Faulty Juwel brace bars

[AquaBarb]

Hi folks,

Ive had an issue with my Rio 450 the last week where i found that my brace bars have started to come away from the glass.

Since then ive learned that im not alone in finding this issue.

So if your reading this and you own a Juwel tank go over and check you brace bars.

Id be interest to see how many issues we find and hopefully this thread will highlight any issues members didnt know they had so they can try and sort before they get worse.

Pictures below are what to look for

Checked my 180 and thats ok

*edit just to mention my Rio 450 is 13 months old

 

[Essjay]

This happened to my Juwel Rio 125 in late 2013. In my case the tank was 6 or 7 years old rather than almost new. At the time I thought it was maybe due to me moving the tank across the room a few years earlier (I did totally empty it as I changed substrate at the same time), but now I'm beginning to wonder if it is actually a design flaw.

 

[Naughts]

My 3 year old Rio125 still has intact brace bars.
My 2.5 rear old Rio 180 has intact brace bars and was relocated to another room some 2 years ago with substrate in situ, moved on a wheeled box. The 180 has massive globs of silicone under the brace bars, whereas the 125 just has dots under the edge of the brace like your photos.

 

[raylove]

I just checked my 18 month old 260 Vision and I too have the issue. I think it's been like it from the get go as I always thought that the contours of the flaps didn't quite follow the contours of the frame. It hadn't occurred to me that this might be the reason.

 

[Linkandnavi]

As on the previous chat from yesterday, I've got the same problem on my Rio 450.

14 months old. Their engineer told me that it is not a structural issue, for whatever that's worth.

 

[AquaBarb]

I just checked my 18 month old 260 Vision and I too have the issue. I think it's been like it from the get go as I always thought that the contours of the flaps didn't quite follow the contours of the frame. It hadn't occurred to me that this might be the reason.

Sadly this is becoming a common problem and a problem Juwel just wont admit to.

If you contract Juwel you will just get the following

"The brace bars are not a structural part of the aquarium. They are designed to hold the shape of the tank hence the reason why there is slight bowing. Your customer has no concerns regarding the aquarium breaking what so ever with this issue"

 

[AquaBarb]

As on the previous chat from yesterday, I've got the same problem on my Rio 450.

14 months old. Their engineer told me that it is not a structural issue, for whatever that's worth.

View attachment 158624

Thank you for popping this on the thread

 

[raylove]

Sadly this is becoming a common problem and a problem Juwel just wont admit to.

If you contract Juwel you will just get the following

"The brace bars are not a structural part of the aquarium. They are designed to hold the shape of the tank hence the reason why there is slight bowing. Your customer has no concerns regarding the aquarium breaking what so ever with this issue"

Yeah, I saw the original thread.
I sort of get the point that it's not structural in as much as the wrap around plastic top trim will hold it all together, so it won't fail. However, if the point of the bars are is only for aesthetic purposes to keep everything lined up then it really doesn't matter - it's still a manufacturing fault that they should put right, whether it's one tank or hundreds.
I don't relish the thought of having to strip it down and start again so I'm not going to play hardball for now, however I would join a group action if enough people want to get together and try to get Juwel to take some responsibility. I might report the problem just to register it and when I get that expected reply I will tell them that I accept it without prejudice but reserve the right to revert back to them at any time in the future if I change my mind. If they don't like that I will tell them my only alternative is to press ahead with a claim now then.
At the very least Juwel appear to be saying that the failed bars mean that the tank will not hold its shape to the standards that they themselves have set by virtue of the fact that they built it with the brace bars in the first place! If that is the case then they should either fix the issue or at least offer some compensation.

 

[StandbySetting]

Juwels customer service is normally spot on, so make sure you dig your heels in and complain. Like they say though the braces are there for aesthetics, I've known many remove them completely with no Ill effects but purely for peace of mind if rather it were there! For a company that is usually so renowned for its quality this is disappointing to see and clearly the plastic they're using is not up to the job.

 

[AquaBarb]

Juwels customer service is normally spot on, so make sure you dig your heels in and complain. Like they say though the braces are there for aesthetics, I've known many remove them completely with no Ill effects but purely for peace of mind if rather it were there! For a company that is usually so renowned for its quality this is disappointing to see and clearly the plastic they're using is not up to the job.

Really?? People have taken them out completely wow.

So do you think that there is some truth in what they are saying and the braces bars wont affect the tanks integrity?

 

[Deleted member 149562]

If those lumps of plastic did not have a job to do, why fit them in the first place?

The rim should be able to "hold the aquarium square" without the allegedly "decorative" (as they state) plastic bars. But then if you look at the rim, it is straining...if the rim was fine by itself, it would remain solid, it would not be buckling at the point where the bars are situated. The plastic rim is not strong enough if it can be pulled inwards by the alleged "decorative" braces. And why bother using silicone to attach those bars if they are not doing a job?

The whole design is shoddy, the plastics used are cheap, thin and totally unfit for purpose.

The entire bracing system on these aquariums has been done to keep manufacturing costs down. It has been done to save them money.

The glass should not be flexing or bowing, it should be braced in an appropriate manner and to say that the glass will not break is ludicrous. Of course it will break. The rim is flimsy, the bars are coming away...the rim will eventually start to tear where those bars are attached to it, the silicone holding the bars removed some of the pressure from the rim, pop off the silicone and all the weight is now trasferred to that bar attachment on the rim, hence the rim disfigurement. It will tear the rim and the overall strength of the rim will fail with the obvious end result.

You don't need a degree in physics to see or understand that.

 

[itiwhetu]

There is no way I would want a tank that large without braces across it. What thickness is the glass and what are the dimensions of the tank please?

 

[Colin_T]

My professional opinion, and this comes from working in the retail pet industry for over 20 years where we made our own tanks. Big tanks like the one in question (5 ft long x 20 inches wide x 24 inches high and made from 10mm thick glass), need cross members and support strips to stop the front and back from bowing outwards and putting more pressure on the seams (where the silicon holds the glass pains together). Without the support straps on the top, the front and back panels of glass are under more pressure and have more chance of cracking if something hits them. The seams are also more likely to pull away.

We made tanks that were 4ft, 5ft & 6ft long x 2ft wide and 2ft high. They were made from 10mm thick glass but always had support straps on the top. A 4x2x2 tank usually has 1 cross member that goes from the front to the back of the tank, whereas the 5 & 6ft tanks have 2. If you make the same size tank out of 12mm thick glass, it doesn't need the straps. But 10mm thick glass does.

The plastic straps on top of that tank are designed to help stop the front and back pains of glass from bowing outwards. Why they used plastic, I don't know. It's probably cheaper and can be made as part of the hood.

The light unit is also exposed to water vapor and condensation, and that poses all sorts of safety risks. That style of aquarium should have some coverglass on top of the tank (underneath the light) to stop water getting onto and into the light unit. The coverglass will also reduce the mould growing there.

The company would be better off using glass straps and bracing and making the hood with light as a separate piece that can be put on the tank or removed. It should not be part of the actual glass aquarium.

In my opinion, if you choose to keep the tank full when the support straps have come away from the glass, there is a risk the tank could come apart. Make sure your house and contents insurance covers water damage from broken aquariums.

 

[Colin_T]

There is no way I would want a tank that large without braces across it. What thickness is the glass and what are the dimensions of the tank please?

It's 5 foot long x 20 inches wide x 24 inches high, made of 10mm glass.

 

[itiwhetu]

It's 5 foot long x 20 inches wide x 24 inches high, made of 10mm glass.

It will bow around 6mm with 10mm glass. If you run those measurements through a safety calculator they say 12mm glass front and back