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BuckSlander
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PC losing pressure
#26922792 - 09/07/20 10:35 AM (3 years, 4 months ago) |
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I have an AA 941 and right before it hits an hour (about 45-55 min.) the PC will drop to just over 14psi.
This has happened twice; once with spawn bags, and once with jars.
The first time it happened I waited to see if it would jump back up. After about 10 minutes with no change I turned the power off. The PC then stayed at just about 14psi without decreasing for another 15 minutes.
The second time (with jars) the same thing happened.
I'm soooooo confused. Anyone dealt with this before?
Thanks
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Funky Monkey
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Twice out of how many times? It will perhaps be easier to trouble shoot if we know more, like: it's happened twice and you've used it only twice, vs it's happened twice but I have been running it for a long time with no problems etc
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2bittoker
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I can think of three scenarios: The seal inside the rim is failing, though this usually shows itself in tons of water getting ejected around the rim as the PC heats up
or
Something electrically is wrong with your stove. Like a voltage drop after extended usage that reduces the heat output.
or
Something in the gauge is failing after 40 minutes.
Did you notice any abnormal amounts of water leaking out? Edit: Just saw you have an AA, so disregard scenario 1.
-------------------- “I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. I acted and behold, service was joy.” "Love does not claim possession, but gives freedom" ― Rabindranath Tagore Stuff for New Growers Where new growers should start: RogerRabbit's PF Tek video How it Should and Shouldn't Look My Simplified Bulk Growing My OJ Shroom Tek
Edited by 2bittoker (09/07/20 11:21 AM)
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BuckSlander
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Quote:
Funky Monkey said: Twice out of how many times? It will perhaps be easier to trouble shoot if we know more, like: it's happened twice and you've used it only twice, vs it's happened twice but I have been running it for a long time with no problems etc
I've ran it about 50-60 times with no issues until the last two times......just remembered, it's the last 3 actually that it's messed up
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Funky Monkey
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If it was consecutive failures I would try to eliminate power supply issues to the burner and run a load on a propane burner or a hot plate. It sounds like it might be your stove. It's not gas right? It's electric?
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mangaka911
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Just use a stove top pressure cooker
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Funky Monkey
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Re: PC losing pressure [Re: mangaka911] 3
#26923283 - 09/07/20 03:38 PM (3 years, 4 months ago) |
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Quote:
mangaka911 said: Just use a stove top pressure cooker
Very good. You're super on top of this shit.

Slow... Clap...
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Josex
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Quote:
BuckSlander said: I have an AA 941 and right before it hits an hour (about 45-55 min.) the PC will drop to just over 14psi.
This has happened twice; once with spawn bags, and once with jars.
The first time it happened I waited to see if it would jump back up. After about 10 minutes with no change I turned the power off. The PC then stayed at just about 14psi without decreasing for another 15 minutes.
The second time (with jars) the same thing happened.
I'm soooooo confused. Anyone dealt with this before?
Thanks
Just trust the rocker, he's an honest to good dude... and forget about the pressure dial, such a lying bitch.
The dial can fail and stop working properly (mine's kinda fucked too) and it's just there so you can have an approximate idea where the pressure is at and when it drops to zero so you can open the PC safely.
On the other hand, the rocker is machine calibrated to start rocking when the pressure in the vessel gets higher than 15 psi, it won't fail. You'll be good if your rocker lets off steam one or twice per minute.
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Funky Monkey
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Re: PC losing pressure [Re: Josex]
#26923348 - 09/07/20 04:22 PM (3 years, 4 months ago) |
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Josex
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I pic I just took from my AA instruction manual.
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BuckSlander
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Quote:
Funky Monkey said: If it was consecutive failures I would try to eliminate power supply issues to the burner and run a load on a propane burner or a hot plate. It sounds like it might be your stove. It's not gas right? It's electric?
Correct
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BuckSlander
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Re: PC losing pressure [Re: Josex]
#26923487 - 09/07/20 05:55 PM (3 years, 4 months ago) |
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Quote:
Josex said:

I pic I just took from my AA instruction manual.
Thanks buddy, I was actually completely unaware of that. My rocker starts rocking around 14 on the gauge. Still doesn't explain why it suddenly drops around an hour though.....hmm......
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sh4d0ws
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What kind of stove do you have?
