Are these the ones you mean?

Presto 1781 23-Quart

Presto Pressure Canner Pressure Regulator

If you live near a Walmart you could try looking there first, looks like Walmart has it for $59 too

You can order it from Walmart online for free delivery to your local store. I order a lot from Amazon, but the advantage in this case is if the canner is damaged or unsatisfactory, you can return it to the local store.

Carol

I've been on the fence about this since I have a 15.5 qt AA - but it's heavy, needs a weight set, and I have a glass top stove.

How is the Presto? Safe for glass tops?

I was just in Walmart the beginning of the week and it was still $64.88 there - guess it's online only price?

OK, manual says it can be used on flat tops, but I'm confused - a search for the 50332 part number came up with a "pressure regulator", says it comes with two 5-lb rings. But the manual says the PC comes with the pressure regulator "to prevent pressure in excess of 15 pounds from building in the canner". So no way to PC at 5 or 10 lbs unless you get the gauge tested every year? The manual doesn't mention 5-lb weights, and says that "the regulator will rock ONLY at 15 pounds". I'm not even sure that the regulator that comes with the canner is even the same as the regulator sold separately (see link).

Here is a link that might be useful: Pressure Regulator - weight set?

Lots of discussion here about this. What you want is part 50332 the 3 piece weight set 5-10-15 and it replaces the standard 15 lb regulator that comes with the canner.

They are both pressure regulators but one is 15 lbs only and the other is 5-10-15 lbs. Very straight forward substitution.

Dave

I'm going to assume that what comes with it is not the 50332, but what about the link? It looks the same as the link happyday posted from Amazon, and comments on Amazon say that's the 5-10-15.

I'm tempted to order from Walmart as Carol says returns are easier, but the weight set (if that's the right one - two 5 lb rings?) is a teeny bit more expensive but also $9 shipping! Amazon wants $5.58 shipping for this item unless you buy $25 or more.

So, the PC is recommended, safe for glass stoves, but how is it for durability? I hate to spend the $, since I have an AA, but I need a weight set for that too, and would also have to use it outside on a propane burner, can't use it on stove.

My "power element" is 10" diameter - is that OK for this or should I order the 16 qt (which is actually the one I think I saw at Walmart - so the $59 is great for the larger one if it will be OK on my burner)?

Might want to check with Presto before ordering to make sure that 50332 is the right rocker, because the Product Features state that the * Presto 50332 Canner Pressure Regulator Fits Presto Pressure Canner models: 01/C22, 01/C17, 01/C13, 171003, 174001, 171001, 171002, 0174510, 177001, 02/CAA12H, 02/CAA16H, 02/CAA20H.....don't see model 01781 in that list, but at least one reviewer says it fits the 01781 and is "Better then using the orginal 15lb only weight"

Get the pressure regulator where you can return it easily if it doesn't work for your canner, but frankly, I haven't seen a newer one it doesn't work just fine with.

What you're doing is emulating the All-American design, where the gauge is a backup and the 5-10-15 regulator is what you depend upon. A weight is more accurate than the gauge plus it removes the necessity of having the gauge tested, which is a huge advantage for those who don't have convenient access to that service.

Presto is very unreliable in its information regarding the three-piece weight. I'm not sure why. My old Presto manual mentioned it specifically and listed it as an available part, but often now if you call and inquire their customer service will either deny it exists or tell you not to use it. I've used mine for 30+ years and the NCHFP says it's fine.

The model listed on Amazon and available at Walmart only comes with the standard 15 psi regulator. With that setup you must rely on the gauge during canning.

As far as glass-top ranges are concerned, it's important to consult your manual and perhaps also call customer service for your model. For some canning is fine and for others it's not. If you have burners that cycle on and off maintaining consistent pressure is almost impossible.

Carol

As Carol said, and as discussed here often, Presto Customer service reps are notorious for giving out unreliable info. Just as canner manuals are notorious for being outdated and misleading an are not recommended as a source for information.

Not only has NCHFP vetted and approved the use of the 3 piece weight set (50332) but so have many users. A number of us here use it and have for years with no issues whatsoever. It works on all but the most ancient of the canner models. And it even works on them if you change the vent pipe too.

Much of the confusion stems from the labels used interchangeably and mis-understood. There is no difference between a "weight" and a "pressure regulator". They are both "weights" that regulate the pressure inside the canner by rocking and allowing excess steam to escape.

If you wanted to process everything at 15 lbs. then you could just use the pressure regulator/weight that comes with the canner. But you don't want to do everything at 15 lbs. So you buy part 50332 and process at the weight of 5-10-15 lbs. as needed.

ajsmama - your only real problem is your stove and whether it will work with the PC or against it. Some do and some don't. A 10" burner is standard and causes no problems with the canner UNLESS it is one that cycles off and on and that is a stove brand issue, not a canner issue. You can test to see if that happens by simply boiling water in any 12" diameter pot or even a standard 12" skillet on the burner. If it cycles while using a standard skillet then it will cyle off and on with any brand of canner.

