It always happens on a holiday weekend!!

[Momotaro]

It's a holiday weekend and of course something has to go wrong! When I put a new check valve on my CO2 reactor I noticed that the fittings were a bit loose. I disassembled the reactor, cleaned it out (it was full of Flourite dust) ,teflon taped all of the connections and put it back on line. It leaked. I disassembled and assembled several times, teflon taped and hooked up only to have a consistant leak. I drove my poor girlfriend crazy, got downright mean. She made suggestions as to what the problem was, I told her no to them all. Until she said "the fitting might be cracked". She was right! A bulkhead fitting is cracked. A hairline from the bulkhead down through the threads. When tightened it probably splits and causes the leak. I am going to run to a plumbing supply store down the street Saturday morning with my fingers tightly crossed! If they don't have it I'm in a bind. I am stuck in all weekend. I will have to rely on the very person I was impatient with to run from LFS to LFS to procure a new fixture!
I am going to silicone all of the connections this time. Oh, and be nicer to my girlfriend when she offers to help with the aquarium.

Mike

[Rex Grigg]

If it's a bulkhead fitting going though the tank then you should be able to find it at a Marine (boating) store.

[Momotaro]

It is threaded on the inside also, so I don't think a boating shop would have it, besides there are none around here. Of course the plumbing supply shop was closed today. Usually open from 7am to 1pm on Saturday. Next stop (or stops most likley) LFS. Gut feeling- I won't get the reactor up and running again till the end of next week.

Mike

[STAT 007]

Watch that pH level. If worst comes to worse, find another (temporary) way to get the CO2 into the tank to prevent a huge pH spike.