That Seals It! Vacuum lid on bulk food can connected to a This Sucks! Vacuum pump
Why won’t my #10 can stay sealed?
Right out of the gates I feel a clarification is needed: That Seals It! vacuum lid (TSI) is not intended to provide ultra long-term storage. Our product solves the problem of how to conveniently access the food you’ve invested in while providing a means to re-seal and preserve that foods nutritional characteristics post opening. That said, we have realtime longevity testing underway with cans maintaining seals for 2+ years. This certainly doesn’t compete with the 20 years claim made by most freezer-dried food suppliers, but that has never been our goal.
Sometimes a can may unexpectedly loose its seal. Here’s a list of possible causes, followed by details and remedies:
Initial mating of sealing surfaces didn’t occur
The integrity of the can has been compromised
The coupler was not seated well into the recess of the lid prior to vacuuming
There are contaminants on the edge of the can or on the lid seals
The lid seals are not installed correctly
Insufficient vacuum applied
The lid or seals are defective
Initial Mating of Surfaces
When a lid is placed on a can there will inevitably be places that the can edge and lid seal don’t touch. Sometimes a slight bit of downward pressure on the lid when the vacuum begins may be needed to close those gaps and help initiate the seal.
Can Integrity
#10 cans (bulk food cans) are amazing in their construction! The cylindrical body has a welded joint and the ends are crimped onto the body, the result being an “air-tight” container. The material is usually tin-plated steel, and is susceptible to rust over time, if damaged. Metal can also be dented. The edge of the can that mates with the silicone seal in the lid needs to be free of any nicks and/or dents and the can should not have any signs of rust. The silicone seal is relatively soft and able to conform to most imperfections on the can edge.
Incorrect Connection of Coupler to Lid
The TSI vacuum hose assembly has a fitting on one end that connects to either the vacuum port on an electric bag sealer or onto a manually operated vacuum pump like This Sucks! The other end has a “coupler” which connects to the vacuum lid. The vacuum lid has a silicone “ball seal” positioned in the center of the lid. There is a critical interaction between the coupler and ball seal. When vacuum is applied the ball seal unseats from the lid, allowing air to be pulled from the can. The coupler is designed to restrict how far the ball seal lifts. For proper operation of the ball seal, the coupler needs to be pressed firmly into the recess of the lid. If the couple is not inserted far enough, the ball seal will be allowed to lift too far and the bottom of the seal will block the hole in the lid, preventing airflow. The result is a very shallow seal, one that will fail quickly.
Contaminants on the Cans Edge
A desired condition for creating a reliable seal is for all sealing surfaces to be free of foreign matter. So, the can edge and silicone seal should both be clean. The ball seal and the edge of the hole in the lid should also be clean. This is typically not an issue unless the product being sealed is powdery in nature, like dried milk or flour. Just a quick wipe with a damp cloth is all that’s needed.
Incorrectly Installed Lid Seals
Occasionally, you may choose to remove the seals to be cleaned. This is totally OK. Side note: the TSI lid can be placed in the dishwasher (top rack recommended) with the seals installed. The ball seal has a T-shaped bottom end that serves as a retention feature, helping keep the seal from falling out of the lid. To reinstall the large lid seal, position it on the lid over the groove. To ensure an even installation, follow a 12:00, 3:00, 6:00 and 9:00 approach by pressing a section of the seal into the groove at each point. Then press in the remainding sections of the seal. Finally, run a finger around the seal to ensure it is seated all the way around. The ball seal is correctly oriented when the ball is at the bottom of the lid recess on the top side of the lid.
Insufficient Vacuum Applied
The problem might simply be that the vacuum period was too short. If you are using a manual vacuum pump, try to get the deepest vacuum seal possible. A shallow seal can be achieved with just a few pumps, but that seal will likely fail relatively quickly. A deeper seal is achieved when you pump until it is difficult to remove more air, often 20+ pumps. You can visually check by watching the action of the ball seal as the pump is worked. If you are using an electric vacuum pump, you will notice that the sound of the pump changes as a deep vacuum is being reached. The pump will sound will gradually becoming higher as it pulls more air from the chamber. Most counter-top sealers have an auto shut-off feature.
Defective Lid, Seals, or Can
It is very rare for the seals to be defective. Problems with the lid is also rare but it has happened. A surefire method for isolating a leak is by submersion in water. The process for testing the large seal is to take an empty but pressurized can and submerge it, keeping the can with the lid upwards, in water just above the large seal. If that seal is leaking, water will be pulled into the can. The process for testing the ball seal also uses water but you don’t have to submerge the can. Just pressurize a can and fill the recess in the lid with water. If you see water droplets forming next to the ball seal inside the can, then there’s a problem. In either scenario, if water is getting in the can there’s a problem with a seal, lid or can. Next steps would be to inspect the integrity of the can edge. If it looks good then swap in different seals. If the problem persists then the culprit must be the lid. Reach out to Customer Service and they’ll get you taken care of.
Vacuum Source Options: Electric or Manual pump (clear containers are no longer available)