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Gasket Discussion, Comparison PTFE vs Viton vs Polysteel vs Solid PTFE or Envelope ?

cyphaman

Member
Hi all, Ive been hearing quite confusing information regarding which Gaskets seem to be most effective in CLS's? I am trying to decide which to go with myself and would love to hear what others have to say or have experienced themselves.

Buna: just seems to be not FDA approved in any sense and likely not ideal? I know some use these.

Viton : Recently, Horatio D brought up the notion that Viton was easily leaching a black, distinct smelling residue when wiped with limonene and Alcohol I believe as well. But these are also widely used and so I'm sure there's lots of people who can weigh in on them, also is White Viton as prone to leaching?

PTFE: Super clean, great temp resistance, don't require heavy torque to seal, but so they hold up to regular use and if not, how often do they need to be replaced?

* SPX high pressure bolted clamps say that PTFE is NOT recommended and to consider Solid PTFE or Envelope Gaskets. Does anyone know why this is? Simply due to wear and tear or something more significant?

Solid PTFE : Dont know anything haven't found any of these

PTFE Envelope Gaskets: I see some have gone this route, and I am curious once the gasket is sealed whatever the center is made of (Viton Buna etc) this is no longer exposed and therefor won't come into contact with the solvent/solution or it will? Then you're dealing with 2 materials lol.

TUFF or Polysteel: these are PTFE and 316L stainless steel. Seems like 50lbs of torque is a lot, but is this the only down side to these? I also hear they can leak is not sealed at the correct temperature?

These seem to be uncommonly used so I haven't heard much other than that. I don't think These are ridiculous in cost if they are more of a one time purchase, maybe not just once but....Durability and longevity is key!


:tiphat:

Cheers
 

BrainChild

Member
Whats up cypha I've been meaning to holler atcha~

I noticed that my viton gaskets when cleaned with iso did give off a black smudge. They also have that bicycle tire smell especially when brand new. When cleaned thoroughly this seemed to stop, but I'm not confident that there isn't any leaching. Perhaps this is from the terpenes or other chemical constituents rather than the solvents? I hadn't heard of white viton, hmmm

From wiki: "Viton is generally compatible with hydrocarbons, but incompatible with ketones such as acetone, and organic acids such as acetic acid."


I've put PTFE gaskets into my system and have been happy with them so far. I could see how they wouldn't stand up to as much grief as viton, but for me...it is an easy an obvious choice. I do wonder how often they will need replaced though. My system won't go through as much use as a lot of others here, I could see it being a pain to constantly replace gaskets. They enveloped gaskets seem cool to me, maybe they have the flexibility of viton but the resistance of PTFE.
 

Hydrosun

I love my life
Veteran
Great thread. I'll add what I know here.... edits to come.

PTFE: White round and fit a triclamp ferrel (sp). Super awesome. Don't know when to replace. Haven't used bigger than 3" and use high pressure clamps personally.

:Joint:
"I like Beer" Tom T. Hall 1975
 

cerkilr

Member
hello all,

I am new here, just wanted to thank you guys for bringing this up. I am in the process of putting together my system. just the info i needed.
 

Chonkski

Member
PTFE: Super awesome. Don't know when to replace. Haven't used bigger than 3" and use high pressure clamps personally

Agreed. And I haven't either. But I do have two 10" ptfe gaskets that I've been anxious to try out.

Does anyone else use all PTFE? Any cons?
 

Roji

Active member
Agreed. And I haven't either. But I do have two 10" ptfe gaskets that I've been anxious to try out.

Does anyone else use all PTFE? Any cons?


I am in transition to purge all viton from my system. The worst part is ptfe screen gaskets costing over 100 dollars each. To mitigate that cost I have designed a rebuildable ss304 filter pack that only uses ptfe and stainless mesh. It could be done with 2"x1.5" endcap to ferule reducers.

The other problem with ptfe gaskets is the cold flow (no memory after being squished) but I was directed to check out ptfe envelope gaskets and am very glad I did. They wrap standard gasket material (viton/epdm) in ptfe so the core has memory but doesnt touch the inside of the joint. Only the ptfe does. I've also picked up some Tuf-steel gaskets (PTFE mixed with stainless steel). Gonna try them out.
I've been told that soaking the older solid ptfe gaskets in boiling water brings them back to life after they stop sealing properly. I have not tried it yet though.

