How to repair plastic seal for liquids used in human consumption?
Robert Macy
I have a Hamilton Beach Brew Station Deluxe coffee machine. Great
machine, but after 2 years heavy use, it has started to leak. The
coffee pot is made with two pieces - bottom plate was inserted.
There in lies the problem. Multiple heating and cooling cycles have
cracked open this bottom seal causing the coffe to leak down inside,
then out onto the counter top.
What is the best way to reseal this junction, but preserve the
requirement that the liquid in contact will be consumed by humans?
Can food be placed in contact if I use superglue? Doubt it, but need
confirmation.
How about acetone to rejoin the plastic?
Anybody know the plastic used and the best way to reseal?
hr(bob) hofmann@att.net
Buy a new pot on ebay or from the manufacturer.
William Sommerwerck
> the requirement that the liquid in contact will be consumed
> by humans?
Silicone adhesives, as far as I know, are not particularly toxic in the
first place, and I doubt a properly cured bond would leach.
> Can food be placed in contact if I use superglue? Doubt it, but need
> confirmation.
Superglue isn't stable. It can be weakened simply by contact with water.
I'm inclined to agree with the poster who suggested buying a new pot.
Robert Macy
whit3rd
> Apologies for being slightly OT, but you people know a lot.
>
> I have a Hamilton Beach Brew Station Deluxe coffee machine. Great
> machine, but after 2 years heavy use, it has started to leak. The
> coffee pot is made with two pieces - bottom plate was inserted.
>
> There in lies the problem. Multiple heating and cooling cycles have
> cracked open this bottom seal causing the coffe to leak down inside,
> then out onto the counter top.
>
> What is the best way to reseal this junction, but preserve the
> requirement that the liquid in contact will be consumed by humans?
This coffeemaker has a nonreplaceable 'pot' as part of its stationary
assembly.
The short answer: your crack has coffee residue inside it, only
complete
disassembly and cleaning to prep it for cementing will work. The kind
of
cement that works best, depends on the (unknown) formula of the
original
plastic. The manufacturer didn't find a reliable enough glue.
Maybe RTV silicone would work; you have to ensure it wets the plastic,
and assemble with no voids. There may be some tiny amount of catalyst
(toxic) in the mix, but only a small amount of the 'skin' of the glue
joint will be
exposed to the liquid, so it'd be a microgram quantity... I'd rinse a
few times before using, but not worry otherwise. Heck, copper is
'toxic'
but all my piping is made of it.
Rich Webb
Short answer: GFGI
Medium answer: A search of "food grade adhesive" turns up some likely
candidates. This looks promising:
<http://www.emisupply.com/catalog/su5005-food-grade-silicone-hitemp-103oz-cartridge-p-2284.html>
--
Rich Webb Norfolk, VA
isw
Rich Webb <bbe...@mapson.nozirev.ten> wrote:
> On Sun, 11 Apr 2010 10:45:28 -0700 (PDT), Robert Macy
> <ma...@california.com> wrote:
>
> >On Apr 11, 4:13 am, "William Sommerwerck" <grizzledgee...@comcast.net>
> >wrote:
> >> > What is the best way to reseal this junction, but preserve
> >> > the requirement that the liquid in contact will be consumed
> >> > by humans?
> >>
> >> Silicone adhesives, as far as I know, are not particularly toxic in the
> >> first place, and I doubt a properly cured bond would leach.
> >>
> >> > Can food be placed in contact if I use superglue? Doubt it, but need
> >> > confirmation.
> >>
> >> Superglue isn't stable. It can be weakened simply by contact with water.
> >>
> >> I'm inclined to agree with the poster who suggested buying a new pot.
> >
> >not an option
>
> Short answer: GFGI
Go to a pet store and get a tube of aquarium seal. It's a silicone
adhesive (which of itself is totally nontoxic), plus whatever is used
for a catalyst won't harm fish, even after very long exposure in
non-changing water. If it won't hurt them, it sure won't hurt you.
Clean all the surfaces with something like a "green scrubber", and apply
the silicone as a decent-thickness fillet. You can smooth the stuff with
a finger wetted with mineral spirits (which will evaporate by the time
the silicone is cured).
Isaac
bz
news:isw-5DD6AD.00274012042010@[216.168.3.50]:
> In article <43g4s51k1pd9f746c...@4ax.com>,
> Rich Webb <bbe...@mapson.nozirev.ten> wrote:
>
>> On Sun, 11 Apr 2010 10:45:28 -0700 (PDT), Robert Macy
>> <ma...@california.com> wrote:
>>
>> >On Apr 11, 4:13 am, "William Sommerwerck" <grizzledgee...@comcast.net>
>> >wrote:
>> >> > What is the best way to reseal this junction, but preserve
>> >> > the requirement that the liquid in contact will be consumed
>> >> > by humans?
>> >>
>> >> Silicone adhesives, as far as I know, are not particularly toxic in
>> >> the first place, and I doubt a properly cured bond would leach.
