# windshield chip repair kit used on crack aquarium?



## Bryanmc1988 (Jun 22, 2014)

so can this be used? has anyone think of this or done anything to repair a crack glass? something u cant see the crack...


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## Dane (Aug 19, 2004)

A crack is different from a chip or a pit in the way that it affects the structure of the glass. The only way that I know of to mend a cracked panel would be to silicone a piece of backing glass over the crack. If the crack is on the bottom of the tank, or any panel that will be required to bear weight or pressure, it must be replaced.


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## Bryanmc1988 (Jun 22, 2014)

Dane said:


> A crack is different from a chip or a pit in the way that it affects the structure of the glass. The only way that I know of to mend a cracked panel would be to silicone a piece of backing glass over the crack. If the crack is on the bottom of the tank, or any panel that will be required to bear weight or pressure, it must be replaced.


it is the side glass with no weight on it at all... i just wanted it to be a viewing window but as i was drilling a hole i kinda went to far to the edge of the glass and it crack as it pop open the hole... the glass is 3/4 of the way crack but still in tack... any way to get the glass crack sealed to be invisible like a crack windshield resin? i know its not going to be 100% invisible but 90-99% would be nice xD hate to put silicone on the outside and inside on the crack as it would look funky for a viewing 

anyone got an idea on how to seal this crack? a panel can be replace but i would have to tear the tank down which is not an option as of this point


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## PDFanatic (Mar 3, 2007)

Just wondering but usually you want to drill glass before hardscaping your viv for this exact reason. Lesson learned I hope?!?


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## Bryanmc1988 (Jun 22, 2014)

PDFanatic said:


> Just wondering but usually you want to drill glass before hardscaping your viv for this exact reason. Lesson learned I hope?!?


actually i had made the foam background and false bottom only there was still no coco fiber on the background... this is the point when i start drilling holes... believe it or not i had drilled 8 holes and on the 7th one it cracked lol bad luck you can call it... so after all the holes were drilled i then silicon the background and coco fiber it all up...

this was done today... =) with GE silicone 2 (black) yes i know it has the ammonia thing but some people say its safe once cure so as of right now it is silicone and waiting for 3 days then remove the coco and do some touch up's which i am sure there will be like any other people would be... then after another 3 days give or take a whole week i will have everything set up then the tank will be running with no live stocks for at least 2-3 weeks for the ammonia to fully cure and all smell is gone which then i will add the plants and seed the tank with springs and iso... after that i wait another 3-4 weeks this should give a good culture of spring and iso (if they live) then i will start looking for frogs to add to the tank.

its a long time to get frogs but i am in no hurry to get something thats $30 -$70 each and have them die cause i didnt have the right setup for them... better to play it safe then be sorry in my honest option....




so any other ideas on how to fill in the crack?


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## Dane (Aug 19, 2004)

Bryanmc1988 said:


> believe it or not i had drilled 8 holes and on the 7th one it cracked lol bad luck you can call it... so after all the holes were drilled i then silicon the background and coco fiber it all up...


Just out of curiosity, why did you need 8 holes drilled on a single side? It could have been that you created a situation with significant shear pressure along a direct line, which would allow the glass to split more readily under lower impact.


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## PDFanatic (Mar 3, 2007)

That sucks...I would talk to Doug (pumilo) he has worked with glass for 30+ years. That is the guy to talk to.


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## Bryanmc1988 (Jun 22, 2014)

Dane said:


> Just out of curiosity, why did you need 8 holes drilled on a single side? It could have been that you created a situation with significant shear pressure along a direct line, which would allow the glass to split more readily under lower impact.


its not all on one side... lol the one with the crack has 4 holes for a cpu fan mount with plastic screws... one of that hole crack the glass... 4 at the top of the tank... 3 for mistking and 1 for fan wiring out of the tank... 1 hole at the false bottom for drainage... = to 8 holes




PDFanatic said:


> That sucks...I would talk to Doug (pumilo) he has worked with glass for 30+ years. That is the guy to talk to.


i'll give doug a pm about this thread hope he can pull a rabbit out of a hat and save my life xD


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## Pumilo (Sep 4, 2010)

Pictures of the damage, please.


