Help with Cory Vacuum Coffee Pot

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ea56

ea56

Well-known member
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Joined
Jun 16, 2014
Messages
9,254
Location
Cotati, Calif.
I recently decided to start using my vintage glass Cory Vacuum coffee pot and I am having a problem with the upper bowl rising up from the lower bowl during brewing. I purchased a new gasket from Dayseal last year and that got rid of the old tire taste that the original gasket imparted to the coffee. But the new gasket doesn't want to stay put during the brewing time. I place the lower bowl over med. hi heat with approx 1" of water heating while I bring the rest of the water to a boil in the electric kettle. Once the water is boiling I pour the required amount into the lower bowl that is already on the heat and then place the upper bowl on top with the Cory glass rod in place and the coffee added already. Within 30 secs. of less the upper bowl starts to push up from the lower bowl and I have the hold it down by hand during the 1 to 3 min. brew time in order to keep the seal. Once I move the pot off the heat after the brew time has finished the brew draws down without any problems. Has anyone else had this problem with their Cory Vac pot and if so did you find a way to keep the upper bowl from rising up? I really am enjoying the coffee brewed in the Cory. I personally believe that this is the purest way to brew coffee, especially using the Cory glass filter rod.
[this post was last edited: 11/30/2015-13:58]
 
Hi Stan,

Thanks for the suggestion, but this seal is realtively new, only been used maybe 20 times of less. I think that the silicone that is used in the new seal may make it too slippery to get a grip on the inside neck of the lower pot. I have 2 Sunbeam Coffeemasters and an 8 cup Yama vac pot and have never had a problem with the upper bowl rising during the brewing process. Seems like maybe the gasket for the Cory should have a ridge or lip to grip the neck of the lower pot. I used to have a 12 cup Cory vac pot and the upper bowl would do the same thing. Maybe this is characteristic of the Cory design?
Eddie
 
So you boil the water in a kettle and then pour it in to the Cory pot after heating 1 inch of water in the Cory? I don't believe your Cory pot was designed to work that way. It's designed to heat all of the water in it's own lower bowl. Have you tried that method yet?

It may be the Dayseal design. The one I had for my Sunbeam Coffeemaster didn't last more than maybe 30 pots before it started to deform and melt. Dayseal said my pot got to hot and sent instructions about how to adjust the temp down. I just switched over to a Cory pot and have been happy ever since.
 
Allen,

Thanks for the input. I've used this Cory both ways, heating the water from start to finish in the lower pot as well as heating most in the kettle first. Either way this gasket has never worked properly from day 1. By heating an inch of water in the lower bowl on med. hi while waiting for the kettle to boil the pot is pre heated and the boiling water doesn't cool down, seems to work faster and better this way, for me anyway.
Eddie
 
No Offense

But have heard of many issues with those "new" vacuum pot gaskets. Some find they work, others so-so and others not worth a darn.

If pressure from the lower vessel is able to push the upper globe out of place it means the seal between the two isn't tight/secure. Only time this happened to Moi was when one failed to properly press the upper globe down into place.

You might try looking on eBay or elsewhere for another Cory both to nab a gasket from. Yes, I know but that is the usual source for vac pot fanatics to land replacement/spare parts. Have lost count of the mismatched sets and spare bits one has lying about after having to purchase another full pot to get this or that piece.
 
And no offense taken

Laundress, I've found this new gasket hasn't worked properly from the start. I think its too slippery to get a grip. If I hold it down I get a good seal and fast pulldown when moved off heat. Thanks for the suggestion re: getting parts from another Cory. I've done this too, may try again. I did find however that the original Cory rubber gaskets tend to give the finished coffee a rubber taste, at least to me. I may consider a Rubberless Cory, but they really are hard to find at a reasonable price.
 
I had the original rubber gasket for this Cory when I first bought it. Yes, even though the coffee doesn't come in contact with the gasket somehow it transfered a rubber taste to the finished coffee. Maybe it was from heating the approx. 60 yr. old rubber that caused it to emit fumes? Maybe its just me, but I didn't care for the taste. The new gasket imparts no off taste, it just won't stay in place.
 
If the gasket didn't work right from day 1, then chances are high it has to do with the gasket. My Cory gasket has ridges built into it that I don't see on yours.