>> >>
>> >> > Can food be placed in contact if I use superglue? Doubt it, but
>> >> > need confirmation.
....
>
> Go to a pet store and get a tube of aquarium seal. It's a silicone
> adhesive (which of itself is totally nontoxic), plus whatever is used
> for a catalyst won't harm fish, even after very long exposure in
> non-changing water. If it won't hurt them, it sure won't hurt you.
>
> Clean all the surfaces with something like a "green scrubber", and apply
> the silicone as a decent-thickness fillet. You can smooth the stuff with
> a finger wetted with mineral spirits (which will evaporate by the time
> the silicone is cured).
>
> Isaac
In an aquarium, the sealant is not in contact with hot (near boiling)
water.
I would not rely on 'safe at room temperature' as an indication of 'safe at
elevated temperatures' and would distrust any company that did so without
extensive testing.
--
bz 73 de N5BZ k
please pardon my infinite ignorance, the set-of-things-I-do-not-know is an
infinite set.
William Sommerwerck
> indication of "safe at elevated temperatures" and would
> distrust any company that did so without extensive testing.
Then call GE ("We bring goo things to life") and ask.
(Forgive me for trying to be clever, but if you don't get /that/ one...)
Robert Macy
wrote:
what did we do to deserve this PUNishment?
Robert Macy
>
> --
> Rich Webb Norfolk, VA
2nd attempt at replying...
Thanks! this looks exactly right. works up to 200C, costs like $4.25
per tube
only caveat may be that the adhesive won't stick to this plastic. But
might still work as a 'filler' type gasket.
bz
e6fb76...@j21g2000yqh.googlegroups.com:
sounds like a new flavor (the pun-ish mint)
Michael A. Terrell
Anyone working in electronics deserves lots of PUNishment.
--
Lead free solder is Belgium's version of 'Hold my beer and watch this!'
isw
bz <bz+...@ch100-5.chem.lsu.edu> wrote:
You can rely on the known characteristics of silicone rubber.
Isaac
PeterD
I have some goo that I brougt to life once. Devoured an entire town of
200 people before I could get it stopped... <bseg>
I think the OP needs to realize that there is no solution to his
problem--he needs either to replace it or give up, there is likely no
suitable repair method that will make even a semi-pernament repair,
likely anything he does will fail in a few uses.
And as you say, something safe at room temperature sure as shooting is
likely to fail on all counts, including toxic byproducts, when heated!
PeterD
<bz+...@ch100-5.chem.lsu.edu> wrote:
>Robert Macy <ma...@california.com> wrote in news:cd57f5e4-cc4c-43c5-bdab-
>e6fb76...@j21g2000yqh.googlegroups.com:
>
>> On Apr 12, 8:13 am, "William Sommerwerck" <grizzledgee...@comcast.net>
>> wrote:
>>> > I would not rely on "safe at room temperature" as an
>>> > indication of "safe at elevated temperatures" and would
>>> > distrust any company that did so without extensive testing.
>>>
>>> Then call GE ("We bring goo things to life") and ask.
>>>
>>> (Forgive me for trying to be clever, but if you don't get /that/ one...)
>>
>> what did we do to deserve this PUNishment?
>
>sounds like a new flavor (the pun-ish mint)
<groan>
William Sommerwerck
> sure as shooting is likely to fail on all counts, including
> toxic byproducts, when heated!
I'm not sure about that. Silicones are highly stable, and the boiling point
of water is hardly a high temperature. Many carbon-based organic compounds
are stable at those temperatures. (Boiling pasta, for example, doesn't cause
it to disintegrate.)
bz
news:hq1nto$drs$1...@news.eternal-september.org:
but boiling pasta DOES 'denature' the chemicals making up the uncooked
pasta.
Cooked food is definitely different chemically from uncooked food.
--
bz
Robert Macy
> On Mon, 12 Apr 2010 08:13:55 -0700, "William Sommerwerck"
>
I just don't belong to the the "throw away" philosophy group. Or, the
'if it doesn't work right, buy something different" group. What
amazes me is that last group never asks for a refund for the first
purchase, but is willing to just continually throw money at a problem.
You're talking to a guy that spent three hours to fix an $8 hair
dryer, which went on to work for longer than it did before the first
breakdown.
back to the coffe pot: no reason to trash all when a simple seal
around the bottom will suffice.
and Rich Webb's suggestion of using that Silicone Unlimited SU5005 RTV
adhesive, FDA approved, good to 200C, costs $4.25 a tube sounds like
it's worth trying. Thanks again, Rich.
Rich Webb
Roger that. Their blurb makes it sound like it can glue air to water but
I suspect that you may need to roughen up or undercut the split gasket a
bit to give it something to bite on to.
I'm a fixer-upper also, but I will admit to a guilty pleasure if I can
strip something for (potentially, maybe, someday) useful parts...
PeterD
Even if it doesn't fail, I would not want to trust it to not off-gas
or release potentially toxic compounds.