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

d.baldwin92

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Oct 4, 2021
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Georgia
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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 (easier said than done, but I believe the gaskets I received from Amazon were simply outdated/dried up)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

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Apr 3, 2021
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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.
 

Breinders

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Dec 23, 2021
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Rotterdam
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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

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Sep 15, 2022
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Canada
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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

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Apr 17, 2023
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Chicago
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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

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Apr 17, 2023
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Chicago
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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?
 
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