new o-ring same problem...

[bracconiere]

so i couldn't strech my first o-ring enough to fit my fermenter lid. So i bought a bigger one, i still had to strech it a bit, but managed to shove it in....but damn it, my fermenter still ain't tight enough to make it exit only....no bubbling out of air lock...

the original o-ring was soft foam, this one is hard rubber...here's a pic, clearly active fermentation...no bubbling...

any suggestions?

anyone else ever have to replace the seal on one of these type buckets?

 

[OG-wan Kenobi]

I get airlock activity with or without a seal in my buckets

any suggestions?
A new bucket fermenter

Can you double up on the seal?

If you push down on the lid do you see movement in the airlock?

I presume with the prior soft seal you had airlock activity?

Is the seal filling the gap completely?

 

[bracconiere]

I get airlock activity with or without a seal in my buckets

any suggestions?
A new bucket fermenter

Can you double up on the seal?

If you push down on the lid do you see movement in the airlock?

I presume with the prior soft seal you had airlock activity?

Is the seal filling the gap completely?

it's a pretty hard lid, so no, pushing down doesn't get a bubble...and yes the o-ring fills the gap pretty good...

and as a final note, $20 at the feed store would buy me a new bucket...i've already went homebrewer and spent more on trying to replace the o-ring to save money...

just seems like wasting money, needing to buy a whole new fermenter every 2-3 years for a foam gasket.....

 

[OG-wan Kenobi]

That's why they are cheap, did you check Craigslist for glass carboys? They last forever but are a pain to clean and move. I use the Anvil stainless buckets and love them but you could buy 6 plastic buckets for what 1 cost. If your going to spend $20 on a bucket I would consider $30 on a Fermonster they sell new O-rings for $2.99 I think that may work out better for you minus the handle benefit the Speidel's are also nice but now your jumping in price.

 

[bracconiere]

i brew 10 gallon batches though...

 

[mirthfuldragon]

I have a couple of buckets that leak through the lid seals instead of bubbling out the airlock. There is an easy way to test - use some duct tape around the edge of the lid/bucket. After that, I decided to RDWHAHB about it - the gas is escaping, nothing can reasonably get it, so it should be fine.

 

[OG-wan Kenobi]

Oh yea 10 gallons your into 2 vessels or a big bucket at that point. If you were local I would just give you 2 glass ones but it looks like your going to be replacing your buckets as you wear them out, I know you brew as often as I do our stuff gets used.


$20 is a deal for a 10 gallon set up

 

[bracconiere]

Oh yea 10 gallons your into 2 vessels or a big bucket at that point. If you were local I would just give you 2 glass ones but it looks like your going to be replacing your buckets as you wear them out, I know you brew as often as I do our stuff gets used.


$20 is a deal for a 10 gallon set up

i used to use two carboys, but someone a long time ago on the morebeer forums tipped me off to these 13 gal plastic red top buckets for 10 gal batches....


just seems like over kill to replace the whole bucket for a probably 50 cent foam gasket....guess that's the verdict though, next time i buy a bag of barley, drop $40 on a couple of buckets...

(honestly i spent about $350 on my entire brewing equip back in 2002...)

 

[IslandLizard]

What kind of shape is the seal? A round bead, flat, or more intricate?
Do you know who makes the buckets? They should have seals too.

Now a gas-tight seal on the rim is not all that important. But if you want to visually monitor progress, it's surely the easiest.

 

[bracconiere]

What kind of shape is the seal? A round bead, flat, or more intricate?
Do you know who makes the buckets? They should have seals too.

Now a gas-tight seal on the rim is not all that important. But if you want to visually monitor progress, it's surely the easiest.

you're very right...the foam original was square and the new rubber one is round....and yes i know it's fermenting, but would like to know when it's done....

it's a curtec bucket...couldn't find a replacement seal though...

 

[CodeSection]

@bracconiere, per Curtec on their website....

"CurTec drums with screw lid and integrated gasket provide an air tight closure. Airtight means air cannot enter the drum from the outside through the closure.

Airtight does not mean air cannot escape the container. The closure has not been designed to withstand any pressure so air will escape the container when outside pressure drops or pressure is built up inside the container. Please contact CurTec for advice."

https://www.curtec.com/en/support/faq

Have you tried calling the company directly to see if they sell a replacement seal?

