Faulty Juwel brace bars

[Deleted member 149562]

OK my aquarium is significantly smaller at 3.2ft long x 15.7 inches wide x 21.6 inches high and 12mm thickness glass, it has no cross bracing but does have glass length bracing....I honestly could not imagine being comfortable with an aquarium of the size that the Juwel is and having no glass strengthening support structure fitted to it.

Tbh I would be terrified of these aquariums knowing that the plastic used for the rim and the bars is so flimsy and weak. Seriously the design would have me on edge all of the time, its absolutely awful and to me its a disaster waiting to happen (most likely outside the warranty period as per usual with warranties). Every accidental knock when doing maintenance or using the hoover on the floor would scare me to death.

Juwel can scream that the plastic method is safe til they are blue in the face but I would not ever believe it...not after seeing that rim buckling and threatening to tear around the bars like it is doing......nope...not on your aunt Nelly would I trust the ability to hold an aquarium that size by that method. Under 120 litres maybe, but never anything larger than that.

 

[itiwhetu]

Be very careful out there because when the tank breaks in your house the manufacturer of these tanks are not going to put their hands up and say it was their fault.
I would suggest before buying any tank find out the glass thickness and size and run it through one of the safety factor calculators available

 

[Deleted member 149562]

Be very careful out there because when the tank breaks in your house the manufacturer of these tanks are not going to put their hands up and say it was their fault.
I would suggest before buying any tank find out the glass thickness and size and run it through one of the safety factor calculators available

Not only that @itiwhetu

Many, if not all, home contents insurance companies when they receive a claim will research the product that caused the damage to see if there is a history of similar failures. There is a database that insurers use worldwide that lists common failures. If there is a history, which I suspect that there will be, of Juwel failures, they may reduce or even refuse claim payouts in the event of such a claim being submitted. (Another very well known case where this is still happening is the Hotpoint tumble dryer fire risk where poor design has caused multiple fires and a recall/replace of offending dryers. People experiencing dryer fires that have often severely damaged properties are not getting full payout due to it being a known and common fault)

You should contact the insurer, explain the situation and find out in writing that they will cover all damage should one of these aquariums fail as a result of poor design. The dreaded small print can, like the warranty, have its goal posts shifted at any time and for any reason/excuse.

 

[Colin_T]

OK my aquarium is significantly smaller at 3.2ft long x 15.7 inches wide x 21.6 inches high and 12mm thickness glass, it has no cross bracing but does have glass length bracing....I honestly could not imagine being comfortable with an aquarium of the size that the Juwel is and having no glass strengthening support structure fitted to it.

Your tank should be fine without braces on the top because it is only 3 foot long x 16 inches wide x 21 inches high, and it is made from 12mm thick glass.

The height is what puts pressure on the sides of the glass. Tanks that are 24 inches high need thicker glass and support straps to help stop them bowing outwards. Thicker glass can compensate for this.

The width of the tank puts pressure on the bottom of the tank. Wider tanks 18 inches, 24 inches, 30 inches wide (from front to back) need thicker bases to compensate for the pressure being exerted on the bottom sheet of glass.

 

[Deleted member 149562]

Your tank should be fine without braces on the top because it is only 3 foot long x 16 inches wide x 21 inches high, and it is made from 12mm thick glass.

The height is what puts pressure on the sides of the glass. Tanks that are 24 inches high need thicker glass and support straps to help stop them bowing outwards. Thicker glass can compensate for this.

The width of the tank puts pressure on the bottom of the tank. Wider tanks 18 inches, 24 inches, 30 inches wide (from front to back) need thicker bases to compensate for the pressure being exerted on the bottom sheet of glass.

The main thing that I absolutely do not get with the big Juwel aquariums is that surely the larger the aquarium is, they should be over engineered....not maxed out or under engineered by the use of weak bracing materials that would be absolutely fine on the smaller aquariums.

Yes you can upsize bracing like the Juwel but at the same time you should also upgrade the material used to an appropriate level to compensate for the extra water pressure on the glass...if that makes sense. They seem to be using very flimsy plastic for the size and pressures that the material has to contain.

As said before by both of us, this appears to be on the face of it a manufacturing cost cutting exercise...and that does have its place on occasions...but to cost cut on an aquarium of the size we are seeing here is surely a false economy both for the manufacturer and the customer.

I am really struggling to understand why Juwel assumed the use of such cheap and weak materials would be a good thing to do on their flagship big aquariums when it is going to be so damaging to their reputation when owners are experiencing failures like these time and time again. Do they think that if they ignore the design fault it will go away?

I just do not get the stubborn refusal to admit that they basically stuffed up an otherwise well designed aquarium for the sake of a few €'s in manufacture cost cutting cos it will come back and bite them squarely on the backside.

 

[itiwhetu]

The main thing that I absolutely do not get with the big Juwel aquariums is that surely the larger the aquarium is, they should be over engineered....not maxed out or under engineered by the use of weak bracing materials that would be absolutely fine on the smaller aquariums.

Yes you can upsize bracing like the Juwel but at the same time you should also upgrade the material used to an appropriate level to compensate for the extra water pressure on the glass...if that makes sense. They seem to be using very flimsy plastic for the size and pressures that the material has to contain.

