Rubber gaskets are available in various shapes and sizes and are used in different applications. A rubber gasket is mainly used to create a tight seal. Surfaces and the rubber gaskets are compressed together to create a good seal. A few gaskets require the application of sealants directly to the gasket surface in order to function properly.

They are gaskets commonly used for all types of plumbing and hydraulic applications to enable even a small amount of motion between two surfaces. When rubber gaskets are used for a long time, it dries out and loses its elasticity. When this happens, the gasket must be immediately replaced. Gaskets are extremely versatile and have the ability to withstand extreme temperatures.

Gaskets are often used in sealants, adhesives, cooking utensils and for isolating lubricants. A major requirement of today’s plumbing, such heavily used faucets, water softeners and toilets, is a long-term seal. Gaskets or hydraulic seals can be custom molded to fit any application, providing superior strength, more aesthetic design, and improved functionality compared to other plumbing materials.

Car engines need seal gaskets and it is a good material to use. Specifically, they are used as valve covers to form a protective shield over an engine’s valves. The valve cover gasket is a piece of rubber or cork, which is used to keep a tight seal. However, this is a common place to see oil leaks in car engines, since gaskets can deteriorate over a long period of time.

Because the gaskets that seal the valve cover to the head, eventually wears out and fails, you may see leaking oil, although sometimes this may be caused by something else. It is thus important to change them every so often to prevent this bad thing.

Rubber is a newer material, since cork rubber used to be the material of choice in car engines. There are other types of rubber o-rings available, but none that can mould to the shape of the engine quiet as well as silicone. The very latest cover gaskets are a rigid carrier with a molded-silicone sealing bead.