manway gasket lifespan

[yap]

In general terms, how long of a life does everyone generally get out of their manway gaskets on a standard conical fermenter? I am starting to see gasket failures (leaks) on some of my tanks and since all are about the same age (4-5 years) I am ordering gaskets to replace them all. Just curious if this is a reasonable lifespan or not...

Thanks.

[TGTimm]

Whenever we open the manway (after every use), the gasket comes off for inspection and cleaning. If the gasket shows any wear (tearing, cracks, abrasion, etc), we replace it. I think our cycle is a couple of years, but it depends on usage.

We've recently started using the softer, better-sealing manway gaskets from brewerygaskets.com. We've only been using them for a few months, but we'll see how the lifespan compares to the standard gaskets. The softer ones do seal much easier, 'though.

[yap]

By "softer" do you mean the black EPDM ones or something else? I am replacing mine with black EPDM from brewerygaskets.com but my only option is EPDM based on the style that I am using...

[Bankbrewer]

We recently received some red ones from brewery gaskets dot com and they seem very nice. Soft and flexible and have been sealing very well so far.


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[TGTimm]

Scott--

The ones we bought from BG.com are still black, but a softer durometer rating. They don't seem to offer them for all brands.

[gasketman]

Lifespan

In general terms, how long of a life does everyone generally get out of their manway gaskets on a standard conical fermenter? I am starting to see gasket failures (leaks) on some of my tanks and since all are about the same age (4-5 years) I am ordering gaskets to replace them all. Just curious if this is a reasonable lifespan or not...

Thanks.

It is difficult to put an exact figure on the lifespan because there are so many variables involved, but I would guess that 3-4 years would be a good round figure. We recommend using EPDM just generally around the brewery for its overall properties - the color is less significant. Silicone is also a good choice assuming that the quality of the rubber is good. The one drawback to silicone is that the tear resistance is poor, so any little nick or cut will doom the gasket for sure. We also try to balance the hardness of the gasket with the feedback we get from the doors they go on. The fact is, some doors close more evenly then others and the ones that don't require a softer material. The drawback to the softer material is that you give up a bit of compression set (how much the rubber rebounds after every use), but what good is a gasket that doesn't seal the door? Not to make a short story long. I hope I answered your question...

Dwight Clark
brewerygaskets.com

[Bankbrewer]

To follow up on a previous comment the gaskets we got, one of them failed on the first use. Luckily did not leak but when I inspected it after use there was substantial cracking that render it unusable.


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[TGTimm]

We're at about 1 year on the black EDPM "soft" gaskets from Brewerygaskets.com--no problems yet.

[BrewinLou]

I have used Brewery gaskets .com for some time. The EPDMs last the longest in our applications. I would think every chemical, tank turnover, temperature change will vary the life of your manway gasks. We get around 4 years if they are treated nice. HLT gaskets go a lot faster.

[gasketman]

Bank

Be sure to contact us about this so we can see about getting this fixed. Even the custom gaskets like the ones you ordered should last longer than that.

To follow up on a previous comment the gaskets we got, one of them failed on the first use. Luckily did not leak but when I inspected it after use there was substantial cracking that render it unusable.


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