# What happens when 2 - 3 inches of water cover my jars?



## GBov (May 4, 2008)

Just wondering as when I put in 3 inches of water to my canner it covered my pint jars.

Does one just reduce to 2 inches or does it matter if the jars are covered or not?


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## suitcase_sally (Mar 20, 2006)

It won't hurt anything. I'm wondering though, how tall are your jars? 2-3 inches shouldn't cover them.

Read your manual - you should only need 2 qts of water and that won't amount to 2-3 inches deep.


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## arrocks (Oct 26, 2011)

I agree that in my experience 3" wouldn't cover my pint jars. It would just be up about shoulder level on pints. It will cover 1/2 pints though and doesn't hurt anything.

This is pressure canner I assume, not BWB canner? In the pressure canner you always want to start with the correct amount of water that will be needed for the processing time. That is regardless of whether it covers the jars or not. But you do not want excessive amounts of water in the canner as that can affect the pressure so be accurate and measure if necessary.

Instructions for the amount to start with vary slightly. Some call for 3 qts., some for 3 inches. The current guidelines state 


> If the amount of water is not specified with a given food, use enough water so it is 2 to 3 inches high in the canner. Longer processes required more water. Some specific products (for example, smoked fish) require that you start with even more water in the canner. Always follow the directions with USDA processes for specific foods if they require more water be added to the canner.


How to Use A Pressure canner - http://nchfp.uga.edu/publications/uga/using_press_canners.html

So if it is a short processing time you could reduce it to 2" but 3" isn't going to hurt anything even ifit does cover the jars slightly.


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