Pressure Tank Replacement Gaskets

[Terrel Beckham]

I’m repairing a 4-gallon OMC pressure tank.  I know I can get a replacement cork gasket from sellers on ebay.  Has anyone tried any other gasket material than cork?  The cork gaskets seem to have a short life.

[Steve D]

I can’t say I’ve had the same experience you describe with the tank gaskets having a short life. I’ve gotten tanks with original gaskets that still held pressure. I made a pattern from a new tank gasket then made my own for years from Felpro 3018 cork-rubber gasket material and have always had excellent results.

And here are a few words from Frank Robb when asked about leaking gaskets.

“Well, I’ve repaired more than a few of those, but still haven’t read the manual, I guess. FWIW, I use sealant (OMC Gasket Sealant) on both sides of the cork.”

“If it leaks that badly with gasket sealant on both sides, I have to wonder what else is involved. Not to offend anybody, but how about the quality of that cork? As you know, some people get away with using it dry. Are you tightening the screws real tight? I do (within reason of course). You gotta compress that cork.”

[aquasonic]

After rebuilding more of these tanks than I’d like to admit, the more expensive OMC/BRP gaskets are the best quality that I have found. The Sierra gaskets seem to work fine but seem to have a higher “squish factor”. As long as you are tightening the screws, they keep flattening, so the torque needs to be tempered a little.

I’m not sure why this gasket is made from cork sheet, but direct contact with gasoline may have something to do with it.

Improvise-Adapt-Overcome

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