 

[bracconiere]

@bracconiere, per Curtec on their website....

"CurTec drums with screw lid and integrated gasket provide an air tight closure. Airtight means air cannot enter the drum from the outside through the closure.

Airtight does not mean air cannot escape the container. The closure has not been designed to withstand any pressure so air will escape the container when outside pressure drops or pressure is built up inside the container. Please contact CurTec for advice."

https://www.curtec.com/en/support/faq

Have you tried calling the company directly to see if they sell a replacement seal?

no i haven't actually tried calling them...at this point i'd figure unless it's a toll free number, it'd probably just cost more than a new bucket...

at this point even if the rubber o-ring worked, it's $8 off ebay and the new bucket is only $20....just seems like a waste, like that last beer of the day i end up pouring out in the morning i would rather dump back into the keg somehow....lol

edit: just looked up when i got my last bucket, 6-2015, so i guess, i've brewed 200 10 gal batches with it...or 1,777 12 packs....so it's only an extra 1.1 cents a twelver...(why this is in drunken rambling)

edit #2: but look at wal-mart with their stratagey of xx.97 or xx.96, this is some serious stuff in reality, just imagine a 1.95 twelver, instead of 1.99...i'd out sell em easy! lol (maybe stainless is the way to go...)

edit #3: and i do appreciate the research, but before the foam seal got cracks in it....it bubbled.... (and if this isn't perfect drunken rambling, i don't know what is! )

 

[CodeSection]

From your photos, it looks like you have the Curtec 13.7 gallon model 6946. At least you got good use of them. As mentioned earlier, $20 is a great price. I am just surprised a replacement seal is not available. Maybe it is the angle of the picture, but the seal does not appear to be at the same level when going around the lid.

 

[CodeSection]

<smack forehead> double post...

 

[November]

You could try putting a little petroleum jelly on the gasket. It's food grade and you probably wouldn't actually get any into the beer anyways. I've used it on loose blow off hose connections to good effect.

Just a thought, though for 20 bucks I'd just get a new one since she's had a good life.

 

[bracconiere]

From your photos, it looks like you have the Curtec 13.7 gallon model 6946. At least you got good use of them. As mentioned earlier, $20 is a great price. I am just surprised a replacement seal is not available. Maybe it is the angle of the picture, but the seal does not appear to be at the same level when going around the lid.

you could be right about the unevenness, that's the new rubber one i tried... i had to stretch it a bit, and shove into the groove...

and i think the reason the buckets are only $20 at the feed store, is because they come to them with stuff in them. and they just try and recoup some cash off the buckets....

 

[IslandLizard]

Having to stretch the seal will make it hug the inner side of the groove, that's not where it can mate with the flat portion of the rim, which is more toward the outside. Hard rubber is also not as forgiving as softer material to fill small voids.

The original flat rubber seal probably fits the groove profile much better and has enough material left on either side to allow for not quite perfect rim to groove fits.

Email the company for the right seals, what you got to loose?

 

[bracconiere]

The original flat rubber seal probably fits the groove profile much better and has enough material left on either side to allow for not quite perfect rim to groove fits.

Email the company for the right seals, what you got to loose?

the original was actually foam, which is why it got cracks in it with time....

and not a bad idea....and, just the fear of rejection....kinda like when i went to the north coast brewery asking about getting a few bags of malt.....lol

 

[IslandLizard]

...kinda like when i went to the north coast brewery asking about getting a few bags of malt.....lol

Maybe you talked to the wrong people. Persistence prevails.

 

[bracconiere]

Maybe you talked to the wrong people. Persistence prevails.

no, no...they were trained on the topic obviously....they gave me the number for William's Brewing.......so along those lines, curtec would email me back a link to ebay.....i'd just think "but i'm trying to SAVE money!"...

 

[Sailingeric]

I suspect they don't have an air tight seal.

 

[bracconiere]

I suspect they don't have an air tight seal.

lol, but my fermenter's are opaque, and i need the bubbles!

edit: bubbles man, bubbles! you know everyone here needs bubbles!