I know what you mean about the "rubber" taste in the coffee. Our first Sunbeam Coffeemaster did that to us. The gasket looked fine, a little hard but when it was heated up the rubber odor transferred right into the coffee. Makes the coffee undrinkable.

I'd take a photo of our gasket for you, but our camera is out on loan for a few days. I'll take a photo when it returns, probably on Thursday.
 
Allen my gasket has ridges too, they just didn't show up in the photo. Its probably just like yours if you got it from Dayseal. Sorry, I'm pretty new to posting photos and I didn't do a very good job. I thought that it was odd that I needed to get high heat cement to attach the gasket, as per the instructions that came with the gasket. The original gasket just pushed on to fit the upper bowl. Thanks for you input! I never had any problems with the Sunbeam gaskets, nor did I ever get a rubber taste with the Sunbeam Coffeemaster's.
Eddie
 
Seems weird

That you had to use high heat cement?
Wonder if you email Dayseal with photos and explanation of what's going on .. Maybe they have a thicker gasket. That one looks a little too thin?
Dose go together too easy? Compared to the original?
BTW your pics look fine to me.
 
Well Stan it's been over a year since I bought the gasket from Dayseal so I think I'm probably SOL with trying to get any recompense from them. I should have pursued this soon after I got the gasket, but didn't as there were other things I was dealing with at the time and this was a low priority at the time. I can't get the gasket to be tightly seated in the neck of the pot. I really think it is due to the silicone used in the gasket, it is too slippery to hold down. While the silicone rubber doesn't give off a rubber taste, it also presents a problem making a proper seal. Oh well, better luck next time!
Eddie
 
With any glass vac pot system

Cory, Silex, etc....

If the rubber gasket will not firmly latch onto the upper globe, then yes the forces generated during brewing will dislodge.

Had a few "NIB" Silex vac pots arrive with slippery but original and or new gaskets. Happily had a stash of older ones (from upper globes that busted) and was able to find one that fit snugly.
 
I remember reading in old Consumer Reports from the 30s and 40s that the rubber used in some brands of vacuum coffee makers gave coffee an off flavor even when NEW.

Are you turning off the heat as soon as the water starts to rise? Maybe try turning it off before you add the boiling water and see if there is enough heat to send up the water. Too much heat could mean more pressure than is necessary. Do you give the upper bowl a twist when you put it in and are you careful to make sure that the gasket is dry? Are you careful to not splash any water on the inner collar of the lower bowl when filling it? A film of water on silicone rubber could make for a very slippery seat. I can think of things that almost jump out of one's hand when wet. Silicone rubber is much slicker than the old rubber used in the original gaskets. If all else fails, you could try heating another element on LO heat and transferring the brewer to that one.

I do like your idea about heating the small amount of water in the glass and adding the larger amount of boiling water to it.

FYI: C30 Coffeemasters have a complex spring inside the original gasket to hold the gasket at proper tension that allowed easy insertion and removal yet held it in place during brewing. The replacements are not similarly constructed.
 
Good suggestions Tom

this morning when I made coffee I turned the heat much lower after I added the boiling water and at first the upper bowl tried to rise out of the pot so I held it down, but after about 30 to 40 seconds I was able to take my hand off the top and allow the brew to steep for another 2 mins and the upper bowl stayed in place, yey! I have been being careful to keep the sealing surfaces dry and have given the upper bowl a twist when inserting it, but It seems the secret is lowering the heat for the brew time. BTW, I learned of the method of boiling the water first in a kettle from YouTube videos. It seems that many people use this method and is is much faster since you are really not supposed to use high heat with the Cory, or any other glass vac pot. I even emailed the owner of Dayseal to see if he had any suggestions, as of yet no reply.

I have to say that I'm really enjoying the excellent coffee that is brewed with the Cory glass vac pot, to me its tastes richer and cleaner, with no off taste from a paper filter. And better than my Coffeemasters, which tend to sometimes give a slight "burnt" taste, as the time before pull down is much longer than with the Cory, which I have more control over.
Eddie
 
Glad you

Emailed Dayseal for possible suggestions. Maybe he's got something new for the Cory's that he didn't have before? You shouldn't have to work that hard for a cup of Joe!
 
With the Coffeemasters, I pull the plug when the water starts its way up, before the switch clicks to warm. It keeps the lower bowl from getting quite as hot so there is less sizzling and rumbling before the coffee returns. There is plenty of heat to boil away the spoonful of water that agitates the brew. I also think that it is easier on the plating.
 
