The reason I asked about the roto molded OT 26-qt HP cooler being watertight is because mine leaks a lot of water immediately when you put it on its side. I sent an e-mail to customer support including a picture of the cooler and they told me it was not watertight. That didn't make sense to me that they claim it's airtight, but not watertight. My understanding is that if something is airtight, it should also be watertight because water molecules are larger/denser than air. So, it's easier to make something watertight than airtight.
Anyways, I was asking customer support if there's a fix to repair the water leak, and they said no. It appears to me that the black rubber seal around the top lid is pressed too far in on one side and this causes air and water to leak out. I don't know how to gently pull out the black rubber seal to make a better seal.
I bought this cooler thinking that it would be great to have a spill proof cooler inside my SUV. I might have to return it and buy another one that has a better seal in the lid.
This is from the Walmart description of the cooler:
* Premium insulation keeps ice for more than 4.5 days
* Roto-molded, seamless, one-piece construction with UV-resistant exterior
*Air-tight super-seal gasket keeps the cold in and the heat out
@CrusierManny,
We can chat further in email, but I thought I'd chime in here.
Like most rotomolded coolers on the market today with a freezer-style gasket, the seal should be comparable to that of a fridge or freezer. Contact should be made between the gasket and the base to lock in the cold and keep hot air out, but not so tight that a strong vacuum seal occurs every time the cooler is used preventing the cooler from opening. With the 26qt model this is especially important as it does not have a drain like the larger sized coolers we manufacture which can help relieve the pressure when loosened.
Sometimes when they are tilted on their side, the pressure of the water may cause some leakage; however, your gasket should be coming in contact with the base of the cooler to properly lock in the cold and achieve the desired ice retention performance.
This gasket feature also can act as a one-way exchange allowing for some ventilation of gases out of the cooler if dry ice is used; however, we recommend all proper safety precautions are followed when using dry ice.
The gasket can be removed or adjusted by pinching the rubber with your fingers and pulling outward. This will pull the gasket from its seat in the lid. The gasket is made to be removable / replaceable. It shouldn't tear or permanently stretch, but if it does, we can send a new gasket free of charge under the 5 year limited warranty which can be found in the official product booklet. I will look further into the website listing and review with the web team.
That being said, as I mentioned in the email. The leak you are describing does sound abnormal. So adjusting the gasket, or perhaps even a new gasket might help achieve a better seal. It is worth checking the alignment of the lid as well. If anything is misaligned or warped, I can have the team review and issue a replacement cooler (if you haven't already exchanged or returned it to Walmart).
I hope I was able to help! It's nice being back on the forums, I'll go back through this thread to see if I can help with any other support related issues that have come up since I've been gone.
- Cam