There's a bunch of newer ones that try to self regulate the burner heat, and they will automatically turn themselves up and down despite you not changing the settings. Mine actually does this but I've never had an issue with it (using my presto). My AA 941 is way too big for my stove top.
Far as procedure for setting up your AA prior to cooking, are you using petroleum jelly on the rim at all? Or any kind of lubricant?
And are you being meticulous when placing and tightening the lid? First few times I used my AA 941 I didn't level the lid properly or use any lubricant and I could barely reach 14.5 PSI even with 4 quarters taped to my rocker. Now I can hit 18 no problem. I just make sure the lid is perfectly level.
It does sound like the stove itself is losing/reducing power with such a sudden drop off after the 45 minutes but I figured I'd ask about the rim and lubricant also.
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Funky Monkey
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Re: PC losing pressure [Re: sh4d0ws]
#26923655 - 09/07/20 07:26 PM (3 years, 4 months ago) |
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Quote:
sh4d0ws said: ...are you using petroleum jelly on the rim at all? Or any kind of lubricant? ...I figured I'd ask about the rim and lubricant...
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OldManRiver
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Quote:
BuckSlander said: Still doesn't explain why it suddenly drops around an hour though.....hmm......
The guage is slightly fucked up. The weight is the key. If the weight is jiggling, you're at 15 PSI. It's physics. If the gauge says differently, the gauge is a lying little bitch.
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BuckSlander
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Re: PC losing pressure [Re: sh4d0ws]
#26923987 - 09/08/20 12:01 AM (3 years, 4 months ago) |
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Quote:
sh4d0ws said: What kind of stove do you have?
There's a bunch of newer ones that try to self regulate the burner heat, and they will automatically turn themselves up and down despite you not changing the settings. Mine actually does this but I've never had an issue with it (using my presto). My AA 941 is way too big for my stove top.
Far as procedure for setting up your AA prior to cooking, are you using petroleum jelly on the rim at all? Or any kind of lubricant?
And are you being meticulous when placing and tightening the lid? First few times I used my AA 941 I didn't level the lid properly or use any lubricant and I could barely reach 14.5 PSI even with 4 quarters taped to my rocker. Now I can hit 18 no problem. I just make sure the lid is perfectly level.
It does sound like the stove itself is losing/reducing power with such a sudden drop off after the 45 minutes but I figured I'd ask about the rim and lubricant also.
Just a regular electric stove, nothing fancy. I've never heard of lubing my rim, but I'll give it a try if it'll help. Also I keep my lid level, star pattern tightening and whatnot.
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Josex
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Lubing the rim is very important as gay as that sounds. How come you didn't even bother to read the manual? Even if you got it second hand, you can still download a copy for free.
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scarabaeus
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Re: PC losing pressure [Re: Josex]
#26924018 - 09/08/20 01:35 AM (3 years, 4 months ago) |
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You are right on Josex, ya gotta lube the rim. I use vaseline, as it doesn't get 'cooked out' and brown like some veg oil does -but that is just me. Also, I buy sterilize indicator strips and use them every 6 months or so to make sure my gauge is still relatively accurate. They are just a strip of paper that you put in with your jars before sterilizing, and after the cycle runs the white paper turns with black stripes, or says OK, depending on the brand. They are kinda cheap and ez to find. It is worth the $ for the peace of mind it brings. Gauges fail -ask any plumber.
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Forrester
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Quote:
scarabaeus said: Gauges fail -ask any plumber.
Not only that but they're incredibly inaccurate to begin with, to the point of them being nearly pointless even in plumbing, which I've done plenty of.
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Funky Monkey
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Re: PC losing pressure [Re: Forrester]
#26924038 - 09/08/20 02:25 AM (3 years, 4 months ago) |
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This thread has made me realize my prestos run hot... My tsk tsk tsk sounds are constant, so I guess it runs hotter than what the gauge reads because the way people describe how 15 psi only rocks the weight 2 or 3 times a minute was not a reality for me when using the gauge to assess where I'm at, my weight was constantly rocking the whole cycle. So now I should just trust that my PC is at the right PSI if it vents and rocks the weight just a few times a minute?
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Forrester
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That's what they say. I always used a cheaper PC and mine rocked the whole time as well, no matter how low I turn the burner... no harm though
-------------------- Repugnant is a creature who would squander the ability to lift an eye to heaven, conscious of his fleeting time here. ------------------- Have some medicinal mushrooms and want to get the most out of them? Try this double extraction method.