Maybe your Coffeemaster needs to be adjusted to reduce the heat in the brewing cycle? About that rubber taste in my coffee, that only happened with original Coffeemaster gasket/seals. I don't have the Dayseal equivalent for the Cory, but the original one that came with the pot. I bought the Cory pot on Ebay in a new, unused condition. The seal was still pliable, and never have a rubber taste.

I agree, vacuum coffee really tastes so smooth. No bitterness at all. We only used medium heat on ours when brewing and turn the heat off as soon as most of the liquid is in the top bowl. Sometimes we'll find that half way through the vacuum process it'll stop. When that happens it usually means we have ground the coffee too finely.
 
Not all Sunbeam Coffee-Master

Units have adjustable heating/cycles.

Know the C50 does not officially. Though IIRC years ago read somewhere that someone over on CoffeeGeek.com hacked into his unit and did so.

Long have disconnected the cord after the C-50 finishes brewing if not slightly before. Otherwise you end up with over extracted brew and eventually damaged inner finish.

Problem is the thing is so heavily insulated and well heated it takes a long time for the lower chamber to cool enough to cause a vacuum to form. Meanwhile the heat continues causing the lower globe to "burn dry" inside. You can hear this happening each time drips of coffee make their way down the tube before the inner surface is cool enough to cause a full vacuum.

The other problem is by the time Sunbeam got around to the C-50 electric automatic drip and perk coffee makers were taking hold and fast. So corners were cut. The plating inside C-50 is thinner than previous Sunbeam Coffee-Master so it wears quickly if not taken care of. Not only does the plating to but so does the nut/seal that holds the metal part of the lower globe to the black base. Once this happens over time drips of water seep down and soon the thing just dies (won't heat).

All this being said the C-50 produces some strong and *HOT* coffee!
 
I've tweeked the temp on my Coffeemasters before, so I'm familar with what to do. I think though that its the keep warm temps on both my Coffeemasters that needs to be adjusted down. The way they are both set now they don't hold the low temp and cycle on to high unpredictably. I just didn't feel like making the adjustments, so I switched to using my 8 cup Farberware Elec. Perc. for the past several mo. Last week I decided to use the Cory Vac pot instead as I really prefer the coffee made in it. One of these days I'll get the bug to fine tune one of my C30's and start using it again. I really appreciate your suggestions though Allen. And Brian, I have also thought about trying to rough up the new Cory gasket, I just haven't reached that level of frustration yet! I don't hold out much hope for the guy at Dayseal offering any suggestions, he hasn't replied to my email, and don't expect that he will, but he still might.
Eddie[this post was last edited: 12/2/2015-21:32]
 
Originally the Coffeemasters used a flat sort of star-shaped bare wire element between two layers of mica held against the metal base of the lower bowl. The later ones used a sealed rod element and it holds much more heat and is slower to cool.
 
Well Lee, the owner of Dayseal, emailed me this morning with a suggested fix for the Cory gasket that won't stay down during the brewing process. He advised me to get a 1/8" O-ring that will will snugly in the last groove of the gasket and cement it in the lower groove, between the ridges. Then he advised to let it dry overnight. It was somewhat difficult to find an O-ring of this size, but I finally found a 2 3/4" X 3/16th" O-ring. It fits perfectly, and creates a firm ridge that grips the neck of the pot. I attached it this afternoon using the same black RTV silicone that I used to attach the gasket to the upper bowl.
Tomorrow morning I'll give it a try and see in the fix works, but I think that it will. Here is a picture with the O-ring attached.
Eddie[this post was last edited: 12/3/2015-22:56]

ea56-2015120322060205095_1.jpg
 
Glad

You got a response. I thought you would.
I would think that someone that produces seals for these old coffee pots would want to keep help keep them working.
Let us know how it works.
Did you find the O ring at Freidmans ?
 
Stan,

Actually I found the O-ring at True Value in Cotati. I tried Friedman's, they didn't have any of the larger O-rings and neither did Home Depot. Surprisingly, True Value had a large selection and its only 1/2 mile from home. When I tried the fit before cementing it to the gasket there was a nice tight fit, so I'm reasonably certain that this fix will work. I'll let you know after I try making a pot of joe tomorrow morning.
Eddie
 

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