As to where to buy the canner and the weight set - that is your choice.

Please take the time to read through all the previous discussions here on '50332' and 'Presto canner' as this has all be hashed out soooo many times here that all those testimonials will reassure you that what we are saying is true.

Dave

PS: same holds true for all the 'glass top stove' and smooth top stove' discussions.

Yes, even my "power element" cycles on and off - I even had a problem last year when the breaker popped during a long session of BWB canning with my 10" 16qt stockpot. I just don't know the frequency it cycles at - never checked.

I know not to use a pot more than 2" (1" on each side) larger diameter than the burner so don't know if this will work - 1 review said it was fine. But no one mentioned the cycling issue, just saw some people said it took longer to come up to pressure than "regular" electric or gas stoves, others said since entire element was in contact it was better than "coil" type electric stove.

Hmmm, maybe I'll have to remodel and put in propane (no gaslines in the neighborhood) - then I can just use the AA. Or just plan on PCing outside on a propane burner - I've seen all the discussions on that.

Thanks for the help.

ajs, my Sis in law uses her big AA (22, 23 qts? It holds 16 or 18 wide mouth pts two layers) on her JennAir smooth top and it cycles off and on - makes me crazy and I wish she wouldn't. The last time I was there and she was processing tuna, it came within about two breaths of losing acceptable pressure, over and over. I just about needed oxygen myself by the time that afternoon was finished. Pretty as they are, its really cured me of ever wanting a smooth topped stove. And she does know her warranty doesn't cover possible damage caused by the canner.

For those with glass tops, the presto 16 qt and 23 qt fit on the same size burner - a 10" one. The bottom is not flat, it's got a raised flatter spot in the middle so it can "hang over" the side of the element without any damage to the flat top stove that can happen when you have a pot too big for the burner.

This is a 16 qt presto next to a 23 qt AA - see the difference in the bottom? Only the raised inner circle on the Presto touches the stove top.

If I got mine centered just right, the element would not cycle on and off, if I had it not centered, then it would.

I could maintain pressure with the glass top turned down to about 1.5, and with only the gauge I was worried I could not turn the stove down FAR enough to not keep raising pressure. With the weight set added, that is not a problem.

morz8 - I wouldn't think of using the AA on a glass stove!

macybaby - Thanks, that helps but my burner cycles even when there's nothing on it (Kenmore). Don't know how it would be to mantain pressure. I usually have to get the BWB boiling then turn it down to avoid splashing out the top.

I do have a solid element single burner, 1000W, that I bought as a spare - but it's only 7" diameter. Don't know if that would work (be better) with the Presto? My 10" BWB is too big for it.

I think the burner is SUPPOSE to cycle if nothing is on it. All my glass topped stoves did that. I believe it's a safety feature - no pot, the heat will keep shutting down and then back on.

The only way I could get my glass top stove to NOT cycle was to have a very flat bottom pan on it, and have it just right.

I'd get the Presto on the burner, bend down and watch, if I saw the element going on and off, then I'd move the pot slightly until I could see that the burner stayed on. Could be that the Presto wasn't as flat as it could have been, so I had to get the best part of the bottom over where the sensor was. I knew about where I needed it to be, so it usually only took a nudge or two and it would work fine. And then did I have heat.

With a pot even slightly warped, the burner cycles on and off and never does get all that hot - takes forever to boil water in a thin bottom pan, but it was incredible fast in a heavy, truly flat bottom pan. I wish I had figured this out years ago, not a year before I switched cooktop types. It was a night and day difference on the same stove.

It's worth a try - I think a lot of people would be happier with their smooth topped stoves if they had better pans.

I think the darn sensors have a hard time telling if there is a pot on the burner or not without very firm, perfect contact.

I have a solid element single burner too, a 220 unit,2000 watt unit that I have to keep up around 3/4 power to maintain pressure when canning.

I broke a coil type single burner "hot plate" it was only 1000 watts and could not handle the weight. The element is what broke.

Thanks macybaby - I was thinking the solid element burner would handle the weight, but wasn't sure about the diameter or the wattage. How big is the flat part of the bottom on the Presto, and how big is it overall? Maybe too much of it would hang over the single element, I might have to try it on the Kenmore.

Even though I had that problem the 1 time when doing a long BWB session (forget what it was now, but I had been using the same element for cooking and had the BWB preheating on other large burner, then moved it after I filled the jars), I find that I have to turn the burner down once I get it to a boil, so it maintains gentle boil rather than vigorous one that splashes all over my stove.

I have a nice set of pans, SS with copper sandwich bottoms. Bought the 16 qt stockpot at BBB last year, but the others (incl the Dutch oven I use as preserving pan) have got to be 30+ years old - they were my parents', and they gave them to me when I graduated college.