Fermenter gasket/seals?

[Sulfur]

Hi, I currently am resupplying my spare parts to prepare for the inevitable maintenance upkeeps in the brewery. Can anyone recommend a good supplier of spare gaskets/seals for fermenters? These are Dutch built i.e. European and use the kind of seals that are standard at least in Germany (orange rubber/oval shaped for the manway.) I can order them from there but they cost me over 50$ per seal and that's without shipping. Any good old dollar sources/prices? Much obliged.

[beertje46]

Manway Gasket (http://www.probrewer.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=3373&highlight=manway+gaskets) thread.

[Sulfur]

I saw this but overlooked the link. Tks

[banjo]

You can find a list of companies that provide gaskets at Probrewer.com Supplier Database (http://www.probrewer.com/probrewer/marketguide/mgsupsearch.php3?prodcat=2&prodscat=70)

[Sulfur]

Anyone have any stories against using simple food grade rubber seals? These would be for my lagering tanks and therefore not need to be high temp resistant. There are other materials out there such as silicon and BUNA N.

[gasketman]

Food Grade is typically a term reserved for items that only come into contact with food & beverage products on a very limited basis - otherwise known as incidental contact. To be sure that you are using a seal or gasket that is appropriate, the compound should be at least an FDA approved material. Whether it is Buna, Silicone or even EPDM is strictly a matter of temperature and chemical tolerance.

[gasketman]

Here is a link to my rubber compatibility page. I am working on adding additional information to it that is pertinent to the brewing industry.
http://www.brewerygaskets.com/sealing_compatibility.htm

[Sulfur]

I contacted the manufacturer (Zimmerlin (http://www.zimmerlin.de/index_en.html)), and they told me their standard seal for lagering applications is made of natural rubber so that's what I'm going to order. Also tks GM for your web site.

[gasketman]

Natural Rubber seems to be a popular choice from the European door makers, the only reason of which I can figure is price. It has reasonable properties for the processes used in beer making, but it is only rated to about 160F, and long term durability is questionable. However, I would love to have one of your old gaskets as a reference. If you could drop my a line after you replace them, I would be happy to pay the shipping. dwight@brewerygaskets.com. Thanks!