Broken FV jar

[Hayhay]

I've done alot of bottling since being given a FV unit for Christmas. Like perhaps 100+?

Last week I ordered some new jars (as I'd used up my stock....) and one of them broke during the night whilst cooling. I had bottled tomatoes - chopped up and squished to be a bit juicy. Followed the same method as I usually do. The jar seemed a little thinner than the others; it was a #31.

Any ideas on what could have happened? Was it the jar or the tomatoes the way I did them?

[minnie]

Hi Hayley,

Sounds like a fault with the jar to me, I'd send the pieces back to them and ask for a replacement.

Vicki

[Shadowgirlau]

Me to - I think it sounds like a weakness in the jars so I would do what was suggested by Vicki
How very frustrating.

Kathleen

[Hayhay]

Thanks I was thinking of that. I'll contact them and see how it goes, though DH has thrown the pieces in the recycle and I ain't keen to dig out all the shards!
Forgot to specify the whole bottom broke off, the sides were fine.

[alicelt]

I have had the bottom shear off a FV jar once myself. It was a sudden temperature change that did it though - I put a lukewarm not hot jar with lukewarm contents into a pot with boiling water in it. The bottom cracked immediately although I didn't notice a single thing until after the water had cooled a bit after processing and I went to lift the jar out. Only the top half of the jar came out, leaving the tomatoes all through my boiling water ergh.

Is it possible that there was not enough thicknesses of towels/newspaper underneath the jars when they came out of the processor? Or perhaps there was an unexpected draught?

I would think that the jar is still faulty, but it's just a thought.

[childoftheearth]

Hi HayHay,

I had a jar do the same thing just a couple of days ago, as I went to lift it out of the pressure canner the base of the jar (and contents) stayed behind.

I don't think I did anything that would have caused it, but I bought the jars second hand so who knows what had happened to it in the past. It does appear that the junction between the bottom and the sides of the jars it something of a weak spot.

Having now tried both the FV and the mason jars, I think all my new acquisitions will be the mason jars. I find them so much easier to work with, no fiddly bands, and as far as I have been able to ascertain, the replacement lids are not much more expensive than the FV rings.

Would welcome the view of anybody else that have used both.

Regards
Elaine

[Hayhay]

Thanks. A FV full of broken glass and tomatoes.......yergh....!

This one broke overnight whilst cooling. Was right next to others on a wooden chopping board - same as I've cooled all the other bottles i've done.Night was not particularly cold. Must get round to emailling the supplier.......

[Shadowgirlau]

Good luck with the supplier/manufacturer
Over all the years I have been using FV jars I have not had anything like this happen to me.
Kathleen

[countrylife]

Hi everyone,
The vacola jars are extremely thick and must heat up and cool down slowly.
That is why you can't interchange them with receipes that use say.. mason jars. In all the vacola receipes you use sterilised cooled jars put in raw or cooked cooled produce, put in cold water and then start heating.
Yes and watch out for the sneaky cool air currents. Speaking from experience
If I'm concerned I lay a thick bath towel over the lot while they cool down.
Happy preserving, Katrina

[Shadowgirlau]

Good point Katrina, when I thought about it I have always heated my FV jars from cold/cool

Kathleen

[minnie]

In all the vacola receipes you use sterilised cooled jars put in raw or cooked cooled produce, put in cold water and then start heating.

Me too, and using the electric FV for waterbath that's how it has to be done.

I'm happy enough with FV jars for fruit, and seeing that I have given nearly all of my jars away in the last couple of weeks.. have to say I prefer Mason and recycle jars.

Vicki

[Hayhay]

I finally got on to the supplier after I had a second jar break and they sent two replacements which arrived vey speedily!