# Lid failure



## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

I know we discussed this before but several others had reported lid failures when they used the lids that come with jars from the factory. Well, I did some canning less than a month ago and used only 1 lid from the factory jars. I didn't mark which jar it was, should have. Just found a jar of sweet potatoes with the lid popped. Some of the sweet potato had got under the seal and while it sealed originally it didn't hold. No use crying over popped seals but you can be sure I'll never use another lid from the factory case again.


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## Wendy (May 10, 2002)

I've never had that problem. Why would those lids be any different than the ones you buy in a box?


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## hippygirl (Apr 3, 2010)

Were the jars/lids those from WM? I bought a case of the 4oz jars for putting up candied jalapenos (not the jelly jars, but those that look like tiny mason jars) and the lids that came with them seemed VERY thin/flimsy to me...tossed them and used Golden Harvest lids with no problems.


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## Homesteader (Jul 13, 2002)

I bought a bunch of mason jars and had them shipped to me when KMart had their "sale" a year or so ago.

I threw out every single lid. They had been stored in hot conditions obviously. Now it used to be, you bought a case of masons and the lids came NOT attached to the jars. The ones I got, the lids and bands were on the jars. After being trucked/stored in hot temps, some of the jars had *actually sealed.
*
I inspected them very very closely, and there was the deep indentation like you see after actually canning.

Now, I am one that does not re-use lids, ever. These lids are so flimsy, the rubber part I mean. I can't afford to lose the food I buy/produce so I don't take any chances.

After investing in the Tattlers, which I love and have never had a seal come undone after the fact, I will be moving over entirely to them. A big shout out thank you to Wendy too, for reporting her success with Tattlers.


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## ct01r (Jan 21, 2014)

I don't know if I'm the only one that does this, but I throw out all the lids that come with the jars. A few years ago I had several cases of new jars out in my "usually unheated" shop. As the kerosene heaters brought the temperature up, I could hear the lids popping as the jars/cases warmed up. I'm not talking about an occasional pop, but a continous popping for a few days. I didn't want to spend all that time canning, only to have most of the lids not seal. Curt


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## BlackFeather (Jun 17, 2014)

Never had a problem with lids that came with jars even if they were slightly sealed. I even reuse the lids that I oven can with since they are never under much pressure. Temperature they are shipped in should make no difference since I'm sure the delivery truck doesn't get up to 240 degrees like a canner would.


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## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

No, not from Wal-Mart. And it did have the indentation like a used lid. Yes, the lid was hard to get off the new jar. Opened another jar from the same batch canned this morning and had to pry it off. All factors pointing to the lid being defective because of the manufacturing and packaging process. And yes, I have heard those lids popping from sealing and unsealing while on new jars in storage. Not good. Next time I'll use those lids for dry goods storage ONLY!


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## Wendy (May 10, 2002)

Maybe you or all of us should write the manufacturer & let them know this is a problem. They could go back to putting a thin piece of cardboard between the lids & jars.


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## Homesteader (Jul 13, 2002)

BlackFeather said:


> Never had a problem with lids that came with jars even if they were slightly sealed. I even reuse the lids that I oven can with since they are never under much pressure. Temperature they are shipped in should make no difference since I'm sure the delivery truck doesn't get up to 240 degrees like a canner would.


Good point, however, they do seal at boiling water temp., (when you water bath can), and I guarantee you in my neck of the woods, they can be stored/trucked in/at temps that exceed 120F air temp. I'm not sure how hot those box trucks get when closed up and the air temp is that high, but I know how hot my car is!

They don't refrigerate this type of item, and those trucks get HOT here. Hee hee, just unloading them into a warehouse, the boxes will get hotter than that here in the summer. 

It's a dry heat.........we all love that line here! (post drift here)...one of my fav hand drawn cartoons depicted a tourist couple, visiting Las Vegas. They were sitting on a bench, with the various hotel/casinos in the background.

It was obviously summer, they had on shorts and beach hats, and the husband is saying "But it's a dry heat Martha.....". They were both skeletons.

 We don't live in Las Vegas, but our heat is the same!


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## WhoMe (Jan 5, 2015)

Water boils at 212 at sea level and at lower temps the higher above sea level, depending on atmospheric pressure. Just sayin


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## Homesteader (Jul 13, 2002)

Who Me, yes, it does. And I can't recall the highest temp in my car during the summer, but it's HOT. Something sealed those lids onto my jars and it wasn't cold!


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## RedDirt Cowgirl (Sep 21, 2010)

Set a new box of 1 pint wide mouth Ball jars next to the woodstove and over the next couple days there was that "poinking" sound of lids sealing. Must have been the air expanding/contracting, but I bet temperature extremes could thin down the sealing stuff to failure point. That's the measure for the smaller amount used these days it seems...Beta testing for food safety?


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