The oxidizer packets are a one-time use, although the mylar bags could possibly be cut down and reused. Cost of vacuum pump oil starts at $20 a gallon, although that oil can be filtered and reused. An oil-less pump is also an option but will be an upfront cost of
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.
I think a community-built troubleshooting manual is a great idea. These machines are simple in some ways, and more complex in others, and having a lot of eyes on the problem is always good.
Do you have any vacuum gauges at all to test the pump? ( Though I doubt that is the problem based upon your tests )
We have two freezers in the garage as well. All of these machines generate heat and humidity. Our FDer front regularly sweats up an storm and water drips off the door and from around the entire chamber perimeter down the front of the unit. It got so bad that I taped a plastic shield above the display to route the water around it. You can see the water on the door and on the stainless steel front past the 4 screws on the unit.
So I corrected the oversight - I drilled and tapped the elbow to add the port. Here is a Know More picture. It worked great today when I flushed the pump to clear out the gunk.
Installation of unit. This appliance cannot sit on the floor: both because it must be elevated for the ice melt tubing to drain into a container below it, and to be able to access the vacuum pump and the on/off switches for the unit.
nove) The last port to insulate required the top be removed. Before I removed the top cover I replaced the side covers. This keeps the back and front panels structurally rigid. Do not remove both the side panels and top or you will have problems reassembling as things get very loose.
The evaporator coils that touch the surface of the stainless steel vacuum chamber reach about -42 F. With food in the chamber and because the location of the thermister is on the middle shelf of the four shelves, the temperature it records is going to range from -25 to -30 F in the 9 hour default freeze time. This temperature is very adequate for freeze drying the food.
I thought an easier way to see what was happening would be to make a time lapse video of an entire freeze drying cycle. As I was about to prepare some apples for freeze drying yesterday, I thought it would be a good time to do that -- so out came the GoPro.
Additionally, freeze dried food is very light, since all the water is removed, and can be easily transported for hiking and camping or when used during long term emergency needs.
I want to suggest to Teppy that you get a bunch of oito quart hard plastic foodsaver containers to keep your products in under vacuum, being so low in moisture they attract water and soften rather easily. E-bay is a good source.
Making jerky safely requires either the use of curing salts (containing nitrite) or enough heat in an oven or dehydrator so that the heat will kill organisms before they multiply.
Fermenting foods is perhaps the oldest food preservation method and has grown in popularity in recent years due to their touted “gut”, probiotic, and other additional health benefits. Fermenting at home is an inexpensive way to control what goes inside yo