Common Gasket Failures and How to Avoid Them
Ever been delayed, set-back or totally stuffed-up by a gasket problem in your business? Or are you concerned about this happening and want to minimise the odds of it?
Both are great reasons to be reading this blog. Gasket problems are often easily preventable, and yet when they do occur, they can cause a huge ripple effect, causing hold-ups to your entire business.
So, keep on reading to find out about the most common gasket problems and how to avoid them!
Failing to prepare the surface
Most of us should know that, when replacing a gasket, you can’t just slap it in there and hope for the best. There’s surface preparation to be done first. Clean both surfaces of the mating sides before you install the gasket. This gets rid of any dirt or debris that’s been left over from the last gasket, ensuring your new gasket fits like a glove and doesn’t have any excess strain being put on it.
We should never use a razor blade or anything that could scratch the surface when replacing a gasket, as this could provide a channel for fluid to leak down, rendering your entire machine useless. For most pieces of equipment, we recommend a brush or scraper made of simple plastic or nylon, or maybe some chemical cleaner if appropriate – just check the manufacturer’s recommendations.
Using the wrong amount of gasket sealant
Using a gasket sealant is great, but only if you get the amount just right. Using too much or too little gasket sealant is a common problem and, sadly, it has dire effects on your machinery. Too much gasket sealant and it can clog other parts of your machinery, while too little may lead to an inefficient seal, leading to leaks.
This process can take practice, which is why it’s actually good to have an old, decommissioned machine on which to practice before applying it to your machinery that costs thousands and thousands of dollars.
Using poor quality gaskets
‘But they were cheaper!’ you say as your equipment starts gushing out fluid. Low quality gaskets are cheap, but that’s because they’re often made of cheap materials. Cheap stuff like styrene-butadiene rubber, instead of genuine rubber, isn’t suitable for proper heavy-duty applications involving oils and chemicals. There are cheap alternatives for almost every type of gasket, and we certainly don’t recommend using them!
Common gasket problems can be costly, but now you know how to avoid them. Steamline Engineering is your local home for top-quality gaskets for a range of applications. We stock a range of premium-grade gaskets from excellent manufacturers like Carrera and Firefly, providing metallic, rubber, PTFE, graphite gaskets and more. Supplying various gaskets from various materials, Steamline are also Australia’s leading team for other industrial equipment like thermal tapes and seals, welding blankets and valve packing materials.