OK, so this thread started almost 4 years ago. Sorry I am late to the party. I purchased my pot and pump from Vevor (which ironically happens to be advertising at the bottom of this screen as I write this) Early in my experimentation, I opened the escape valve too quickly and splashed the lid with Cactus Juice not to mention the whiplash obtained as I was looking straight thru the lid as the rush of CJ splashed the inner surface. The lid had a beautiful spider web of cracks. Customer service couldn't figure out the problem. I do not recall any statements about not using this pot for wood stabilization. Guess what, it now says not to use it for wood stabilization. After 10 or so successful uses with the new lid supplied by Vevor, I noticed a slow loss of vacuum on the gauge. I do not release the vacuum quickly as I did before so it has never been splashed but I suspect the leak is due the gasses attacking the lid There are no spider web cracks and there are no apparent leaks at the gauge entrance port in the lid. I used the soapy water test to see if this was an issue. The original lid is Plexiglass or acrylic so a piece of glass may be in the future. This thread helped make that decision. Thanks