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## Bryanmc1988 (Jun 22, 2014)

Pumilo said:


> Pictures of the damage, please.


I'll have the photo posted in a few hrs...


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## Ray (May 12, 2009)

Super-glue will work - cyanoacrylates - that's the same technology as windshield repair adhesives.

Dribble it on both sides of the crack, as well as from the drilled hole, and it will penetrate enough to provide a little bit of structural integrity - not 100%, but better than nothing.

With a soft cloth and some automotive "clear coat" polish, you can remove the excess from the flat faces.


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

Ray said:


> Super-glue will work - cyanoacrylates - that's the same technology as windshield repair adhesives.


Unless I'm mistaken there is a significant difference between cyanoacrylates and the resin used in chip repair. If I remember correctly the chip repair resin is methacrylate and acrylic acid which have very different properties than cyanoacrylate including the ability to form a long term bond with some glass surfaces. 

Some comments 

Ed


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## Ray (May 12, 2009)

Actually, you are correct Ed. I have no idea what I was thinking when I wrote that - especially because I work for the company that makes the UV-curable acrylate resins!!! (Obviously I needed that second cup of coffee.)

What I actually intended to say was that the windshield resins probably won't work well, precisely because it won't cure without sufficient UV, making the cyanoacrylates a better choice.

Sheesh. Maybe a third cup is in order....


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## Bryanmc1988 (Jun 22, 2014)

Ray said:


> Actually, you are correct Ed. I have no idea what I was thinking when I wrote that - especially because I work for the company that makes the UV-curable acrylate resins!!! (Obviously I needed that second cup of coffee.)
> 
> What I actually intended to say was that the windshield resins probably won't work well, precisely because it won't cure without sufficient UV, making the cyanoacrylates a better choice.
> 
> Sheesh. Maybe a third cup is in order....


when u said it wont cure well without uv cant i just use the rasin and put the tank out in the sun to cure or a uv light over the crack part to cure then take the tank back in?



here is some photo of the crack panel










the 2nd bottom drilled hole is not a crack it was just the drill bit that slip and made a mark next to the drilled hole...
























Where my finger is pointing at is where the crack has stopped at




P.S. this tank is sitting on its back for the silicon and coco fiber to dry.... its a 40 gallon breeder tank sitting on its long side for the vivarium


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

Ray said:


> Actually, you are correct Ed. I have no idea what I was thinking when I wrote that - especially because I work for the company that makes the UV-curable acrylate resins!!! (Obviously I needed that second cup of coffee.)


My dad was a polymer chemist for Rohm and Haas for many years so I thought I remembered him telling me about it so that is where my recollections are based. 



Ray said:


> What I actually intended to say was that the windshield resins probably won't work well, precisely because it won't cure without sufficient UV, making the cyanoacrylates a better choice.


My concern would be the long-term stability of a cyanoacrylate bond on the glass where it is going to be under some level of stress not only due to the differences of temperature and humidity inside and outside the enclosure but the fact that the crack (Doug correct me if I'm wrong) is going to want to continue to the edge of the pane. This is a little different than a windshield which has laminated glass and you can get chips which are conducive to correction with the resins. Generally cyanoacrylate glass bonds are not stable over time (if my memory serves me) due to several factors including the stress on the bonds. 

A further issue is that I doubt be is going to be able to get sufficient penetration of the cyanoacrylate so that he is able to hide the crack which is why he was asking about the methacrylate resins. He would have to do something to ensure penetration but this would also probably push the crack to completion. 


Some comments 

Ed


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## Pumilo (Sep 4, 2010)

You are right Ed, that crack is what I call a spreader. It's going to spread. You cannot stop it. It's different from a laminated windshield, which is what those chip repair kits are generally used for.
Actually, I once consulted with someone who ran a mobile windshield repair service. I wanted to know if a clamshell (a divot, or a cupped chip with no spreaders) could be filled on a plate glass window. As I recall, he thought he could do it, if it were at least 1/4". Customer went a different way, so I didn't get to see any results.
In any case, the fact that you have a spreading crack, is going to rule that out. Even if there were a system to push a sealant into that crack, it's still a crack. Without being laminated glass, there is simply no backbone. Nothing for a repair to bond to, to give it strength. You can't superglue two pieces of glass edge to edge and have any structural integrity. What I'm saying is that even if you could somehow do the prettiest of repairs with any kind of crack filler, the slightest pressure on it would re-crack it.

