Yes we're aware we're 2 months (almost 3) into the year 2025 but we want to introduce you all to the 2025 edition of the gunge tank valve. Following some fantastic feedback from everyone that's already bought a valve we've made several improvements including (but not limited to) a new retention collet to help improve sealing on your gunge tank reservoir, better internal flow geometry, better top brace retention geometry (yes it's as interesting as it sounds), a change of syringe system to leur lock for improved reliability and functionality, stronger springs for better sealing. All together giving you the best gunge tank valve yet. There's a few more things in development and testing that'll be ready very soon which we can't wait to share with you. If you want to see the valve in action check our our profile for some demo videos and if you want to get your own valve then take a look at our etsy store https://gungetankmaker.etsy.com/listing/1771529965 Or if you've got an idea for a customisation or have any questions about making use of one of our valves then please don't hesitate to drop us a message.
Johndoe906 said: I actually believe at this stage that you're a genius.
Out of interest, how come its 2025 edition and not MK3?
You really are far too kind. It's been really fun developing the valve. The real reason it's not a mk3 is because it's just an update to the current model to make it a bit easier to use and reliable. The next big thing we'll be releasing is a whole range of accessories to give some exciting new gunging options.
I had a disaster with my Mk1. No fault of the valve more my stupidly I have it mounted in a bucket with a sealant on the flange to hold it in place and I have a hook in the ceiling (in a beam) that I hang said bucket on.
After a drop I took it down reloaded it and instead of holding and lifting the bucket onto the hook I placed my hand on the valve.
Have you guessed what happened
Yes I pushed the valve out of the bottom of the bucket to receive an unplanned gunging
No damage just popped the sealant which I will now need to redo this time I will use an adhesive sealant like CT1
Even with the minor issues with mk1 ot is still fantastic
messyness said: I had a disaster with my Mk1. No fault of the valve more my stupidly I have it mounted in a bucket with a sealant on the flange to hold it in place and I have a hook in the ceiling (in a beam) that I hang said bucket on.
After a drop I took it down reloaded it and instead of holding and lifting the bucket onto the hook I placed my hand on the valve.
Have you guessed what happened
Yes I pushed the valve out of the bottom of the bucket to receive an unplanned gunging
No damage just popped the sealant which I will now need to redo this time I will use an adhesive sealant like CT1
Even with the minor issues with mk1 ot is still fantastic
Oh dear I hope that didn't ruin your session. If you ever feel like upgrading the 2025 edition has an additional retention collet that helps improve the seal.
Johndoe906 said: I actually believe at this stage that you're a genius.
Out of interest, how come its 2025 edition and not MK3?
You really are far too kind. It's been really fun developing the valve. The real reason it's not a mk3 is because it's just an update to the current model to make it a bit easier to use and reliable. The next big thing we'll be releasing is a whole range of accessories to give some exciting new gunging options.
Well I can't wait too see these new accessories then, and anything else you've cooked up in your workshop. Sounds like you've been busy.
Johndoe906 said: I actually believe at this stage that you're a genius.
Out of interest, how come its 2025 edition and not MK3?
Well hopefully your wait won't be too long. We've got some fun stuff being finished up.
You really are far too kind. It's been really fun developing the valve. The real reason it's not a mk3 is because it's just an update to the current model to make it a bit easier to use and reliable. The next big thing we'll be releasing is a whole range of accessories to give some exciting new gunging options.
Well I can't wait too see these new accessories then, and anything else you've cooked up in your workshop. Sounds like you've been busy.
messyness said: I had a disaster with my Mk1. No fault of the valve more my stupidly I have it mounted in a bucket with a sealant on the flange to hold it in place and I have a hook in the ceiling (in a beam) that I hang said bucket on.
After a drop I took it down reloaded it and instead of holding and lifting the bucket onto the hook I placed my hand on the valve.
Have you guessed what happened
Yes I pushed the valve out of the bottom of the bucket to receive an unplanned gunging
No damage just popped the sealant which I will now need to redo this time I will use an adhesive sealant like CT1
Even with the minor issues with mk1 ot is still fantastic
To save some time I'm just going to copy and paste the relevant section from the feedback I gave privately to the store owner for the Mk 2 valve back in December 14th regarding this issue.
