How to Vacuum Seal a Mason Jar

Lets get started!

In this quick life hack, I'll show you how to make a super cheap vacuum sealer that you can use to vacuum seal mason jars! A really great build if you're a prepper!

Here's what you'll need

• A 'Mason' jar - I used an empty jam jar that a friend was about to put in the trash can.
• A syringe - Any syringe will do. Bigger is better.
• 8 inches of air line tubing (pet store)
• 2 check valves (pet store)
• and a 3 way air line connector (Pet store)

Step 1: Watch the Video!

The easiest way to follow along with this Instructable, is to watch the video above or on my channel by clicking this link - http://bit.ly/1ODLIwG

Step 2:

Lets start by cutting 4 pieces of air line tubing to about 2 inches in length

Step 3:

Take 1 of the pieces, and cut one end at an angle like this.

Step 4:

Attach the other 3 pieces to the 3 way air line connector, Just like this.

Step 5:

Grab a check valve and for markings that say IN and OUT.

Step 6:

Attach the Input side of one check valve to the center of the 3-way connector and the syringe to any other side.

You should have something that looks like the last picture.

Step 7:

Next, unscrew the lid of the jar and drill a 4 millimeter hole in the center. I say 4 millimeters because the outside diameter of the air line I used was 5 millimeters. Try and make a hole that's half the size of the air line for best results! - So if your air line is 6mm , make the hole 3-4mm for the tightest fit.

Push the angled piece of air line that you cut earlier,through the hole.

Step 8:

Attach the input side of the other check valve to the lid and screw it back onto the jar.

Attach the 3-way connector to the check valve on the lid

It should look like the last picture.

Step 9:

Now begin pumping the syringe until you can't pull back the plunger.

I suggest using a bigger syringe to speed up the process.

Step 10:

You can undo the vacuum by simply detaching the check valve on the lid.

You can use this idea to extend the shelf life of anything from food to ammunition primers and powders.

If you've made it this far, congratulations!

If you'd like to see this vacuum sealer in action, just watch the video here -

Subscribe to my channel by clicking here: http://bit.ly/1ODLIwG

Comments

[cjraabe]

Great video! Also the one about removing the air from plastic bags. I'm not much of a food scientist, so please bear with me. Would this keep nuts and nut flours from going rancid without refrigeration? And can it really replace traditional canning, which I believe, perhaps wrongly, used the boiling water bath to kill organisms that spoil food or cause illness?

[jimmie.c.boswell]

no! it will not replace, traditional canning. and if there is even a small amount of water in the material, a vacuum will pull the water out. nuts do have some moisture, and could depreciate their quality. as the water vapor will null the vacuum.

with traditional canning, sterilizing in the boiling water for at least seven to ten minutes. when you put the lid on while hot, it will try to form a vacuum. but the water vapor will fill the vacuum. and a vacuum, will not prevent extremely dangerous anaerobic ptomaine and other bacteria from forming that thrives without air.

[cjraabe]

I'm not sure what you are saying about traditional canning. My definitions are canning in a boiling water bath for ingredients with a high acid content like tomatoes and canning in a pressure cooker for ingredients with lower acid contents. . .

[jimmie.c.boswell]

yes i have watched, my mother, grandmother, and aunts do this for many years. and even something, called blanching to preserve food. and i am sure my mother, explaining to me if it is not done right. people can get sick and die. even how to sterilize the two part lids, in the pressure cooker where the boiling point of the water is higher than at normal atmosphere. and the inner lid, is loosely placed over the jar. and that the outer ring is not sealed until the end, so their is no danger of the jars exploding.

[KristinM5]

I like this hack, but you are correct. This would only remove air, not any organisms that would spoil foods. This may be a better idea for seeds, rice and other "dry" foods. My only issue with this is you can't stack the jars with the check valves on them and you would have to continue to purchase tubing and valves (although tubing is relatively inexpensive, not sure about the valves tho)

[jimmie.c.boswell]

yes it would be neat, is someone could figure out how to vacuum and seal at the same time. so that you, did not have to leave the check valve in. and the one thing about these cheap check valves, is that they do occasionally fail. most especially when too much moisture or material collects in them.

[roz_rusty]

We have been storing raw nuts for 20 years. We have used a food sealer with the attachment for jars and have processed nuts for many years. We actually stored some raw almonds and cashews for many years and didn't start to notice any taste of rancidity until they were 10 years old. That's in a cool (probably never over 70 degrees), dark shed. In a root cellar it would be even better.

[bill.harvey.100]

This will work for most dry materials. Wet materials will already have some bacteria in them that must be pasteurized before storage, Thus the boiling is necessary. Pulling a vacuum on a wet package will ultimately fail due to the fact the water will "evaporate" into the vacuumed space thus losing the benefit and likely allowing leaks. You could vacuum seal a wet item and then freeze. It will them keep much better than just freezing alone and will prevent freezer burn.

[cjraabe]

Thanks to both KristinM5 and bill.harvey.100. Your comments verify my concerns. I'm going to try this or the plastic bag method with my nut flours.

[KyleTheCreator]

Fantastic instructable! Interesting technique to preserve foods and ammo. I was even thinking that this could be useful for science projects. Keep up your science madness!

[MadScienceHacks]

Thanks Kyle!

What I created here is basically a vacuum chamber. Perfect to test how a vacuum affects physical objects (like marshmallows), water and sound!

[jimmie.c.boswell]

yes this is a neat use for this in science enthusiasts. however i no longer, use this method for my vacuum chambers. kind of neat though, to watch water boil at room temperature. or fill a balloon, without any additional air. don't put any living animal in it, it would make a horrible mess. never got around, to trying this out on popcorn.

[robbied]

you definitely have to try this on marshmallows!

[nolan.kriegel]

How does it effect sound during your test?

[MadScienceHacks]

Sound cannot be transmitted in a vacuum.

[IrinaL]

Super smart - thank you!!! I was looking for it!!!

[Fikjast Scott]

I like the check valve idea and also I wanted to say what a great video you made

[M. A.G]

I can't get over the check valve sticking out. Other than maybe a jr. high science class experiment I can't see any purpose at all for this type of vacuum jar system. If anyone can clue me in I'd apreciate it. All the examples given in the video were completely impractical in my opinion

[MadScienceHacks]

This instructable is definitely not for everyone. I've seen my video shared on prepper communities. They seem to see the usefulness in the idea. They are confident that in a SHTF situation or if the grid goes down, they'll have some way to continue doing preps with produce they've grown , by using this idea.

Furthermore, I personally spoke to preppers to discuss the usefulness. I mention Josh Bain in my video, who described a few applications including long term ammunition primer storage to prevent degradation. He was also one of the handful of people that requested me to find a way to vacuum seal a mason jar.

So that should answer your questions.

[OsirisD1]

I think the trouble here is the apparently overlooked fact that mason jars were created over a hundred years ago to create a vaccum seal without need of additional work done to the jar itself. Could you maybe tell us how to do that?

You also mentioned speaking with "preppers" in what appears to be an attempt to validate this theoretical process, however, history has shown again and again that those who prep for doomsday are not exactly the most reliable sources of factual information, as their desire to prep stems from a paranoid or agoraphobic mental disorder that tends to prevent them from being able to understand and perceive consensus reality properly.