What we really hate, is that the crack is running down. It will eventually run down and into the false bottom, allowing leakage. A glass patch could work, but to truly be effective and stop the leak, it needs to be on the inside, and sealed into the existing bead. That means some very careful cutting away of the existing bead. Then a new bead put in, quickly followed by nestling the silicone smeared (with a credit card) glass patch. A second patch, with the edges sanded for safety, can be put on the outside to protect yourself. This "glass Bandaid" is much easier when the offending crack doesn't go down into the water.

Sorry, I know that's not what you wanted to hear. It is possible, but not easy, and it won't be pretty. Perhaps a partial redesign could allow you to incorporate a cork bark side wall to cover it up?


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## Bryanmc1988 (Jun 22, 2014)

Pumilo said:


> You are right Ed, that crack is what I call a spreader. It's going to spread. You cannot stop it. It's different from a laminated windshield, which is what those chip repair kits are generally used for.
> Actually, I once consulted with someone who ran a mobile windshield repair service. I wanted to know if a clamshell (a divot, or a cupped chip with no spreaders) could be filled on a plate glass window. As I recall, he thought he could do it, if it were at least 1/4". Customer went a different way, so I didn't get to see any results.
> In any case, the fact that you have a spreading crack, is going to rule that out. Even if there were a system to push a sealant into that crack, it's still a crack. Without being laminated glass, there is simply no backbone. Nothing for a repair to bond to, to give it strength. You can't superglue two pieces of glass edge to edge and have any structural integrity. What I'm saying is that even if you could somehow do the prettiest of repairs with any kind of crack filler, the slightest pressure on it would re-crack it.
> 
> ...


what a lot of people think it that its running down into the false bottom but thats not the case... the tank is on its side the crack is from the back of the background to the front of the glass... its not near the false bottom in any way.... tilt your head to the left with your chin to the right and your head to the left and thats how the tank is sitting up right... what u see is the tank on its back why you may be asking? cause i am placing silicone to the background with coco fiber... if it does crack all the way from one side to another it should still be holding in place as there is a "U" shape bead of silicone on both glass piece if it does crack all the way... i hope this makes sense xD its nother a glass bandaid cant fix and hold the glass together but it was more on the viewing side that i am trying to save...


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## Nismo95 (Jul 30, 2011)

the crack is going front to back not top to bottom.. but all it takes is an imperfection to cause it to spider web downward. that can simply happen with glass quality or a microscopic fracture the eye can not see. with a crack like that its best to just replace.. lol. I would atleast. What size aquarium is it? and why the tiny holes? Ventilation? You can do without if thats the case.


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## Bryanmc1988 (Jun 22, 2014)

Nismo95 said:


> the crack is going front to back not top to bottom.. but all it takes is an imperfection to cause it to spider web downward. that can simply happen with glass quality or a microscopic fracture the eye can not see. with a crack like that its best to just replace.. lol. I would atleast. What size aquarium is it? and why the tiny holes? Ventilation? You can do without if thats the case.


the hole are for screws to mount a 120mm x 120mm cpu fan... a bolt will go out side to the fan inside to hold it in place and its removable in cause it ever breaks or stops working then it can be replace by removing a bolt that holes it in... there will not be any pressure on this glass besides the fan being mounted with does not weight to much ...


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

Bryanmc1988 said:


> the hole are for screws to mount a 120mm x 120mm cpu fan... a bolt will go out side to the fan inside to hold it in place and its removable in cause it ever breaks or stops working then it can be replace by removing a bolt that holes it in... there will not be any pressure on this glass besides the fan being mounted with does not weight to much ...


There are stresses and pressure on the glass even if you don't recognize it before you even add the fan. Keep in mind that as an example, the glass is going to have two different temperatures between the interior and exterior of the tank. The fan is going to add a vibrational component to the stresses. It is just going to depend if there are stresses that are conducive towards cracks spreading in other directions. This may not happen until after the tank has been set up awhile. 

