Wal-Mart 10 gallons have tempered glass

S

Serk

Or, at least the one I tried to drill did... And I'm not talking about the bottom pane, I'm talking about the sides! I'll admit though, it was ALMOST worth the $10 just to see what tempered glass does when drilled in person!

So far the Petsmart 10 gallons seem to be safe to drill on the sides (As long as you don't slam the tailgate down on it as you're loading it into the car 'cause you've got a rambunctious 4 year old you're trying to wrangle that keeps trying to run out in front of cars... but that's another story...)
 
Okay, either whoever makes the 10g tanks for Wal-Mart is smoking the cheap crack, or I got one made by The New Guy!

I took the 10g with a cracked (tempered) back pane and put it in the trash thingy. Being male, I couldn't resist a little wanton destruction.

Took a 3 foot long iron bar with a weighted end (the things you use to shut off the water supply to your house) and bashed the other side with a full force swing. It bounced off, no damage. Did the same to the end pieces. Bounced right off. The rebound tapped the BOTTOM piece. Cracked right out.

ALL 4 sides of this tank were tempered, but the BOTTOM was NOT!!!

(And yeah, I did eventually manage to smash all the panes. It felt good too! Those tempered panes can take some SERIOUS abuse before giving way though! It's one thing to read about their breaking point, but to see a large iron bar repeatedly bouncing off of a very thin piece, that's another thing!)


Very very strange....
 
And here's a picture of it after trying to drill it... My template was still taped in place even:

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I didn't take any pics post-iron bar, just imagine a big trash can filled with shattered glass bits...
 
@lmcnutt wrote:
And a wife shaking her head. said:
Especially since that was the 4th tank I'd tried to drill to make 2 good drilled ones... Took a total of 6 of the things to get 2 good ones drilled... 10 gallons are DEFINITELY harder to drill than thicker glassed tanks! (That, and I think my bit's about done for)

1st. Drilled fine, but a tiny 1/4 inch fracture radiating out from the drill site. Probably fine, but I just don't trust it.
2. Drilled fine. A keeper!
3. Large fracture 3 inches long from the drill site to the edge of the pane
4. Tempered side panel Ka-Boom!
5. Got cracked while loading into the car right after purchased. Slammed the hatch down and hit it while trying to corral the munchkin.
6. Drilled fine. A keeper! And I SOOOOOO took my time!

Another thing noted while drilling #6. If drilling a tank after dark, using a flashlight to illuminate the work area, it's best to NOT have a dog around who thinks it's her purpose in life to chase down a flashlight beam and destroy what's at the end of it!!!

Man, this was 'spopsed to be a quick simple project, not a major adventure!
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Brian, You do have the knack for turning all of your projects into good reading for the rest of us.
And yes breraking tempered glas is hard.
 
@shookbrad wrote:
It sounds like you would have been beter off building a tank. Cheaper any how. :? said:
Probably so, that is... Unless you'd ever seen my silicone work... it's not pretty! (Or waterproof, most times I've tried!)
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