Grommets are rings used in mechanical and pressurized systems to create an airtight seal, prevent leaks, and increase efficiency. They can be made of rubber, plastic, or metal and come in various designs. It’s important to choose the right material and design for each application to ensure effective sealing. Replacement parts are available at hardware and specialty stores.
A grommet is a ring of material inserted into a pressurized connection to create an airtight seal. Seal rings are also known as gaskets or O-rings, or simply gaskets, depending on the context. They are used in a wide variety of mechanical and pressurized systems to control pressure, prevent leaks and increase efficiency. Replacement parts are available through hardware and specialty stores for various systems.
Some consumers may be familiar with one type of grommet; the small seal placed in the taps. This ring is made of rubber, a flexible material that deforms easily under pressure. When it’s screwed tightly onto the faucet, it prevents leaks, even when the water pressure pushes against it. This particular type of ring, known as a washer, will eventually begin to leak as it fails mechanically. The rubber may age and crumble, or it may begin to crack and leak due to uneven pressure.
Rubber is a very popular material for grommets, but plastics and metals may be used in some applications. In extreme cold, rubber becomes inflexible and can be quite brittle. It can fail under these conditions and create a catastrophe; the space shuttle Challenger exploded in the 1980s due to a failure in a single rubber O-ring. Rubber is also not suitable for connections made under vacuum due to its permeability, so other materials are required for vacuum sealing.
At the connection, the sealing ring needs uniform compression to seal effectively. Compression differentials along the ring can create leaks. The material should be evaluated for the application, as some materials simply fail under very high pressure. Systems are typically over-engineered, with a loop rated for much higher pressures than they actually experience. If a problem develops in the system and pressure spikes, the o-ring should be able to withstand it until a technician can fix the problem.
Various grommet designs are available, including products for nesting and stacking, along with indented grommets or other features to fit a system perfectly. Some systems require proprietary products that have been carefully designed to fit your system perfectly, while others are generic replacements. Sink washers, for example, are readily available from a number of manufacturers and the consumer simply needs to get the right size. Some rings are even large, allowing the customer to cut them to size to fit perfectly.
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