I found this website.

http://truetex.com/bulkhead.htm - http://truetex.com/bulkhead.htm

 

I went to HD yesterday and purchased enough fittings to make 2- 1 1/4" and 2- 3/4".  The plumbing fittings were found in the electrical area and the rubber gaskets were in the plumbing area.  The fittings were .50 cents each and the rubber gaskets were .97 cents each.  Tell me where you can buy an 1 1/4" fitting for 2 dollars!   To show you that they work, I have included pictures.  Yes there is water in the sump/refugium setup here.  Next time I would use a gasket on both sides to ensure a tighter fit but this worked just fine.  I used a little silicone to hold the gasket in place but if you were to find a thicker gasket, this probably would not be necessary. 

 

 

 

Adam

There are a couple of problems.

 

#1 The threads are tappered so you often cannot get the pipe tight or have little control on how tight it is.

#2  You can easily overtighten the o-ring, making it leak (sometimes so slow you won't notice until the salt creep start to build up).

#3  The o-ring doesn't provide as much surface area as a standard bulk head gasket.  This increases the chance for leaking. 

 

I recommend spending the money on a bulkhead.  It is not worth the risk IMO.

Jake, the white PVC fittings are tapered and cannot be tightened all the way. However, the gray fittings are not taperred and make great bulkheads. The trick is to use a good gasket/o-ring ( preferably corrossion resistant). I've used these fittings with a DIY gasket made out of car inner tubing. I use one of these gaskets inside and outside and it works like a charm. If this seal is installed inly on the inside, the water will seep through the threads and create salt creep. This gasket also provides plenty of surface area and can be over-tightened. Ive had this running on my sump for over a year with no problems whatsoever. BTW. they sell a special silicone that is designed to make gaskets. I have not tried that but it probably would work as well IMHO. 

 

Thanks for the pics, looks nice.

 

Good points, however:

 

1. Just because the joints are tapered doesn't mean you can't get them to seat. With teflon tape you can easily bottom out a tapered fitting.

2. You can also easily overtighten a flat gasket on a bulkhead. I have done it and I have also torn a flat gasket on a bulkhead. Try to get a replacement without buying a new fitting.

3. True  But you can add an o-ring on both side of the opening  to increase your safety margin.

 

More importantly if safety is your biggest concern, don't cut a hole in your glass.  I like the notion of DIY and new ideas and appreciate the free thinking associated with that type of person.