DougB wrote:
Some lids dont match up good. I've used the wrong lid on a barrel and had it leak. Now I test them before trips by filling the barrel with water and seeing if any leaks out with the lid sealed.
A couple years ago I decided to leak test all of our hardsided “waterproof” containers and did much the same experiment, filling them half way up with water and turning them upside down. The results:
Our 2.5 and 5 gallon buckets with screw top gasketed lids all leaked. Every one of them. Originally used to store laboratory salts, now relegated to household bucket and pail use. Like these:
https://www.uline.com/Product/Detail/S- ... lsrc=aw.dsCur-tec wide neck drums in various sizes. Every single one was bone dry. I really like those containers, nice packing shape and the 3 gallon (_) Cur-tec somehow looks smaller than a 2.5 gallon \_/ pail. These:
https://www.curtec.com/en/products/drum ... neck-drumsPelican boxes (actually Mil-spec boxes made by Pelican). Not a drop. These
https://colemans.com/shop/containers/im ... orage-box/And finally, blue barrels, all bought used.
The 60L barrel was watertight.
The 30L barrel leaked a little. After some trial and error we discovered that the gasket in the lid had been compressed to the point that it no longer provided a good seal. One new gasket later and it was bone dry*
The 45L barrel was actually the container that started the whole experiment. I had always been suspicious about how easy it was to close the locking ring on that barrel. Where the rings on the other barrels required some force I could literally snap that ring closed with one finger. It also did not whoosh air after elevation changes.
Filled the 45L barrel half way, turned upside down and it didn’t leak; water simply poured out. New gasket didn’t help. Doubling up on gaskets didn’t help. A new locking ring, which cost as much as the used barrel, did the trick.
That locking ring had always been too easy to close and I suspect it was not the correct size for that barrel.
*The replacement gasket on the 30L barrel was from one of the retired 5 gallon screw top pails. It was thin, and it fit perfectly, but only worked when laid atop the original gasket that came in the barrel lid.
BTW, I have since heard this trick but never tried it. If the locking ring seems overly easy to snap closed it may be fixable buy taking a pair of pliers and carefully compressing the edge of the ring down closer together.
EDIT: What the hell, I have a new locking ring that is proven to work and saved the one that didn’t.
I took a pair of channel lock pliers and worked my way around the ring squeezing it tighter. The lever now required as much force as the other barrel rings to close and it snapped tight instead of flopping over easily. Looking good so far.
I put a couple gallons of water in the barrel. And didn’t even get it fully inverted before water began to pour out. That’s a fail. YMMV