i have one of these guys. Part of its beauty is that there is no gasket. You might check to make sure that you are seating the lid correctly. There will be a mark on the lid that should line up with a mark on the body. You might have some steam leakage if that's not right. These canners are, IMHO, the very best on the market. They are stable and just hum along pretty as you please. Check youtube for videos on how to set up and use this canner, since there are probably some.