SMC Discussion Areas

Anyone have any tips or tricks to get the bottle door on a V-81 to seal 100%? I restored the machine and replaced all the gaskets and seals, but the bottle door doesnt seem to make contact with the seal all the way around when its closed. I am getting condensation accumulating at the bottom of the opening and and in the open "bulb" part of the door seal. I have adjusted it many times but it does not seem to lay flat and be in the same "plane" as the main door. I am thinking of sliding something behind the door seal to push it out but thought I would run it across the experts first. Thanks

       The hinge may be bent. Remove it and squeeze it into it's original flat position on the vice.

I looked at the hinges and everything looks good and seems to sit correctly. I replaced the bottle door gasket with a new red one from SJW and it seems to lay much flatter than the original one. I still have the original old one I replaced, and it is about  3/16 taller and more bulb like where it contacts the door. I am thinking of maybe putting some thin foam tape behind the gasket to raise it up some. Currently it is having condensation issues along the handle side of the bottle door and will collect water at the bottom. I also find water inside the "bulb" area of the gasket as well.

just sounds like the wrong gasket or something just out of wack.. really hard to diagnose without seeing it in person..

just keep tinkering I'm sure it will come to you.

Its the correct gasket, but obviously not the original manufacturer. I just think the mold or material is a little different than the original.

I have had no problem with any of the Gaskets from SJW or Funtronics.. all seem to fit just fine.. it's definatly something else.. but what is the big $$$ question.

There is a little room for adjustment on the bottle door hinge.  Make sure you do not have the hinge side pushed in further than the handle side of the bottle door.  If the hinge side contacts the gasket before the door is fully closed, you will have an inadequate door seal along the outer edge.

I would get the 3/16" of height back and go from there. In 50+ years the spring has lost some tension. Putting another twist in it might help.
Creighton

Thanks for all the help. I will work on it some more this weekend to see if I can get it to seal better.

I have adjusted the bottle door but have a question regarding condensation in the bottle door area. When I first started it up, it would have condensation collecting inside the lip of the bottle door gasket and at the bottom of the bottle door area. When you open the bottle door, water will actually run down the front of the machine. After adjusting the bottle door better, I no longer have water collecting in the lip of the gasket. But I do still have water collecting at the bottom of the bottle door area. The machine is located in the garage that currently has an average temp of 90+ with humidity of 75-100% during the day. I have adjusted the thermostat to keep the inside machine temp in the 35-40 degree range. I don't have any other areas that show condensation. I also put a small fan aimed towards the front of the machine thinking it may help to evaporate it, but that doesn't seem to help much. The bottles inside don't show condensation and I dont feel any air leaking around the gasket. Would this be considered normal in these conditions?