Am I the only one who reuses old gaskets if they look fine?

On my last maintenance call, the client had a stack of old gaskets ready to trash. I checked a few and they were still flexible with no cracks, so I reused them instead of ordering new ones. Do you think we're too quick to replace parts that could still work?

3 comments

3 Comments

thompson.abby23d ago

Oh man, I get it. I've saved a few gaskets myself, especially on older equipment where the exact part is a pain to find. But you gotta be careful. Even if it looks and feels okay, it might have lost its ability to seal under pressure or heat. I had a coolant leak once from a reused gasket that looked perfect. @sandralee has a point about not wasting stuff, but a tiny leak can cause a huge, expensive problem. It's not worth the risk on critical systems, you know? What kind of system were you working on?

parker_bailey1mo ago

Your gasket story reminds me of people who reuse paper towels until they disintegrate.

sandralee1mo ago

Seriously! It's that same mindset of trying to get every possible use out of something. You see it with people using a sponge until it's just a sad, smelly nub. Or squeezing a ketchup bottle for ten minutes to get the last few drops. It's like we're all wired to hate feeling like we wasted anything, even when it's time to let go.