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montroller

Member
I have been having a pretty tough time with gaskets lately. It seems like I have to buy 2 or 3 gaskets just to get one that has a perfect seal. PTFE has been the worst for this.

At first I was concerned about the black smudges when I was cleaning my Viton but they have great compatibility with all of the hydrocarbons it would see in regular use. Now I am just looking for a better method to clean them in between runs.
 

Roji

Active member
I have been having a pretty tough time with gaskets lately. It seems like I have to buy 2 or 3 gaskets just to get one that has a perfect seal. PTFE has been the worst for this.

At first I was concerned about the black smudges when I was cleaning my Viton but they have great compatibility with all of the hydrocarbons it would see in regular use. Now I am just looking for a better method to clean them in between runs.

Compatability or it being "resistant" just isn't good enough for med production imho. Viton degrades with use. That's something we are all seeing and it should bother us. Medicinal users deserve cleanest possible meds. Heck, any user deserves it.
 

krunchbubble

Dear Haters, I Have So Much More For You To Be Mad
Veteran
Ironfistextractors and those type of guys are using the envelope type of gaskets...
 

Sunfire

Active member
Veteran
Do the envelope gaskets seal easier than straight ptfe? Because the core is a little squishy I feel like they might seal better. This is the only reason I'm still using viton because I'm scared of a leak and I don't want to pressure test the system after each and every run.

I feel like the black shit coming off the viton decreases with each cleaning but iso is different that r600
 

pusbag

Member
Have used mainly Vito with no issues other than black residue when cleaning them. I tried to use a 10inch ptfe gasket but could never get it to seal so went back to viton. My 2 cents.
 

Roji

Active member
My viton gaskets are from kingstone and from Terpp who might have got them from kingstone.
Part of what bothers me about these gaskets is the strong odor of cinnamon that gets worse with use. I thought it was from chemical degradation and when I googled "viton cinnamon odor" this popped up
Cinnamon Scented Viton® Rubber
Description: Cinnamon scented Viton Rubber retains all the same characteristics as the commercial grade Viton rubber. It is resistant to most harsh chemicals and temperature extremes. The Viton Rubber also has an amazing resistance to compression and with a 1000% tensile strength, makes it a very suitable material for rigorous applications.

Application: The Viton Rubber with Cinnamon scent is mostly used in indoor applications. Ventilation systems, air exhaust, clean rooms, laboratory rubber, low humidity rooms and most any type of high end airflow environment where a smell of typical synthetic rubber would overpower the room.
 

Sunfire

Active member
Veteran
Call brewery gaskets in Las vegas. Talk to dwight. He's the owner, he'll sort you out mate! I think the actual company name is jet gasket and seal co.

He sources gaskets from different suppliers and seems to strive for the best. I talked to him for 45 minutes on the phone one day. Cool guy. Their prices are good too, especially for screen gaskets.

Chinese gaskets don't fucking fit right! The screen gaskets from dwight fit better. The 150 mesh is from cali and seems to be a little better in quality than what glacier sells but they fir much better. Havnt tried the 120 mesh ones he sent me yet, they are made in Vietnam I think?
 
Roji that filter stack is great. It cost me about 1200 just in gaskets to upgrade my whole system from viton to ptfe and tuf steel. Mostly do to the ptfe screen gaskets in fine mesh. So that is a welcome trick! Thanks!

Interesting to see that cinnamon scented viton, I saw some at my welder a shop a while back and was a a bit weirded out but never saw them again. What's up with keeping them at least 6' from electric motors? Anybody know what's up with that? Got some envelopes on the way, it's pretty damn hard to seal the 12" PTFE/tuf steel so hopefully these envelopes work out.

It helps to keep the solid ptfe gaskets on just one union and not to move it to another once you have started the cold flow

Rubberfab gaskets have been high quality and reliable in my experience.
 

Humpi

Member
hey roji.

what kind of gasket is that smaller second one? and you just sandwich that between that reducer and the stainless steel filter?

thanks!
 

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