I honestly think putting a thermometer inside the unit is an excellent idea. I sent the following note off to Harvest Right Support in an effort to gain a little better understanding of the process.
Furthermore, the development of vacuum drying and the control of temperature rise have increased the efficiency of the freeze-drying systems which leads to reduced cycle times and lower costs. The development of the industry gives a lot of hope for the future of freeze drying in both the pharmaceutical and food industry.
We’ve bought six so far with two more on the way. But families and individuals considering getting their own can and should as long as they go in with their eyes open.
With the combination of pharmaceutical and food products needing to be more shelf-stable than before, acquiring ideal freeze-drying machinery is crucial. Modern freeze driers have much more sophisticated control of temperature, pressure, and moisture which guarantees the quality of the product as well as meeting regulatory standards.
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.
It’s super simple, if you aren’t running an Oil Free pump (which we strongly suggest), you should change the vacuum pump’s oil every 20-30 runs (approximately once every month or two with daily use) and ensure the interior chamber as well as your trays are cleaned frequently.
Vic says: 2 years ago Going on a second year with the freeze dryer. Considering getting another one. It really takes commitment, but it is very rewarding. The freezer is good also, but it needs constant source of electricity, and the storage is limited to the size of the freezer.
After buying our freeze dryer I was naturally curious as to how it "knew" when something was done, since batch times varied so much depending on what was being processed. Watching the cycle times didn't seem to tell me anything at first -- especially without a thermometer to tell me what was happening inside -- until I finally caught on that applying heat to the frozen food affected the vacuum, which provided the measure of how dry the food had become.
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.
Foods with lots of seeds can be freeze dried but usually take longer. That’s because the seeds hold moisture. If you’re processing strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, tomatoes, and kiwis you’ll need to add Em excesso time. I like to add at least 12 hours when processing these foods.
Posted January 21, 2016 (edited) On 12/1/2015 at 0:16 PM, Jenipher said: Tony, if you see this, I went ahead and purchased the catch can. Do you think it's okay to just purchase a reducer to go from the size of the exhaust to the size of the hose that came with the can? Hopefully I said that in a way that makes sense! As well, does it matter which port is used as "in" and which as "out"? Thanks so much, Jen Hi Jen, Sorry to be gone so long. I did exactly as you proposed. I purchased a brass reducer and pushed the blue hose over it.
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.
For me, a prepper, a freeze dryer is cem% worth it because I can freeze dry whatever I want/need to fill my pantry with food that will nourish our family for years, no matter what might come our way.
Making food in your own freeze dryer is less expensive than purchasing it commercially. You can purchase food in bulk and freeze dry it for later. With the current high food prices (which could easily continue to skyrocket), it’s nice Shop Now to buy in bulk or on clearance to save money.