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I'm trying to find out if I can stack jars that I've canned. Will it compromise the seal if a box of jars is stacked on top of another? I'm using the canning jar boxes, so they only come half way up the jars. The weight would be directly on top of the jars, but evenly distributed. If it's OK to stack them, how many can be stacked without damaging the seals of those on the lower levels?
I've searched the forums and links but can't find an answer to this.
B~
The way I understand it, it's not recommended, but many of us do it anyway. In my experience, it's much better to use the jar boxes, or even a piece of cardboard between the two layers to distribute the load. I only stack two high.
As usual, always check the seal on a jar before opening it.
Same here - I didn't even know it might be an issue. I'd use something to distribute the load and I'd only do it if I have rings on everything. And yes, make sure they all "pop" when you open them.
You definitely need something between the layers to distribute the weight evenly.
I used to stack the old jar cases and it worked ok- no seal failures that I remember. But now that they aren't full boxes, they really don't work.
You've got a couple choices if you don't want to lose more of your lovely home canned food than is necessary:
One is to buy boxes that fit:
http://www.uline.com/Product/Detail/...rrugated-Boxes
And these fit quarts: http://www.uline.com/Product/Detail/...rrugated-Boxes
You can also get much heavier weight boxes- 275# test weight- for just about twice as much money. However, if you are planning on using them for storage and stacking them, it probably is worth it.
I no longer stack cases of full jars, because we designed and built a whole bunch of these:
http://74.39.184.126/vb/attachment.p...5&d=1357401061
I have 8 of them (6 sized for cases of pints- they hold 11 cases, and 2 for quarts- they hold 9. We tied them together into two groups of 4 each... one is against a wall, one is free standing. The free standing one actually works slightly better, because you can push the cases through from the back a bit to get ahold of them better. I've been thinking of making some rope handles for the boxes on the shelves against the wall, as it's a PITA to try to use my fingernails to get ahold of the edges of the box to pull them out.
But then, I was trying to maximize space, so designed the shelf units to JUST barely fit the boxes. If you made them an inch or so wider, they'd be easier to work with, I suppose.
(oh, and these boxes are just large enough that you can fit the "case" the jars come in inside them- it reinforces them a bit, and also holds the jars more solidly than the box alone)
The other choice is to buy some press board or thinnish plywood (1/4" should be strong enough) and cut it into pieces the same size as your canning jar cases. Put one piece between EACH level of jars... and I wouldn't stack them more than 3-4 high, because you still have weight directly on the jar seals.
While leaving the rings on MAY help preserve seals a bit if you do have to stack them, it also risks rusting the rings (so they won't work well when canning more) and a ring can "mask" the fact that a jar isn't well sealed.
Summerthyme
Can you get the picture to publish?
Shoot...
Let's try this.
Sorry...
In the past year or so, someone has been selling plastic boxes designed for storing canning jars. Aha--did a search on "canning jar boxes" and here they are:
http://www.jarbox.com/. If you check their "FAQ" page, they show them stacked two high but say how high you stack them has many variables--"your mileage may vary"--in other words. The boxes are designed to nest together when empty for storage, and have indentations in the top to match the protrusions in the bottoms of the boxes to help stabilize stacks. They are pricey but I see that Canning Pantry--http://www.canningpantry.com/jar-box.html--gives a nice discount for purchases of 6 or more.
Yeah, those "boxes" are neat, but holy cow!!! With the number of jars I fill every year, I'd have to take out a mortgage on the farm to buy them!
Summerthyme