Hello, I'm new to this website and I am new to the canning deal. I have a question? I canned pickles. Everything seemed to go well except some of the lids did not seal. Anyone got any suggestions? Thanks!:

Did you use new caps and seals? Did you wipe the rims well before putting the caps and seals on? Did you fill the jars too much? If they don't seal - re-process.

Also make sure that those spring lids only go on "finger tight". Too tight will cause sealing problems. Also do not tip the jars when removing from the canner even though there is a temptation to do it to remove trapped water. The water will evaporate quickly.

Just put the unsealed jars in the refrigerator and use up. Reprocessing is possible within 24 hours but you will have a loss in quality and texture in most cases.

Thanks for your replies. I can push the middle of the lid up and down and it makes a popping noise. Does that mean they are not sealed? I always heard they are sealed when you hear them pop. I never heard any of them pop. some of the lids have no play in them. I feel like they are alright. Thanks again for your help.

Not sealed if you can push the lid in and out. Put in refrigerator and eat up in reasonable time.

If the lids are indented slightly and have a dull thud when hit with your finger, they are sealed.

Normally when jars come out of a boiling water canner and confronted with normal room temperature, the rapid change will cause the flat lid to 'ping' as the vacuum pulls the lid down. Its a nice sound for canners, but sometimes it occurs before the jar even comes out of the canner.

Make sure you always have 1"-2" inches of water above the jars when heating and that you maintained a full boil the entire time. Time of course does not start until that full boil begins.