As said before by both of us, this appears to be on the face of it a manufacturing cost cutting exercise...and that does have its place on occasions...but to cost cut on an aquarium of the size we are seeing here is surely a false economy both for the manufacturer and the customer.

I am really struggling to understand why Juwel assumed the use of such cheap and weak materials would be a good thing to do on their flagship big aquariums when it is going to be so damaging to their reputation when owners are experiencing failures like these time and time again. Do they think that if they ignore the design fault it will go away?

I just do not get the stubborn refusal to admit that they basically stuffed up an otherwise well designed aquarium for the sake of a few €'s in manufacture cost cutting cos it will come back and bite them squarely on the backside.

They are trying to make these tanks at a price point, knowing that nobody will have a case against them if it went to court, it is really sad.

 

[Essjay]

he 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.

The lids and lights on Juwel tank are completely removeable.

The lights themselves (fluorescent or LED) are attached to a bar. This bar sits on the rim of the tank at each side. There are two flaps, one at the front, one at the back, which slot into grooves down the length of the light bar. These flaps just slot in and can be raised vertical or lifted off. With the flaps removed or raised the light bar can then be slid backwards and forwards for ease of access during water changes, or lifted off completely. When closed, the flaps and light bar make a continuous flat surface level with the top of the trim.
The bulk of the light bar and the tubes hang down below the level of the trim. The tubes have 'waterproof' end caps where the light plugs in to the bar. In the 6 or 7 years I had mine, no water ever got into those end caps.


This image from Juwel's website shows how the light bar sits


From https://www.juwel-aquarium.co.uk/Products/Lighting/LED/MultiLux-LED/MultiLux-LED-Light-Unit/

 

[Deleted member 149562]

They are trying to make these tanks at a price point, knowing that nobody will have a case against them if it went to court, it is really sad.

Juwel might believe that no-one will stand up to them in court but that is not the case at all

No company can cover every single consumer rights legislation in every country that they sell goods. The UK is actually one of the best for standing up against companies that pull a stunt like this. These aquariums hit at least two consumer based protections (Sale of Goods Act and Consumer Rights Act) here in the UK, both aspects will cover any goal post shifting on warranties, both will cover design faults/flaws and both cover the "fit for the purpose that it was purchased" issues.

Juwel are being very naive if they think they are too big to be taken to task in court. People cannot afford to throw away the hundreds and thousands spent on aquariums that then fail or show signs of failure within the warranty period or shortly thereafter. To take Juwel to court costs a customer very little...a claim for upto £1500 costs £80 in court fees to execute. (up to £3000 costs £115).

Companies like Juwel are far too complacent and arrogant if they think or assume no-one would dare take them to court under consumer rights legislation.

 

[StandbySetting]

All glass will bow without bracing, but like another poster has said, glass that is bowing is generally under strain and more likely to fracture if struck with something. I have seen aquarists remove brace bars on both the Rio 125 and Rio 180 completely along with the plastic surround. A tank this size I would want braces though, if juwel do refuse and you're in the UK you could use the consumer rights act of 2015 which covers manufacturing defects outside of warranty. Alternatively if you paid on a credit card you could claim through that. Last resort would be draining the system and having your own braces fitted by an aquarium manufacturer.

 

[StandbySetting]

As a side note juwel have been making tanks this way for donkeys years with a lot of success, their quality is quite well known in the trade. I would expect this to be a result of either poor quality materials or a floor in the moulding process. I expect they have remedied these issues internally but they are not going to make that publicly known.

 

[Sparkymc]

Aquabarb did you manage to fix your problem with the support braces,and if so. How did you fix it? I have same problem with my braces coming away from the front of tank at the bottom.. on the juwel rio 450l

 

[AquaBarb]

Aquabarb did you manage to fix your problem with the support braces,and if so. How did you fix it? I have same problem with my braces coming away from the front of tank at the bottom.. on the juwel rio 450l

I did yes long story short i got a replacement from Juwel, however that had the same issue on arrival

In the end i siliconed the brace bars myself in both 450's. Pretty easy to do but you have to drain the tank and let the silicone fully cure before refilling.

 

[Sparkymc]

I did yes long story short i got a replacement from Juwel, however that had the same issue on arrival

In the end i siliconed the brace bars myself in both 450's. Pretty easy to do but you have to drain the tank and let the silicone fully cure before refilling.

Nice. Problem I have got,is the same as you,but only difference is my bracebars are connected to the frame,as it's the new shape.so the replacement brace bars won't work according to juwel

 

[AquaBarb]

Nice. Problem I have got,is the same as you,but only difference is my bracebars are connected to the frame,as it's the new shape.so the replacement brace bars won't work according to juwel

Mine are both the new design and connected to the frame like yours. Your right the old brace bars wont work.

Draining the water out lets the bottom of the supports touch the glass so you can then silicone them down.

 

[Sparkymc]

Mine are both the new design and connected to the frame like yours. Your right the old brace bars wont work.
View attachment 304245

Draining the water out lets the bottom of the supports touch the glass so you can then silicone them down.

I drained mine's

Mine are both the new design and connected to the frame like yours. Your right the old brace bars wont work.
View attachment 304245

Draining the water out lets the bottom of the supports touch the glass so you can then silicone them down.

How did you take off the old silicone and clean the glass for the new silicone to go on,I.e was your tank full or empty when doing the prep work?