We have some really great 'techy' type guys here who are, as they have been exploring the FD mechanics and sharing that in their posts, writing what is turning out to be a 'troubleshooting manual' for us less capable folks.
Finding used freeze dryers isn't easy. That's because most people who get them consider them a long-term investment. As such, they hold on to them for years. However, a used freeze dryer or two sometimes makes its way onto the market.
(had to replace the whole galvanized T piece with new wires in it) Seems they are epoxied in there, and in my experience passthroughs are a problem spot, so it's not at all surprizing that there was a slight leak there. In any case, I thanks the folks at HR for sending parts and sticking with me throughout.
5. Maintenance: Understand the maintenance requirements of the machine. Some units require more frequent servicing than others.
The pros and cons are easy to understand. In fact, there really is only one pro and it’s a huge one. Those who are willing to spend the time and money to freeze dry their own food should do so as long as they’re going to be committed.
•The shelf heaters can be set to automatically control the rate of sublimation during the primary drying cycle. Through this process, the unit has control of the attendant vacuum pressure.
You can count on me sticking around to talk about the food side of things! My wife looked at me a little oddly when I Know More got the freeze dryer, but now she's a fan too. I'm discovering things that it can do that I hadn't expected, such as making low carb snacks.
19.7k Location:Ontario, Canada Posted January 25, 2016 So a couple of months ago (when the weather was still warm) Alleguede has his assistant drop off some raspberries that he wanted Know More me to freeze dry for him. Since they were IQF raspberries I assumed that they would be individual - but apparently when you leave them in the trunk of your car long enough to thaw, then put them back in the freezer - then take a couple of days to get them over to me - they are pelo longer going to resemble individual raspberries.
Drying things out played a roll as well as the added insulation. We had 3.5 weeks of constant rain here in central NC with humidity over 95% and temps near 95F in the beginning and tapering down to 80F by the end of the rain. The condensation on the front panel around the seal had water running down the front of the Freeze Dryer constantly during the entire cycle, not just the freeze cycle. I initially went into the FDer to simply stop the humdity from reaching the outer chamber shell and freezing.
Pre-frozen food takes less time to process since the machine doesn’t have to completely freeze the food. Your climate (humidity and temperature) can also affect the cycle length. My average load takes around 24 hours, but it can be significantly longer.
You will be addicted once you realize how much you can freeze dry, how easy it is and how much you can preserve for your household in a short amount of time.
Run full system test with no food in chamber (results, 630 mTorr lowest steady reading - looking through the oil level window, some bubbling seen in oil even after an hour of pumpdown - some "air" noises from pump)
As I mentioned before, freeze dryers are an investment. They're an investment because of all the benefits they bring to you and your self-reliance.
•Control of the shelf temperature during the dry cycle. This includes setting as many as five different shelf temperatures, thus allowing the material to dry in phases, at different temperatures.