There are 3 ports on the chamber that I made slits in the plastic to get around and taped them up once around them. Do not tape to the insulation. Tape only to the vapor barrier plastic. It doesn't take long, just be careful. After the plastic is in place and secure around the chamber I sealed the plastic to the back of the front and back panels using the packing tape. All the way around the front and back of the chamber to completely seal the chamber from outside air and humidity.
After the 3rd cycle I had hit my 20 cycle oil limit so it was time to change the oil. This time I took the time to add a flush port to my pump. When I replaced the plumbing with larger diameter brass and a cutoff valve I did not think to add the oil flush out port.
I cut up a thin flexible cutting board to make the shields and secured them with clear high grade packing tape. The cutting board is stiff but it will fold and hold a 90 degree crease. The shields are not going anywhere, but are easy to remove if necessary.
the "real" vacuum pumps on those machines, with ultimate vacuum levels a few more demial places over. I've chased many a leak in my time,but it was: A.
By this point, most of my son’s friends know about his dietary restrictions and it doesn’t bother them. My son takes rehydrated freeze dried meals to school banquets and to other social gatherings.
I did a couple of batches (peas and carrots, and another load of precooked chicken meatballs cut in half) and it all worked perfectly. Looking forward to trying out some new things and sharing the results.
I've also added an oil catch can that does a wonderful job of trapping oil vapor exiting the exhaust of the pump. Now instead of coating the area in a fine oil mist, the oil settles into the can. The clear tube on the side of the can lets you know how full the can is.
7) Next up the drain line. This not only deminishes condensation but also eliminates an unnecessary hot spot into the chamber.
A bit of background on me - I used to work in a sold state fabrication lab (university research lab) and had a lot of hands-on work with ultra-high vacuum equipment. website The pumping we do for freeze drying was what was required to just start
We had a sponsored post come over on my other sites that asked the question, “Should you buy a freeze dryer?
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So the bottom line is this: If you can afford the money, space, and time to spend on freeze-drying your own food and you believe the need for the food is many months or Know More years away, then eventually the Harvest Right freeze dryer will pay for itself.
The set up booklet was easy to follow and the initial bread run went smoothly. I do find the touch screen very sensitive and have made a couple taps in error. An error correct button might be helpful. Now the learning curve begins as the food is processed.
No longer do I have to ask what every ingredient is in each dish. And I don’t have to ask for the sour cream to be left out of the mashed potatoes. I can take a meal of turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, and yams that I freeze dried throughout the year.