"3. The last suggestion is for the underside of the valve. The best gunge tank solutions I have come across do not rely on adhesive and sealant. Unfortunately even if you get a good seal on a valve because buckets and containers tend to be made of Polypropylene or Polyethylene that are resistant to adhesives they have a tendency to come unstuck over time - especially as most bathroom sealants are not designed to withstand forces being applied to them (they are typically used around static parts) that occur when the valve parts move around them. Unfortunately the valve I received the arms of the the bit you need to take off to clean the valve don't quite fit through the hole to release them and required jiggling and a little tugging to come out and both occasions I tried it it damaged the sealing job. It may not be as pronounced for those whose valve arms more easily slide out but over time I believe it will still be an issue. This imgur link ( https://imgur.com/a/valve-pics-OyWVtkQ ) includes images of both of the arms of my valve in their slots (after the second time of the seal breaking I just took the valve out completely and stopped attempting to use it to not chase further sunk costs) to come out and as you can see their shape doesn't quite fit through the slot on both sides. I have also included an image of the sort of thing I have found to work best sealing a tank and that is when you can use a specially fitted washer that when tightened underneath it applies enough pressure to the valve on the other side that means liquid can't seep through. It is also more idiot proof that having to get the sealant out.
As such the sketch of the 'underside' I include has a wider bit where a screw in washer can slip over the screw on nozzle section to then screw the valve into place."
Having built gunge tanks for now 15 years I can say that the hard bit is not the valve itself - it is in getting the valve fitted within a container in such a way that doesn't wind up leaking. And even if you do get it in, because most buckets are made from materials resistant to adhesives (by design so that builders can shove adhesives like wallpaper paste in them and still reuse the bucket later) the seals can come undone later.
I did not make the above review public earlier because Etsy can be a bugger to sell on (they can hold all the money from sales for a new store for up to 6 months before giving it to store owner - hence why I have not made portable gunge tank frames available there and when I get rid of my current portable gunge tank frame - to whoever won't care about the extra weight - in favour of one built with lighter materials I'll shove it on Ebay or Vinted) and I didn't want to screw over someone starting out with a promising product and so I apologise to anyone that has bought one in that time and winds up having this issue.
However given the 2 'new' versions of the MK2 has been listed in those 2 months that haven't addressed sealing the valve over and that I freely gave two possible solutions (admittedly one was on a pretty rough sketch) I do feel I should now make this clear for future shoppers to consider. Which is a shame as I was very much hopeful that future designs would address these issues as I had initially discussed commissioning a custom nozzle and placing a bulk order (of between 8-12 valves with the store owner) for a future iteration of my own gunge tank building projects I had wanted this product to succeed.
If people still want to go ahead with purchasing these valves (in the form they are currently sold in) then I would recommend trying to install them into PVC containers rather than buckets made out of Polyethylene or Polypropylene (most buckets) and getting a proper plastic adhesive (though again I would not have confidence that the seal won't degrade over time from the mechanical forces involved with taking the valve apart to clean it - you may get away with avoiding cleaning it if you just intend to use gunge but I was also intending to use food substances on occasion).
However if I were in the shoes of a shopper currently considering buying this valve I would ask for a quote for however much it will cost for them to pre-install the valve into a bucket/container of your choice (they have installed the valve themselves so are capable of it) along with a guarantee of it remaining water-tight in the container for up to a year. Even if it winds up quadrupling the price.
Thanks I hadn't considered the bucket material to be an issue and the adhesive sealant I normally use for everything CT1 sticks to everything but polypropylene.
So my solution is simply to change to a metal bucket. A bit harder to make a hole in but I have the tools to do it and a bit more expensive but it will work
messyness said: I had a disaster with my Mk1. No fault of the valve more my stupidly I have it mounted in a bucket with a sealant on the flange to hold it in place and I have a hook in the ceiling (in a beam) that I hang said bucket on.
After a drop I took it down reloaded it and instead of holding and lifting the bucket onto the hook I placed my hand on the valve.
Have you guessed what happened
Yes I pushed the valve out of the bottom of the bucket to receive an unplanned gunging
No damage just popped the sealant which I will now need to redo this time I will use an adhesive sealant like CT1
Even with the minor issues with mk1 ot is still fantastic
To save some time I'm just going to copy and paste the relevant section from the feedback I gave privately to the store owner for the Mk 2 valve back in December 14th regarding this issue.
"3. The last suggestion is for the underside of the valve. The best gunge tank solutions I have come across do not rely on adhesive and sealant. Unfortunately even if you get a good seal on a valve because buckets and containers tend to be made of Polypropylene or Polyethylene that are resistant to adhesives they have a tendency to come unstuck over time - especially as most bathroom sealants are not designed to withstand forces being applied to them (they are typically used around static parts) that occur when the valve parts move around them. Unfortunately the valve I received the arms of the the bit you need to take off to clean the valve don't quite fit through the hole to release them and required jiggling and a little tugging to come out and both occasions I tried it it damaged the sealing job. It may not be as pronounced for those whose valve arms more easily slide out but over time I believe it will still be an issue. This imgur link ( https://imgur.com/a/valve-pics-OyWVtkQ ) includes images of both of the arms of my valve in their slots (after the second time of the seal breaking I just took the valve out completely and stopped attempting to use it to not chase further sunk costs) to come out and as you can see their shape doesn't quite fit through the slot on both sides. I have also included an image of the sort of thing I have found to work best sealing a tank and that is when you can use a specially fitted washer that when tightened underneath it applies enough pressure to the valve on the other side that means liquid can't seep through. It is also more idiot proof that having to get the sealant out.
