Blue barrel gasket replacement?

[Steve in Idaho]

Checking my gear for upcoming trips, I noticed the gasket in one of my 30l barrels is getting little checks in it. I see a leak is immanent. Anybody know a source for replacement gaskets? Or am I going to have to fabricate something?

 

[Guest]

Checking my gear for upcoming trips, I noticed the gasket in one of my 30l barrels is getting little checks in it. I see a leak is immanent. Anybody know a source for replacement gaskets? Or am I going to have to fabricate something?

We fixed a leaky 30L barrel last fall that needed a replacement gasket by using the gasket from a 5 gallon screw top pail lid. I have a lot of those from laboratory use. One of these lids.

PC290273 by Mike McCrea, on Flickr

We had to try a couple of different lids ISO a useable gasket, there was different gasket thickness and material in different bucket lids.

PC290274 by Mike McCrea, on Flickr

We found a thin stretchy O ring gasket that worked best. Not as a replacement, but simply laid overtop the old worn gasket.

Without a screwtop bucket to sacrifice a skinny O ring type gasket, especially if a little stretchy, might be all you need.

That 30L barrel poured water out in a leak test. With the skinny O ring inserted and the barrel half full of water and upside down, not a drop.

PC290272 by Mike McCrea, on Flickr

 

[Steve in Idaho]

Thanks, Mike! That reminds me - I have a couple of those buckets! I need to go look and see if one of those gaskets will work.

 

[Guest]

I have a couple of those buckets! I need to go look and see if one of those gaskets will work.

Steve, it did not take a lot of secondary O ring gasket thickness to waterproofily seal that barrel. It was a Goldilocks experiment, this one is too thick to close the ring easily, this one is too thin and the barrel still leaks. This one is juuust right.

Maybe leak test the barrel before and after.

I do not know if hardware stores sell O rings gaskets in that diameter, or lengths of DIY gasket material. In a pinch screen window spline might work.