Birds Supplies > Gamma Plastics Vittles Vault Seal Lid for Buckets

Janet March 20, 2010 at 11:49 pm

I’ve been buying these for years directly from the industrial suppliers, and I’m delighted to find them through Amazon. Originally I started buying them for storing 5- and 7-gallon batches of ceramic glazes. The lids are terrific at keeping the liquids from evaporating, and they’re easy to get off and on (unlike snap-on bucket lids). These have two pieces—the rim part is pushed down over the bucket rim. It takes some force to get it on and off, so it won’t come off accidentally. The rim piece can be pulled off if the bucket needs to be replaced, and put onto a different bucket. As shown in the picture, the lid screws down into the rim piece. There’s a replaceable rubber ring that fits around the base of the lid to seal air out.

Last year I had an invasion of pantry moths in my birdseed, so I started using these for storing my pet foods as well. This took care of the bug problem—no surprise, since this is one of the company’s commercial applications.

Gamma’s pet food containers are quite a bit more expensive than the lids alone. I decided, for the difference in price, I’d just replace my buckets when they get damaged.

My husband also uses a couple of buckets with these lids in the back of his work truck for storing small parts and tools. The screw-on lids don’t come off if the buckets fall over, so they work very well for that, too.

The lids come in several colors, which I use for differentiating between glaze colors (matching rims and lids keeps the glazes from getting contaminated).

There is a small overhang on the inside of the rim section, so when I’m mixing glazes, I mix them in another bucket to keep ingredients from getting trapped and not mixing into the glaze.

Nicholas W. Hahn March 20, 2010 at 11:49 pm

We are using the lid for pet food and pet treat storage. We were looking for something that the dogs and cats couldn’t get into, which meant a screw lid container. Well, you can buy screw lid containers for pet food storage, but they cost $30 plus for a decent size container. For only about $7, we converted a 5 gallon bucket we had around into a spill-proof and pet-proof container using this product. It’s a genius idea and we love it.

J. Burns March 21, 2010 at 2:18 am

I use this item on my grain buckets (i mill my own grains to make bread products) & what a lifesaver! No more straining & bruising fingers or compromising an air-tight seal to save on work. If you’re looking for these for something that you open & shut often, it is ABSOLUTELY worth the cost (i almost bought a pail opener instead of these).

B. Gross March 21, 2010 at 4:18 am

I love this thing.

I have one in my garage for dog food. I don’t have to worry about mice and whatever else getting into it.

A friend on mine has one in his truck. He uses it (with a 5 gallon bucket… of course) to put some of his tools in. I’ve seen him throw the bucket in and crash in the back of his truck. The bucket’s a bit scuffed, but still works great.

It works great for beverages too. Less worry about spilling.

Andrea Jehly March 21, 2010 at 4:35 am

I bought these lids so that I could use 5 gallon pails to store spare bird seed outdoors without fear of it being eaten by the squirrels, getting wet, or getting infested with bugs. They were a bear to get on the pail (although that might say more about my lack of upper body strength than the lid!), but I love them now. I’ve been using them about a month. They seem to seal tightly and they screw on and off relatively easily. They have been through a few snowstorms (and the melting snow that followed), and the seed has remained completely dry. I did see some squirrel tooth marks on one of the lids, so I guess I’ll have to keep an eye on how well they hold up to that!