1. Home
  2. ⏣ General Metalworking
  3. Repair of Pressure Cooker (by a nitwit)

Repair of Pressure Cooker (by a nitwit)

i posted some time ago about the fuse being gone in a used pressure cooker. turns out that this model is not supported by anyone that i have found on the web or in the DFW area.

well, as a cheapskate and ex-Marine, i decided to try something. soldering a "plug" would be the way to go, and i have an iron that could do it. otherwise a torch would have to do. the cooker is aluminum, but you can unscrew the housing for the fuse and repair it w/o melting the cooker.

what i did, just as a test of the gasket, was to "tape" over the blown fuse w/some 3-M al tape meant for a/c ductwork. it worked, it worked so well that i am eating the beans for supper(!).

of course, this is NOT something i recommend, to ANYONE. but still, interesting, imho. --Loren

.............. ps. there was concern about the adhesive, and i saw it, but very local to the edges of the tape. it does not appear to have migrated any farther. if so, it does not seem to have hurt the flavor.

Reply to
Loren A. Coe
Loading thread data ...

Reply to
Thomas Kendrick

Since the fusible part of the plugs is the same material, no matter what the model is, you should be able to find a fusible plug from a current model and retap for the new plug. Usually if the plugs aren't available for a particular model, you can't get new gaskets and it's time to go grab another from the thrift store.

Stan

Reply to
Stan Schaefer

The fuse is a safety device. PC are cheap enough not risk burning someone when it overpressures and explodes

Reply to
GMasterman

agreed, it's just me in the house. i absolutely would not use it otherwise, not sure i would use a new one w/children about.

wrt the fuse itself, the cooker is "Indian". it looks like the photos of an older Mirro could possibly fit, but it is out of stock at Mirro and no longer manufactured.

third party replacements are $10.75, dunno if these are orig.Mirro units or what, but the cost is goofy. there are a zillion different fuses out there, and the fitting is not standard, nor is the media. plastic is the norm now.

just fyi for those interested, i can see why the link was blown. this cooker uses way too much water, 4-5x what a late model Presto uses, and it is _smaller_,

2.5qt vs 4liter. the weight and nozzle seem to be undamaged, but maybe it just takes some experience in setting the flame. the steam comes out in a steady stream, nearly silently. not a good design. again, NOT recommending this activity. --Loren

ps. the gasket on this older (heavy duty) pan still works fine, makes me wonder just how good plastics have gotten over the decades & why did the shuttle fuel tank gaskets fail? they talk now about wire insulation in airplanes, getting older and cracking (like this is normal). the teflon coated wire used in the 60's would _not_ have this problem.

Reply to
Loren A. Coe

As I remember, my Mom's old pressure cooker had just an open tube on top that served as a safety when a calibrated weight was set on top. As pressure biult uo, the weight, which sorta looked like a solid metal jigger, would lift and vent the excess steam. Bet it would not build more than a pound or two

Reply to
GMasterman

On my Presto 4 qt pc the 'jigger' serves as a crude pressure regulator. IIRC the standard operating pressure is about 15 psi that raises the boiling point of water to about 250 degF. More sophisticated cookers will allow you to choose several operating pressures(i.g. 8,10 psi). My cooker has a 'blow out' rubber assembly on the lid in case things go bad. I have two of these cookers and use one of them nearly every day for fat-free cooking of my meat and taters.

Larry

Reply to
Lawrence L'Hote

the main vent is the same on the two i have, but the smaller unit used much more water. the larger Presto develops 15lbs, it's marked on the weight and you do _NOT_ want to just remove it while under pressuer, the contents foam and it very quickly deposits it onto your stove hood or ceiling.

closer inspection today reveals a small nick on one of the mating surfaces of the pressure regulator. also, the pressure stem is somewhat loose, while it was not before applying heat. there is possibly a missing gasket/washer which a little rtv should correct. i will ream the surfaces and try it again. fun and games of the intellectually challenged with too much time on hand... --Loren

Reply to
Loren A. Coe

how mutch pressure are they supposed to hold?

1 atmosphere?
Reply to
Erik Litchy

On Sat, 21 Feb 2004 00:27:09 GMT, "Loren A. Coe" vaguely proposed a theory ......and in reply I say!:

Aaahhh yes! Never do this when cooking beetroot......

**************************************************** sorry

.........no I'm not! remove ns from my header address to reply via email

Spike....Spike? Hello?

Reply to
Old Nick

PolyTech Forum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.