Sump, sea water and wood

[paultaylor]

Hiya,

I have finaly got my sump inside the bottom of the wooden cabinet and am fixing up the electrics etc. The cabinet base is made from wood (was an aquarium built by the manufacturer).

The question is, should I now maybe cover the walls in plastic sheeting to protect the wood from the sea water ? Has anyone any other good tips before I put the unit in its final resting position and start 'er up

Thanks in advance for your reply,
Paul

 

[liquid]

Probably what I'd do is either cover the wood with plastic sheeting, coat it with a couple coats of Spar urethane varnish (spar is a generic name for moisture resistant varnish) or coat it with a RTV silicone paint (RTV=room temperature vulcanized). I believe the latter two options will seal up your wood better than the plastic.

HTH

Shane

 

[Baianotang]

or just leave it as it is...

 

[SaltyMist]

You would have to cover every little bit of walling area with plastic if you went the plastic route. Otherwsie moisture will find it's way into the small cracks, seams and crevices of where the plastic is NOT, and then sit behind the plastic and mildew.

If you really want to cover it up, then go ahead and use varnish to cover every little bit of it to act as a moisture barrier, otherwise just leave it alone and add proper air circulation (perhaps a small clipon fan to just keep the air circulating in and out of the stand to reduce the moisture content)