Jackel SEAL18-8 Reusable Cover Seal for 18" Sump Lids

The reusable seal for 18" Jackel sump and sewage lids

SEAL18-8 is the moulded PVC seal that sits between the lid and the cover riser on Jackel 18" covers. In the Jackel Radon/Sump Dome (SMR16101-CV) installation guide it is part P, listed there as "SEAL 18-8 Cover seal".

If you have ever had a gasket catch, twist and tear while you were running the bolts down, this is the part that fixed it.

Old gasket ripped or deformed at the bolt holes? Read this first

Jackel changed the moulding of this seal and kept the part number. Both versions are SEAL18-8, so ordering the same number gets you the current one.

Jackel's own literature shows the change. Their 2006 cover accessories catalogue pictures SEAL18-8 with a tab at each bolt hole. Their current catalogue pictures the uniform-width ribbed ring you see here.

Why the old ones tore

The damage happened going in, not coming out. Each hole sat tight to the bolt, so as you turned the bolt down it grabbed the PVC, wound the tab around with it, and either tore it through or left it twisted and deformed. Get that on one bolt out of eight and the joint is compromised, often without it being obvious until the pit will not hold.

The current moulding does not do this. The holes are pierced through the body of the ring rather than a narrow tab, so the bolt turns without grabbing. The wider sealing face is the second half of the fix: there is enough material across the joint that it still seals properly even when the lid is not dropped on perfectly square.

Why installers keep one on the truck

• Genuinely reusable. Jackel has specified this seal as reusable since at least 2006, when they branded it Real Seal. Open the pit, service the pump, close it back up on the same seal.
• Forgiving to install. No tabs to catch on a turning bolt, and a wide enough face that it still seals if the lid is slightly out of alignment.
• The one consumable in the kit. Everything else in a sump dome gets installed once. The seal is handled every time the lid comes off.
• Drops straight in. Same 18" ID and same 8-bolt pattern as the seal you are replacing, old moulding or new.
• Moulded flexible PVC. Not a foam tape, not a cut gasket.
• Made in the USA by Jackel.

Specifications

Will it fit my lid?

Two checks, both take a second:

• Count the bolts. This seal is the 8-bolt pattern.
• Measure the opening. 18" inside diameter.

That covers the Jackel Radon/Sump Dome (SMR16101, SMR16101-B, SMR16101-CV) and Jackel's other 18" covers. If your old seal has tabs at the bolt holes, it is the earlier moulding and this replaces it directly.

Jackel currently lists this seal in the 18" size only.

Where this fits in a radon system

On a sealed sump, the lid-to-riser joint is where the assembly either holds or leaks. This is the sealing element Jackel supplies for that joint on its gas-tight covers. Jackel rates the dome assembly as radon tight; this seal is the component that makes the lid joint part of it.

Worth stating plainly: sealing a sump is one part of the job, not the whole of it. Active sub-slab depressurization is the method that lowers radon levels, measured against Health Canada's guideline of 200 Bq/m³ (5.4 pCi/L).

Common questions

Is this the same as part P in my manual?
Yes. Part P is listed as "SEAL 18-8 Cover seal" and this is SEAL18-8.

Mine has tabs at the bolt holes. Is this still the right part?
Yes. Same part number, current moulding. It is the direct replacement and it is the better one.

Why did my old one tear when I was bolting it down?
The tab hole sat tight to the bolt. Turning the bolt caught the PVC and twisted the tab until it ripped or deformed. The current seal has no tabs, so there is nothing for the bolt to grab.

Does it have to be perfectly aligned to seal?
Less than the old one did. The wider face gives you more margin if the lid is not sitting perfectly square.

Is it actually reusable, or is that marketing?
Jackel has specified it as reusable since at least 2006. The current moulding is what makes that hold up in practice, because there are no tabs to tear.

I have gasket tape on my rim, not a moulded seal. What do I need?
Older Jackel literature also sold a Gasket Tape Roll (GTR100 series) for sealing the basin rim. That is a different product and a different joint. This seal is the moulded ring for the lid-to-riser joint.

Do you ship within Canada?
Yes. Radon Depot is a Canadian supplier shipping domestically, so no cross-border brokerage or customs paperwork on the way to you.