Im doing a vertical aero system for flower , using vinyl fence post. Very similar to vinyl fence post nft systems that are built.
I’m trying to figure out what I should use for sealant I’m thinking 2 part epoxy . I seen some suggest aquarium silicone and regular.
I’m going to have 15 4 ft ish sections I really don’t want to deal with leaks .
Any suggestions?
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RTV (aquarium silicone), it stays flexible.
I recommend you sand the vinyl (80 to 120 grit) where you want the RTV to stick. This increases the surface area and will increase the bonding strength.
This sounds like an interesting project… 
Cheers
G
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I agree with @Gpaw 
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Thats what I keep reading. Is this something you have done personally?
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The sanding is Standard Operating Procedure for materials bonding to a smooth surface. I suggested the RTV over epoxy because of the inherent flexibility of the vinyl.
I retired from this stuff. 
Cheers
G
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I agree sanding with the rough paper to give it area to bite , I will also debure my cuts . I was just curious if you ever had to seal something similar.
I really dont want 50 gallons pissing on my floor while im not home because it didnt hold.
Im still debating using 2 part epoxy and aquarium sealant. I know the epoxy wont let me down but I will never be able to remove my end caps. Does flexibility really matter do you think?
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If you use RTV on the end caps… They are going to be tough to remove as well.
When you put it in terms of containing 50 Gal, you cannot take any shortcuts.
My experience is minimal, patching eaves-trough.
Epoxy and fiberglass mat can sometimes reinforce a joint or section.
Cheers
G
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aquarium silicone is good enough to hold 100 gallons of water in your living room, it should hold enough to seal your NFT gutter end caps in your basement.
GE 1 is cheaper than aquarium branded silicone and is the same thing.
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I dont have fish tanks so I wouldnt know .
Thats all that holds the 4 pane of glass together in an aquarium? Silicone? I didnt know that.
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Well there’s a plastic frame to take some of the stress on a lot of the cheaper glass ones, but yeah.
They make frameless ones, too, just silicone holding it together.
And euro-style, which has no frame but does have extra glass braces on top for stability.
Alright, I’ll stop talking about aquariums lol.
But we’re dealing with far less weight bearing down on it than an aquarium, it more or less just has to seal, not hold up to pressure and remain watertight.
Contact cement will work too but silicone is easier and guaranteed plant-safe.
Just make sure it’s GE 1, NOT GE 2, the latter has anti-mildew agents that could conceivably cause problems down the line.
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You should definitely only get the aquarium silicon, the “normal” big box store silicon come with toxins (anti molding agents). I wouldn’t want my plants anywhere near that stuff.
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That’s good enough for me I’ll give it a try. Allot cheaper I’m sure too, rather than buying all that 2 part epoxy .
It’s already cost a pretty penny for materials.
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GE Silicone 1 is pure silicone. People use it with their expensive fish and corals which are far more sensitive than weed plants. It’s available everywhere. Aquarium-specific silicone is fine but it costs more for an identical product, just like markup at a hydro store.
You are thinking of GE Silicone 2 or a similar product with a mildewstat.
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i know this is an older post, but gonna chime in anyway. i have built a couple all glass aquariums one about 50 gallons, one close to 75; using only silicon when i was a teen, im in my 50’s now. but what vernal said is 100% the truth. It is exactly what you need, and the GE1 is the least expensive route without sacrificing quality at all. so did you finish this project? can we see it? i was wanting to see some successful nft grows in flower.
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well, if you can bring up the dead so can i. it’s even off-topic. if anyone has the need for replacing a cpu on a computer and want to save a buck or three, use white lithium grease instead of thermal paste. it is thermal paste and you can get a 2oz tube for about $3 or enough thermal paste for one cpu for $10. i use white lithium grease all the time and never had any overheating issues, even in my gaming rig. sorry, just got back on the site and meds have kicked in a bit…carry on.
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