Odds are the problem is the vacuum hose or its end connections, the drain valve, or the door gasket. Based upon my experience I'd double check the fittings while installed on the FDer.
5 Posted October 24, 2015 Hi everyone - new member to the forum, and I was drawn here by this thread. I have been using my HR freeze dryer for a few months now and it's been great. Reading about all your experiences shows that I'm not alone in loving this machine!
It’s always best to buy directly from the manufacturer, and many companies list their products online to view, although not all list prices online.
Commercial freeze dryers are much easier to find than industrial or laboratory freeze dryers as they’re made for the service industry and some manufacturing sectors.
The appliances that you buy will need to be specifically determined by your kitchen space, and the types of food that plan to be be serving.
Tray lids– Though freeze drying is underway, you would possibly end up prepping for the next batch. Tray lids are vital in these conditions, preserving your prepped food from contaminants, odors, or unintended spills with your freezer.
I'll be looking forward to hearing about the weird and wonderful items you produce. Should be an interesting learning curve.
The item is then heated up again and as the water starts to leave instead of melting (ie going from a solid to a liquid) it sublimates (ie goes from a solid to a gas) under the influence of the negative pressure produced by the vacuum. So you website are left with the cell minus water in an intact shape and size.
Don’t buy freeze dryers from companies that lack certifications or a valid history of quality assurance.
While I had the unit apart to replace the display I decided to correct the water condensation problem. If you find yourself using your FDer in the same conditons as we do you may want to consider modifying your FDer to keep the condensation from your FDer control circuit and display cards. Here are the steps that I followed to minimize what the NC high humidity climate does to my FDer.
To protect packaged foods and organic compounds against spoiling, mold growth, color change, and loss of nutrition, use oxygen absorbers to get the residual oxygen inside the packaging to below 0.
While the reduced footprint of the small freeze makes finding a spot to set it up easy to figure out, the power requirements provide another distinct installation advantage. That's because the Harvest Right Small Freeze Dryer requires a standard 110-volt outlet.
Obviously things like ice cream and marshmallows you would want to let the freeze cycle run longer. When I'm ready to start the drying cycle, I open the door, remove the insulator, and check the temperature of the food on the trays with an infrared thermometer. As long as it's below -10F I start the dry cycle. A side note for TonyC, have you ever thought about attaching a mirror to each side of the tray rack to reflect the radiant heat back in to the trays? I've looked at some mirror finish stainless on ebay, and it looks like you could do it for about $40. Not sure if it's worth a try or not. I would think it would let you get more water out in a cycle because the radiant heat wouldn't be warming the ice on the chamber walls. Just a thought.... Edited December 16, 2015 by Pipsqueak duplicate post (log)
Most pharmaceutical or laboratory-grade freeze-dryers have to be purchased from licensed manufacturers. These sales often need to be done over the phone or in person with an equipment salesman, though those can be found online. Some options are also available online at places like Amazon.