zuber ezpak stuffer problem

[rchunter]

anyone have an ez pak stuffer?  I have problems with water getting past piston.  I have new gaskets and use food grade lube but still get water past piston from time to time.  I use air over water to fill stuffer.  I can dial up any pressures up 100 psi.  The piston top has some of the edges gone from years of use and a new piston is about $800.  My "hobby" has gone wild enough with purchases.  I'll try and post some pix next post. 

[NePaSmoKer]

anyone have an ez pak stuffer?  I have problems with water getting past piston.  I have new gaskets and use food grade lube but still get water past piston from time to time.  I use air over water to fill stuffer.  I can dial up any pressures up 100 psi.  The piston top has some of the edges gone from years of use and a new piston is about $800.  My "hobby" has gone wild enough with purchases.  I'll try and post some pix next post.

Well $800 is cheaper than what i found like $1239.81

[lumpy]

If the stuffer is designed for water and you are using air.....that is one of youproblems. Water molecules are lager than air. The air molecules are getting past the o-ring. The o-ring clearance has been designed for water.    Hope that helps                                                                                           

[rchunter]

sorry, I probably didn't state the dynamics right.  The stuffer cylinder only has water in it. the air is in a seperate water tank that pushes the water to the stuffer.  So there is no air involved with the actual stuffer.  do you think the relationship between the density of the meat being stuffed to the pressure being applied should be more equal?  or does more pressure (too a degree) put more closing pressure on the gaskets and actually help seal between the piston and the water below?  i think about this way too much.  i might just go to a differant way to drive the piston like a hydraulic ram.  thanks for your guys thoughts.

[DBS]

You might need to replace the Nylon Rings that are on the Piston It has been a few years since  I looked at  a piston I believe there might be 4 of those one above and below of each gasket Replacing the Piston I s probably not required since it does not seal itself it is the gaskets that seal and the nylon rings help hold it in position so it slide straight up and down the  cylinder. Also as a side note the system is designed for 80lbs. pressure max. not sure how the air/water operation will work I have always used it with straight water run through a brass pressure pump run by a reversing 1 hp motor which is how the self contained unit i sold by the manufacture. if you only have just the  cylinder it can probably be run from a water hose on 60 lbs of pressure from your tap.

[pmmpete]

Talk to Kirby (pikeman_95).  He could make you a Kirby Cannon of whatever size you want for less than the cost of a new piston for your ezpak stuffer.

[sausageguy]

I used one for years at a deer processing shop,  if you raise the piston up with no meat in the cylinder and have water then it probably is the gaskets or the piston is worn...... if you are getting water mixed in with the meat then it probably is your sausage is too dry and this will create added pressure to your cylinder. you can use about 1 to 1 1/2 gallons of water to your smoked sausage batch. and if the meat is too lean like say more deer  than pork this is also a factor. pork meat is usually easier to stuff so a 50/50 ratio is ideal. in other words the longer the meat takes to exit the sausage horn the more pressure on your piston/piston rings S

[sausageguy]

just remembered also on that stuffer the piston gaskets need to be turned with the bevel in towards the center of the piston.. like this / for the top one and like this \ for the bottom one