Mine usually pop within a minute of taking them out. I've found that for some reason, the more vigorous the water bath is boiling the faster they pop.

Some pop minutes after removing, others take time.
I don't worry about it until the next day when I am removing the bands for storage, then I recheck.
I had a spaghetti sauce jar lid pop off easy when I was putting away the first batch, guess what I had for dinner?
I do, however note when removing from the canner how convex the lids are. The nice dome will complete it's seal when cooled,if all clean and rubber ring working.

Head space has something to do with it to. If very small headspace at the top, the vacuum created takes longer to pop. If air bubbles are presnet that can also slow it down. Maybe you might want to consider using more head space, like a bit more than 1/2-1 inch. The filled jars should have its product just barely come up to the glass bead below the threads. Sometimes, I don't hear the pop early on, but pressing down slight makes it pop. If I shake the still hot jar, the lid will pop back up again, and then will pop down once its cooled off. That condition to me, is evident that the vaccum inside is just barely able to pull in the dimpld on the lid. Now, I fill with a bit more head space and that issue has not been repeated. Be sure to check the jars a few days later, as some can lose that weak seal and strt to allow air in. Never boil new lids, but leave them in slightly simmering water until ready to apply them one at a time.

I've found that thicker products may take longer to seal than the ones that are more liquid. Some things can take several hours. If they still haven't sealed after the jar has cooled to touch, I reprocess them.

I also go buy the % of seals. In other words if I did 7 quarts of the same thing all at one time and 6 sealed quickly but 1 didn't, I figure the odds are that 1 jar isn't going to - likely has something under the lid - and so needs re-processing.

Re-processing = back to the beginning, not just sticking it back into the BWB or PC for another run. ;)

Dave

Mine always pop withing minutes. Those that don't aren't likely to seal. Those go in the fridge for immediate eating rather than reprocess them.

Well, when I wiped the jars down, after the 24 hr waiting period, all of the jars had sealed just fine, with nice concave lids.

There was between 1/2" and 3/4" of head space on all of the jars, so I don't think it was a lack of headspace. I thought maybe since most of what I've canned has been in 1/2 pint jars, that maybe the bigger containers took longer. This batch was a little thicker than the last one, since I made sure to drain the chopped tomatoes really well this time, so it could have been that I guess.

I live at an altitude of close to 5,500 ft. Would that make any difference (other than the extra processing time in the BWB)?

Bonnie

Oh, Melissa, your response made my head swim, LOL! I had to finish making dinner, then come back and read through it a second time. I've always loved the natural sciences - biology, anatomy, etc., but I have to admit to having to use a tutor to pass college physics.

I do believe the lids reversed their curvature gradually, as the sound was more of a ping, ping ping, than one loud pop, like the half pints of jams and jellies did for me.

Bonnie

Science never sucks . . .

I like that, LOL.

I was just noting last night that the lids popped with all the explosiveness of a gunshot compared to the usual piffle. I was using a box of very old lids from DMIL, probably vintage 1960. DH says it's due to higher-tensile steel in the old lids.

Everything sealed beautifully, by the way, in case you find yourselves in possession of 50-year-old lids. Just be sure you bring them to a boil as opposed to the current simmer.

Carol

Don't cha just love that ping sound when they are popping. I always tell my husband to listen for the pinging...I made salsa yesterday and love love love to see the jars sitting on my counter. If I wasn't such a neat freak, I'd leave all my jars out in the open so I could look at them.

Ok got question if lids don't pop then what. Take lids off and reheat then back to boiling the jars again? Been 1/2 hr not popping yet

"Ok got question if lids don't pop then what. Take lids off and reheat then back to boiling the jars again? Been 1/2 hr not popping yet."

First, 1/2 hour isn't long enough to wait as explained above. But yes any jar that does not seal when left undisturbed for 12 hours must be reprocessed or fridge stored and consumed ASAP.

Reprocessing basically means back to square 1 - reheat the food, clean and heat the jars, refill jars, new lids, and repeat full processing time. The exception is high acid foods such as most pickles, jams, and canned acidic fruits as they only require a new lid and reprocessing.

Any food that will be processed for more than 10 min in either a BWB or a PC does NOT require boiling the jars first. They need only be hot.

Dave

If you can tell that the lid isn't going to seal, and the food (pears) are still hot, can you replace with a new lid and not do the reprocessing?

Also, if you push down the center of a lid and it pops (now dented in) is it sealed?

"If you can tell that the lid isn't going to seal, and the food (pears) are still hot, can you replace with a new lid and not do the reprocessing?

Also, if you push down the center of a lid and it pops (now dented in) is it sealed?"

Sorry but the answer to both questions is no. Not only is there air still trapped in the jar so bacteria can grow but any heat seal is only a weak temporary one that won't hold. The jar has to be either reprocessed or go to the fridge for use within 3 days.

Dave

I made pickled okra and put my jars in water bath. It's been 4 or 5 hours and they still haven't "popped". How long should I wait to put back in?

That is plenty of time. They need to be redone. Be sure to remove the bands, check under the lids for problems first.

Dave

I read in one of the comments that, once the 24 hr waiting period is over, you remove the band for storage. Why?

I remove the bands for several reasons. One is that they tend to rust and stick on and I can't get them off later. The real reason, though, is that if you leave the rings on but lose a seal, that ring could hold the lid on and you wouldn't recognize an unsealed jar.

My notes say I took this from a "Ball Canning" website, I think it was on the FAQ section:

Q: [What about storing rings on the jars after you are done processing]

A: We recommend storing your jars with the bands off.

(1) If there is moisture in your band, they can start to rust and it becomes very difficult to get those off.

(2) Another reason is that you have food that maybe has gotten under that band, around the neck, you get get some mould, grossness growing on it, and maybe you happened to underprocess your recipe, maybe you got busy with something else and distracted in the kitchen and you think you are done processing and you take it out and let it cool and then a few weeks later it starts to spoil, then you won’t really know that right away if you have your band on your jar. If you store your jars without the band and you happen to have spoilage, the bacteria and the microorganisms that are eating all that smorgasboard of deliciousness in your jar, they are going to create a lot of gasses and they are going to cause that lid to actually come unsealed.

You’re going to smell that, especially with the bands off, you’re gonna know that something is not quite right which will obviously get you into your pantry or root cellar to figure out which jar it is and dispose of it properly. Another great thing about not storing with the band is again if there’s moisture you don’t need to worry about it being rusted and being that much more difficult to get off, and the third reason, which is one of my favourites, is that you have your band available for your next canning adventure … so it’s really a matter of personal preference, we just recommend without. [4]

Advice given in their HarvestPro Sauce Maker book (2016) would seem to indicate that some people at Ball at least are moving more firmly to the canning rings being removed. “Jars should be stored without the bands.” [5]

Happy Canning!

Annie