The finished product. I still want to re-work the 4 inch outlet pipe.

Following my discovery of the ongoing leaks in the rebuilt 100 gallon Skippy Filter, I opted to replace this set up with a completely new one albeit basically the same system. This way, I could re-use some of the parts I had purchased to rebuild the original one.

My first item on the agenda was a trip to Dripping Springs and Tractor Supply to purchase a new 100 gallon Rubbermaid tank. Amazingly enough, the price had not gone up from the last one I bought which had to be at least 5 years ago. I brought it home and prepared to start work on the new project.

First thing was to unload all of the lava rock which I had bagged up and then shovel out the small amount of loose stuff from the original rebuilt filter. I removed the grate and the plumbing bringing me back to just the tank and the outlet pipe. My original intent was to remove the 4 inch outlet pipe from this tank and reuse it on the new one but when I tried to unbolt it, the bolts were so corroded they would not budge. This got me looking at the new tank and I discovered that the manufacturers had changed their design and there was not a single flat area I could use to install the 4 inch outlet pipe. The only alternative was to install two 2 inch outlet pipes and either run them into a 4 inch pipe or have two separate 2 inch outlet pipes.

I opted for the first idea and made a trip to Lowes to purchase the necessary plumbing materials. I laid everything out prior to starting work on the new tank to  make sure that my ideas would work but something about the project really bothered me. I was concerned that the new tank did not have the really flat areas to install the outlet pipes and that it would lead to more leaks without a flat surface. I was also bothered by the fact that I was getting ready to spend and maybe waste, around $200 on a new tank and plumbing materials just for the sake of a very small leak in the original setup. The last thought really made up my mind so I loaded up the car with the new tank and the recently purchased plumbing materials and returned both to their respective stores.

Feeling better about myself and the project as a whole, I decided that I would once again try to patch the leaky tank. I also reasoned that if I rebuilt the base on which the original tank was sitting, the tank would have a much better chance with the patches as it would not be subject to the additional stresses caused by the settlement of the original four concrete blocks which probably not only caused the cracks but also created a situation where bye they were forced open by the stress. Not being able to remove the 4 inch outlet without a lot of work, I opted to cut the pipe to just a small piece extending from the tank. This way, I was able to move the tank completely out of the way while I went about the task of rebuilding the base. First though, it required another trip to Lowes to get the concrete blocks for the rebuild. I use a lot of blocks as support for the pond plants and they also make good safety tunnels for the fish to hide out in case of a Heron attack. The only drawback with the blocks is as I grow older, they are getting much heavier…Hard to believe that at one time in my life, I laid bricks and blocks for a living as I was trained as a Bricklayer in my youth. They weren’t that heavy back then.

I built the base by digging out the dirt and placing the blocks next to each other so that it was level all the way around. I made it just a little bigger than the bottom of the tank and ended up with a solid block slab. Then I turned my attention to the tank and spent some time in making another repair using the same rubber adhesive and liner patch as before. Satisfied with that part of the project, I moved the tank back onto the new concrete base and positioned it where I needed it which was in a different position and on a different angle than before.

The next part of the project was really straightforward as I had already bagged up the Lava Rock and cut the grate to size and it only took a few minutes to reinstall the materials back into the tank. Because of the new location, I had to do some work on the inlet but that was straightforward plumbing. I temporarily hooked up the 4 inch outlet as I have plans to change that just a little but I wanted to turn it on and test it out. It performs perfectly and as far as I can see, there are no leaks. Now all that is left is to re-work the 4 inch outlet pipe and add a few rocks to make it less obtrusive.

It was a good decision on my part to re-work and repair the old tank and save myself $200. For once in my long life, I used my brain instead of just tearing ahead as I have so many times in the past. Must be getting smarter (and definitely weaker) in my old age…