Some comments 

Ed


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## Bryanmc1988 (Jun 22, 2014)

so would it be wise to just add a strip of glass on the crack with silicone to help the crack from spidering out more?


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## NathanB (Jan 21, 2008)

I really don't think the crack would make it down the the false bottom. Most likely it will continue in the direction its going. Put a piece of glass over the whole side, as if the crack made its way all the way over. what ever side doesn't have the glass cover in silicone.


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## Bryanmc1988 (Jun 22, 2014)

NathanB said:


> I really don't think the crack would make it down the the false bottom. Most likely it will continue in the direction its going. Put a piece of glass over the whole side, as if the crack made its way all the way over. what ever side doesn't have the glass cover in silicone.


this is what i was thinking as the crack will just continue to crack where its going... i'll see how i can add the glass strip and work out something with it to cover the markings...


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## kgj (May 2, 2014)

I'm no expert, but my thoughts on the matter:

Why do you have four holes drilled for a fan? It appears as if you're going to be mounting the fan flush to the side of the vivarium. Is that the best option- seeing as airflow is going to be severely restricted (even if a small gap is left)? IMO the fan is best mounted perpendicular to the glass, where proper circulation can occur. You can also buy cheap rare earth magnets on ebay and glue them to the fan- thereby removing the need for drilling holes (and minimizing the chance of accidents ).

A 120 mm fan might also be overkill. I have a 60mm in an 18x18x24 Exo (appx 33 gallons) and that seems to be plenty. I hand mist in the morning, and the surface of everything is dry when I get back from work. Humidity stays at a constant 80-95% - even with screened vents built into the glass cover. 

When I was doing research most of the focus is on CFM (rather than size) for a fan in a vivarium. What CFM does your 120 put out? A lot of 120s move 50-70 CFM- your empty 40g tank holds 5.3 cubic feet of air. That's a serious breeze! You may be able to find an 80 or 60mm that cranks something more reasonable. Look for a 60-80 mmfan that moves around 20 CFM, with a low dBA. A fan this size is also less intrusive when mounted perpendicular to the glass.

Good luck!


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## Bryanmc1988 (Jun 22, 2014)

kgj said:


> I'm no expert, but my thoughts on the matter:
> 
> Why do you have four holes drilled for a fan? It appears as if you're going to be mounting the fan flush to the side of the vivarium. Is that the best option- seeing as airflow is going to be severely restricted (even if a small gap is left)? IMO the fan is best mounted perpendicular to the glass, where proper circulation can occur. You can also buy cheap rare earth magnets on ebay and glue them to the fan- thereby removing the need for drilling holes (and minimizing the chance of accidents ).
> 
> ...


Where were u before I drilled these hole lol I didn't even think about the magnet trick xD but with the 120 u also have to think about the screen net to cover also... The fan will sit about 1"-2" away from the glass so that there is a good amount of air going in it... Also my tank is not to big after substrate and false bottom it's about 15" from top of substrate to the top of the tank...so there is no need to angle the fan...


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## Ray (May 12, 2009)

Siliconing another piece of glass will reinforce the pane, but won't do all that much to stop the crack from propagating. if you really want to stop it, you have to relieve the stress at the termination point by carefully drilling a small round hole there. The crack will then stop.

I have done that with small diamond "dentist bits" in a Dremel. The trick is to keep it wet, and let the diamonds do their thing without applying much pressure - and take it REAL slow.


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## Bryanmc1988 (Jun 22, 2014)

Ray said:


> Siliconing another piece of glass will reinforce the pane, but won't do all that much to stop the crack from propagating. if you really want to stop it, you have to relieve the stress at the termination point by carefully drilling a small round hole there. The crack will then stop.
> 
> I have done that with small diamond "dentist bits" in a Dremel. The trick is to keep it wet, and let the diamonds do their thing without applying much pressure - and take it REAL slow.


the pass day or two i been turning the tank around and even with the crack panel on the floor and the whole weight of the tank on that panel (was on carpet) and even when i turn it back around after 8 hr's the crack hasnt moved a bit at all... i mean i turn it on its side... its back i mean every way the tank can turn even balancing it on the tank corner edge... lol was for cleaning xD but the crack did not move a bit... some strong glass i guess xD


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