As such the sketch of the 'underside' I include has a wider bit where a screw in washer can slip over the screw on nozzle section to then screw the valve into place."
Having built gunge tanks for now 15 years I can say that the hard bit is not the valve itself - it is in getting the valve fitted within a container in such a way that doesn't wind up leaking. And even if you do get it in, because most buckets are made from materials resistant to adhesives (by design so that builders can shove adhesives like wallpaper paste in them and still reuse the bucket later) the seals can come undone later.
I did not make the above review public earlier because Etsy can be a bugger to sell on (they can hold all the money from sales for a new store for up to 6 months before giving it to store owner - hence why I have not made portable gunge tank frames available there and when I get rid of my current portable gunge tank frame - to whoever won't care about the extra weight - in favour of one built with lighter materials I'll shove it on Ebay or Vinted) and I didn't want to screw over someone starting out with a promising product and so I apologise to anyone that has bought one in that time and winds up having this issue.
However given the 2 'new' versions of the MK2 has been listed in those 2 months that haven't addressed sealing the valve over and that I freely gave two possible solutions (admittedly one was on a pretty rough sketch) I do feel I should now make this clear for future shoppers to consider. Which is a shame as I was very much hopeful that future designs would address these issues as I had initially discussed commissioning a custom nozzle and placing a bulk order (of between 8-12 valves with the store owner) for a future iteration of my own gunge tank building projects I had wanted this product to succeed.
If people still want to go ahead with purchasing these valves (in the form they are currently sold in) then I would recommend trying to install them into PVC containers rather than buckets made out of Polyethylene or Polypropylene (most buckets) and getting a proper plastic adhesive (though again I would not have confidence that the seal won't degrade over time from the mechanical forces involved with taking the valve apart to clean it - you may get away with avoiding cleaning it if you just intend to use gunge but I was also intending to use food substances on occasion).
However if I were in the shoes of a shopper currently considering buying this valve I would ask for a quote for however much it will cost for them to pre-install the valve into a bucket/container of your choice (they have installed the valve themselves so are capable of it) along with a guarantee of it remaining water-tight in the container for up to a year. Even if it winds up quadrupling the price.
With really good feedback it's certainly possible to make a much better product.
For me thus has been a bit of a passion project for too many years than I'd care to mention with all sorts of solutions explored.
Right back in my early days I'd worked with punctured foil seals stuck into old pringles cans (circa 1998) which was probably my first "successful " attempt at a gunge tank system.
Since then ive tried all kings from sink plugs on chains to balloons popping in tubes and only really now have i gotten to something that I feel is worthwhile others using even still I'm adapting it using the feedback ive had.
From the mk1 to the mk2 there's remarkable changes. The mk1 was really just a prototype that I had a few people ask whether I'd sell. I did a few but there were issues with it that caused a lot of printing errors at scale. Si with the mk2 I designed it again from scratch with scake production in mind making refinements to remove print faults and to decrease production time. Next was sourcing consistent components, you wouldn't belive how many small variations there are in syringes that ment i had to spend quite a bit of money buying and testing all the variations until I eventually found a source I could work with that would consistently supply them which is who we now use with the leur lock system, the same with the springs ir was difficult to find consistently in suppliers leading to all sorts of compatibility and functional issues.
Finally it was almost impossible to find an appropriate flexable seal for the valve head that we could use without changing the design sizes to accommodate. In the end I designed my own flexable valve seal and invested in a second printer capable of printing in flexable filament.
All in all it's been a great adventure in bringing our a product and itterating the design for efficient production and ease of use. I've almost definitely sunk too much if my own money into it and a reasonable amount of time too but I think it's worth it knowing that people are getting the gunge tank experience that they want.
I'm sorry you had issues with your valve abd I really hope we can find a way to improve our product so it's not something people would experience again.
As for fitting the valve into a reservoir, that's certainly something that I could negotiate on but there's a heck of a lot of variables involved not least of which being the shipping cost which would be much highers than would make it viable to most buyers.
I am open to customisations and commission if that's something people would like but I will say fulfilment times might be quite long as j do have a full time job and other commitments that come first.