Why Quality Is Important for the Longevity of Gaskets
With most things that are manmade, their quality tends to be reflected in their longevity. That’s why you’ll see plenty of 30-year-old Toyota Corollas on the road, still putting along like they just rolled off the production line: they’re famous for being a well-engineered car. On the other hand, you don’t see too many Ford Pintos on the road – car enthusiasts will know about the abysmal safety standards and poor reliability of the early ‘70s Pinto.
Gaskets are more or less the same. No, you won’t be driving them around when suddenly the engine randomly catches on fire – thankfully, gaskets can’t be driven. However, the quality of the gasket does influence how long a life it lives, and how long it’ll be able to continuously perform its job. Here’s a few reasons why quality is what you need to aim for when selecting durable gaskets.
Gaskets have a tough job
You wouldn’t want to spend even one day doing the kind of work your gaskets do. They have to withstand high temperatures, constant environmental fluctuations and high levels of pressure on a daily basis… in other words, they get a workout over the period of their lives. A low quality gasket is more likely to crack under this pressure, yielding to the high temperatures and breaking because of this.
Gaskets have to fit perfectly
Low quality gaskets are renowned for not quite fitting, or losing shape over time, even if they’re to your exact measurements when you buy them. If the gasket doesn’t fit correctly, you could risk damage to your machinery. So, the quality of your gaskets isn’t just important for the longevity of the gaskets themselves, but the longevity of your equipment as a whole.
Material quality
Cheap gaskets tend to use poorer quality materials that don’t offer longevity. Unlike heavy duty materials like graphite and PTFE, these cheaper materials can’t withstand the pressure or temperature changes, leading to bending or warping in your gasket.
Quality brands last longer
Just like how Toyota is a quality manufacturer of vehicles, some brands, let’s pick the 1970s, Soviet-built ‘Lada’ as an example, have reputations as total lemons. Steamline Engineering choose quality gasket brands like Carrara and Firefly so that you can be sure your gaskets will last as long as you need them to.
Steamline Engineering are Australia’s best team of industrial equipment experts. Stocking a range of quality gaskets that are made for longevity such as Carrara and Firefly gaskets, Steamline offer the best products at competitive prices. Be sure to check out the range of other industrial products like thermal seals, valve packing materials and welding blankets, available for shipping Australia-wide.