On 12/21/2013 11:04 AM, DerbyDad03 wrote:
This is the Christmas Tree stand that I have been using for at least
2 decades:

http://touchofthemountain.com/webimages/stand0869fw.jpg

The spike is held into the base with a rubber grommet like this one:

http://media.digikey.com/photos/Rich...hotos/HG-4.jpg

The spike can be wiggled and twisted and moved all around. I
typically put the tree on the spike while it is lying down and then
lift it by the tree until it's vertical. This puts significant
sideways pressure on the spike and grommet.

In the 20 years I've had the stand it has never leaked a single drop
of water. I know that there is no pressure other than gravity, but it
still amazes me that the grommet seals so well, completely submerged
in water for weeks at a time. It has to seal around the spike as well
as the plastic basin, which is simply held inside the grommet's
slot.

Of course, I still put a plastic sheet under the stand, and I check
the bottom of the basin when I add water, but so far (20 years!) I
have not had a single problem with the stand.

Faucets and other fixtures, with all their fancy connections, develop
leaks on occasion. Maybe they should all just use a simple rubber
grommet. ;-)

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all!

Happy Horror Days! The rubber parts in the faucets are being squeezed
and released repeatedly which is why they wear out. The small rubber
grommet in your tree stand has only been squeezed about 20 times. ^_^

TDD