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Josex
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Quote:
Funky Monkey said: This thread has made me realize my prestos run hot... My tsk tsk tsk sounds are constant, so I guess it runs hotter than what the gauge reads because the way people describe how 15 psi only rocks the weight 2 or 3 times a minute was not a reality for me when using the gauge to assess where I'm at, my weight was constantly rocking the whole cycle. So now I should just trust that my PC is at the right PSI if it vents and rocks the weight just a few times a minute?

It depends on the pressure cooker, we're talking AA here. I never owned a presto so I've no clue how the rocker is supposed to behave, but it's true there are PC's designed to be letting steam out constantly.
You kids should read your fucking manuals is all.
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scarabaeus
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Re: PC losing pressure [Re: Josex]
#26924061 - 09/08/20 03:32 AM (3 years, 4 months ago) |
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I hear ya Josex - damn kids with their backwards baseball caps and their bling bling - and stay off my lawn! I have never used 'rockers' for shroom growing, but I have used them for cooking pot roasts etc. They are all designed to let off steam whem the pressure goes above the engineered mark. Usually 10, 12 or 15 pounds. Any pressure cooked rated for canning food must be rated for 15 lbs pressure AFAIK. The lessser rated cookers are just that -cookers, not 'sterilizers'. Although they can be made to work for shrooming. A longer cook time at a lesser pressure is the same as a shorter time at high pressure -at least theoretically.
But anyway, a rocker is supposed to do just that, rock, and rock slowly back and forth. And like has been said above ^^^!, read the friggin' manual. Those greedy bastards wouldn't spend the $ to print the thing if it wasn't gonna come back and bite them in the ass in the future.
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RogerRabbit
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Quote:
BuckSlander said: I have an AA 941 and right before it hits an hour (about 45-55 min.) the PC will drop to just over 14psi.
This is a non-issue. The difference between 14psi and 15 psi is negligible.
What 'might' be an issue is failure to purge the PC of air before placing the weight in place. You want to ensure you have 12 to 15 psi of actual steam pressure, not 12 to 15 psi of air pressure, which won't sterilize anything. RR
-------------------- Download Let's Grow Mushrooms semper in excretia sumus solim profundum variat "I've never had a failed experiment. I've only discovered 10,000 methods which do not work." Thomas Edison
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scarabaeus
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Damn RR, you are still around? I learned lots of practical shroom growing from you over the years. Just wanted to say hello, thanks, and hope you are doing well -S
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LotKid
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Another thing to check that ppl forget about is the overpressure plugs. They can develop leaks over time. Use a dab of vaseline to check the over pressure plug for leaks. On my 75x's I used red RTV to take care of the leaky plugs.
Not saying its the case, here. But, it is something to keep an eye on.
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mr. whothehell
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Quote:
RogerRabbit said:
Quote:
BuckSlander said: I have an AA 941 and right before it hits an hour (about 45-55 min.) the PC will drop to just over 14psi.
This is a non-issue. The difference between 14psi and 15 psi is negligible.
What 'might' be an issue is failure to purge the PC of air before placing the weight in place. You want to ensure you have 12 to 15 psi of actual steam pressure, not 12 to 15 psi of air pressure, which won't sterilize anything. RR
do you think that venting the Pc for 10 minutes it's enough ? how can I be sure that there's not air in it ?
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OldManRiver
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Quote:
mr. whothehell said:
Quote:
RogerRabbit said:
Quote:
BuckSlander said: I have an AA 941 and right before it hits an hour (about 45-55 min.) the PC will drop to just over 14psi.
This is a non-issue. The difference between 14psi and 15 psi is negligible.
What 'might' be an issue is failure to purge the PC of air before placing the weight in place. You want to ensure you have 12 to 15 psi of actual steam pressure, not 12 to 15 psi of air pressure, which won't sterilize anything. RR
do you think that venting the Pc for 10 minutes it's enough ? how can I be sure that there's not air in it ?
That's exactly what you do. Let it vent hard for 10-15 min, then put the weight on.
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BuckSlander
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Re: PC losing pressure [Re: Josex]
#26925465 - 09/08/20 10:59 PM (3 years, 4 months ago) |
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Quote:
Josex said: You kids should read your fucking manuals is all. 
Hah! I did........a year ago.....
Thanks for the advice about the lube and trusting the rocker over the gauge; I will be doing both next time I fire up the PC.
Thanks to everyone else for all the other advice as well!
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