# When to recan?



## KatSchultz (Jul 7, 2013)

I assume that I screwed the lids too tightly? Or maybe they sealed before I got them going into the water bath?

However, canning pears today and a few of my lids buckled or warped UP. 

When I opened my canner after the it unlocked, all my jars were sitting in the middle, rather than in their respective inch apart from each other.

A few of them, the lids were warped and popped up.

Frankly, I am a little scared to take them out just yet I don't want them to break. I used a medium sauce (3 cups sugar, 6 cups water) to can them. When would it be safe to give them another BWB?


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## Vosey (Dec 8, 2012)

Bizarre! I wonder about defective lids, I'd think you'd have to have really, really tightened them to have them warp and buckle that much. 

You can definitely re-can them with new lids. I'm guessing you've pulled them out by now!


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## 7thswan (Nov 18, 2008)

I've had it happen but only slightly and they stayed securely sealed. Must be a batch of extra thin lids.


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## doingitmyself (Jul 30, 2013)

I agree its easy to tighten a bit too much, that's what it sounds like to me as well. Hope the rebatch works out better for you!!!


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## siletz (Oct 5, 2010)

KatSchultz said:


> When I opened my canner after the it unlocked, all my jars were sitting in the middle, rather than in their respective inch apart from each other.


You talk about waiting for the canner to unlock. Did you pressure can them? I would think that would make them too soft. What kind of results have you gotten?


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## KatSchultz (Jul 7, 2013)

siletz said:


> You talk about waiting for the canner to unlock. Did you pressure can them? I would think that would make them too soft. What kind of results have you gotten?


Actually, no, did not pressure. I am a bit new to this entire canning thing. But, I use my pressure canner as a BWB canner, too. And it always locks, or at least I cannot open it at all, until it has cooled somewhat. I suppose this could be because of built up pressure? Maybe I am doing it all wrong?? I don't use the weights or anything and followed the instruction manual - but now I am concerned that it is building pressure. If so, could this be harmful? (Not so much to my food, but to my stove/the canner/etc.)

If that ain't supposed to be happening, I am at a loss for what I should do about it.

(Sorry about late responses, for some reason I wasn't subscribed to this thread!)

We ended up just eating the few cans that this happened to.... Couldn't help it! I opened one and tried them and, well, my brain wouldn't stop my mouth. So we ate them!

The lids I used were the Wal-mart brand lids. And yeah, I was wondering if I hadn't tightened too much.


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## Kristinemomof3 (Sep 17, 2012)

Did you cover them completely with water? Walmart brand lids have been known to buckle.


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## 1shotwade (Jul 9, 2013)

The lids we got from walmart were deffective "made in China" junk. Mom just had to return them 'cause 5 out of 7 buckled up and actually bent. We went back to the lids from family dollar and havn't had a problem.


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## suitcase_sally (Mar 20, 2006)

The reason your jars were all bunched into the center of the pot, is because you used the _pressure canner_ and not a _water bath canner_, which has a rack that holds the jars apart. The jars are supposed to be held apart so the water will circulate all around the jar. When using the pressure canner as a water bath canner, the boiling water will make the jars migrate to the center. See if you can devise somthing to hold the jars apart.

Buckling lids are caused by overtightening. I've never had that happen, though, so it could be the Wal Mart lids.


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## KatSchultz (Jul 7, 2013)

Thanks all for the responses.

Yah, I am wondering if they are just cuz of being from wal-mart. I am far from a strong person so I don't know if I could make them too tight (tendonitis in the wrists). Mmm, but all the Ball and Kerr lids I've use never had this happen.

Sally, thanks for the info on the canner. I will see if I cannot find a way to keep them apart. Maybe find a good basket to set 'em in to. Do you think using a hand towel at the bottom of the canner would be a bad idea? I'd seen someone who used it in her pots to BWB. Not sure if that would be OK in a pressure canner tho?


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## siletz (Oct 5, 2010)

If I were to use a pressure canner to water bath, I would turn the lid upside down, or just lay it on top but not locked into place, or use a cookie sheet as a lid or some such thing. I think that would be a better option than actually tightening it down where it can build up pressure. Many of the things that we water bath can (like pears) can get rather mushy when canned under pressure.


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## Evons hubby (Oct 3, 2005)

Defective lids maybe... but most likely too much heat . not likely to happen with a water bath but if your pressure canner happened to "seal" you could have built pressure inside the jars buckling the lids as the canner cooled.


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## froebeli (Feb 14, 2012)

I bought the Walmart lids this year and had several of them buckle. Even had one blow off the jar, out from under the ring when I pressure canned. After that I used all the rest in boiling water bath only. They were cheaper than the ball lids, but I won't use them again.

I've been canning for over 30 years and that pressure canner blowout was a first for me.


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## The_rpp (Oct 19, 2013)

suitcase_sally said:


> The reason your jars were all bunched into the center of the pot, is because you used the _pressure canner_ and not a _water bath canner_, which has a rack that holds the jars apart. The jars are supposed to be held apart so the water will circulate all around the jar. When using the pressure canner as a water bath canner, the boiling water will make the jars migrate to the center. See if you can devise somthing to hold the jars apart.
> 
> Buckling lids are caused by overtightening. I've never had that happen, though, so it could be the Wal Mart lids.


I have never heard of jar moving just because a pressure canner was used. I have been using my pressure canner for a water bath canner for many, many years. The only time I have had jars move is when the jars have too much head space, making them tend to float.

My experience with Walmart lids is a failure rate that in the 10% - 40% range. This makes them worse than useless. For me, a failure rate of more than 1% is pretty bad.

Over-tightening lids may cause the lids to fail when the jars become over-pressurized from boiling. The point of a finger-tight lid is to allow gas to escape while boiling, then they seal when cooling, forming a partial vacuum that results in the lid pinging-in. If the lids are too tight, the hot steam cannot escape. The pressure has to go somewhere.

So, between over-tightening and sub-standard lids, your have a rash of failures.

Never buy Mainstay brand lids. Stick with Ball, Kerr or Tattler. (Note that Tattler lids has a different tightening procedure.)


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