up one morning a few weeks from now and have water everywhere!! :)
Plus it being without water for so long, I'd for sure re-seal :) Good luck!!
looks like i should start planning for a resealing project!
thanks!
lillian