Problems with new gasket in my Bialetti 3-cup Moka Pot

[d.baldwin92]

I’m brand new here, but I wanted to create an account so I could try to help explain the issue of gurgling since several people have said that it doesn’t make sense.
I think the source of the problem is that the steam/vapor pressure, that is required to push the hot water into the tube of the basket and up and eventually out of the boiler and into the coffee chamber, is allowed to escape prior to doing its job. The reason for this, is that the gasket is not making sufficient contact with the boiler/basket connection; therefore, allowing a tiny air gap around the outer rim of the basket. As steam is generated, instead of being forced through the coffee by the gasket, it is allowed to run out the sides of the basket and up and through the strainer and into the upper chamber.

As far as I can tell, there are three things that remedy this:
1. Find a suitable gasket and throw the bad one away. (easier said than done, but I believe the gaskets I received from Amazon were simply outdated/dried up)
2. Tighten the ever loving out of the upper chamber when you brew, and most likely once the seal is used enough, it will eventually reabsorb a suitable amount of water and become a sufficient seal again.
3. Soak your new gasket in ~180°F water for a while before installing it in order to pre-season it. (I haven’t tried this method yet, but it should work given the theory that using the new gasket in the Moka pot a few times should allow it to eventually start working)

Hope this helps someone.

 

[fademi]

The 'over'-tightening of the replacement gasket is only necessary for the first couple of weeks post-installation of a replacement gasket. After that, normal tightening pressure is just fine. I keep my gasket clean, and when necessary (gently) scrape out any accumulated coffee grinds on the gasket itself and in the space between the edge of the gasket and the moka with a dull butter knife. We typically go a year or two between replacements. Spluttering has happened with brand new gaskets purchased directly from a Bialetti shop and older ones we've had stored. Next time I need to change gaskets, I'll give the near-boiling water suggestion a go and report back.

 

[hazimsport12]

well I think that sounds good...

 

[Breinders]

Hi,

I actually had the same problem and was thinking how to solve it as well. Well. Maybe the answer or my solution is quite simple but it helped. If you buy a 3-pack you just put 2 in and problem is solved. That way you also don’t have to turn it so tight (which can be good of course in the first place).

And since bialetti is Italian I assume this is the right way, since Italian don’t them too serious.

 

[tom major]

Hi,

I actually had the same problem and was thinking how to solve it as well. Well. Maybe the answer or my solution is quite simple but it helped. If you buy a 3-pack you just put 2 in and problem is solved. That way you also don’t have to turn it so tight (which can be good of course in the first place).

And since bialetti is Italian I assume this is the right way, since Italian don’t them too serious.

I had the same problem the last time I purchased Bialetti replacement gaskets for the 3-cup. The new ones are visibly smaller than the originals. I bought silicone gaskets that worked well for a while but then I had to increasingly tighten them more and more until eventually they became useless. I'll go back to the Bialetti gaskets and will try the boiling method mentioned above. I least there's some hope; I thought I'd have to buy a new coffeemaker from some other brand when the last good/old Bialetti gasket wore out.

 

[mokafan]

I have used moka pots for over thirty years, first in Europe. There was never a problem. There, you simply took your moka pot to the hardware store for replacement parts and the counter person dug around in a drawer until they found and fitted the right one. Those were the days before Bialetti owned the Moka pot market, and there were different brands of moka pots, and different thicknesses of rings. But in the US, every single time I have replaced a gasket I have this problem, and to tell the truth, I've put the old one back. This time though I decided that it had all been my fault for buying the wrong size. Up until recently it has been nearly impossible to figure out what size my pot was,(it's in the larger range) but I looked around the internet and measured the water in the pot and found a chart and voila! I knew I had a 12 cup. So I bought the 12 cup gasket at amazon, confident it was the correct size for my pot. WRONG. I have done everything, brewed with and without coffee in the basket (it came up with water only just one time, so I got hopeful) tried putting in 2 rings instead of the one, soaked the rubber gasket in hot water. This time I had the confidence to throw away the old ring, darn it! This is my fourth morning without my coffee and I feel grumpy. It's not us folks. Bialetti is selling an ersatz gasket that is not cut right and, simply put, is a piece of crap that doesn't work and they know it. And the price jump in the pots is enormous! 80.00 for a new 12 cup. My final attempt will be to boil the ring to see if it expands, because it's obvious when you look at it that it simply does not fill the space needed to provide an adequate seal for the pressure it needs to sustain. Definitely it is more narrow that the one I threw away. I guess when you corner the market, as they have, there is no need to make the customer happy.

 

[mokafan]

Hi,

I actually had the same problem and was thinking how to solve it as well. Well. Maybe the answer or my solution is quite simple but it helped. If you buy a 3-pack you just put 2 in and problem is solved. That way you also don’t have to turn it so tight (which can be good of course in the first place).

And since bialetti is Italian I assume this is the right way, since Italian don’t them too serious.

Hi, I tried that but did not work for me. Going to try one more time though. did your solution keep working?

 

[Deeanne]

I've been using my 3-cup Bialetti Moka Express for quite some time, 2-4 times a day, with great results every time. Now the original gasket is showing some wear, so I thought I should replace it. I bought a three-pack of gaskets, allegedly from Bialetti via Amazon, and I've since tried to make 3 pots without success. I get a sputtering mess that gives me a third of non-drinkable sludge. I'm using exactly the same grind and heat I've always used. What is going on?

I did notice that the new gasket seems awfully stiff compared to my existing one, but I figured that was simply due to it being new. It did seem a bit smaller in outer diameter -- not by much -- and it could be my imagination, but it seems to fit a bit looser in the machine than I think it should.

Frustrated, I went back to my old gasket, and turned out a perfect 3-cup pot! So what's going on? Do I need to crank that new gasket down even harder? Change my heat settings? I don't understand the physics of what's happening by simply changing a gasket. It should improve things, no?

Thinking about it more, I suspect I'm not getting a decent seal with the new gasket. With the old gasket, the brew time is consistent from one pot to the next, right around 5 minutes. With the new gasket, it took much longer, and I suspect because there was a poor seal, the water was going to a boil rather than being forced up via pressure, causing the burnt odor, the sputtering. Does that sound logical?


At this point I don't know if I should continue to try to make these new gaskets work -- will they really eventually seal -- or give up on them. The packaging says Bialetti, but I'm beginning to wonder.

Just found this forum after having problems with new gasket for Bialetti Moka Pot. Customer service response was I should replace funnel at same time. Bonkers! Be as well buying a new pot of a different make. Solved the problem though. After one disastrous brew I put new rigid rubber gasket in a pan of water and simmered for 20 mins approximately. Works a treat. Made 2 perfect pots today. Don't have to tighten with brute strength either.

 

[PTroyP]

I’m glad I’m not to be the only one with this problem! I’ll try simmering the gasket in water for 20 minutes like Deanne said and see if that works. I appreciate the community helping one another!

Well, I tried simmering the gasket and it worked! Great pot of coffee this morning. Thanks to all who contributed!

 

[froze]

There are only two reasons for the pot to be sputtering like that, and being new has nothing to do with it since when I got my pot new and the gasket was new, it never sputtered when it was new.

The problem can only be due to something is not correct with the size of the new gasket, either the thickness is off, or the diameter is. So, measure both gaskets with calipers and see if there is a difference.